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Kenya's  Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (Rerec) has commissioned the Mageta Island solar PV mini-grid in Bondo, Siaya county.

The issue leads with a refection on COP28, which, for all the talk of eventually phasing out fossil fuels and operationalising the loss and damage fund, left much to do and huge financial shortfalls to make up. African Energy's regular coverage leads on South Africa, where plans are moving ahead for the country's first new nuclear power plant since 1985.  Meanwhile, regulator Nersa continues to register more renewable energy plants, with 900MW booked in Q3 alone, and other renewable procurement programmes are inching forward. The issue also analyses figures compiled for President Cyril Ramaphosa’s administration that underline the challenge the country faces to attract climate financing flows if it is to meet its net zero goals by 2050. Presently, nearly all of South Africa’s climate finance comes from local sources. Power coverage includes an examination of a $10bn African renewables push by UAE-based players, underlining Abu Dhabi’s claim to have assumed a leading role in enabling Africa’s energy transition, even while critics at COP28 complained the Emiratis are also promoting the oil lobby. African Energy also reflects on the news that a unit of UAE national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s International Holding Company has taken a stake in Zambia's loss-making Mopani Copper Mines, pointing to the emergence of ‘middle powers’ in strategic African resource plays and a hoped-for revival in the country's mining ambitions. Oil and gas coverage leads with a focus on Nigeria where Equinor’s proposed sale of its operations to the local Chappal Energies adds to a growing trend for international oil companies to withdraw from the country’s upstream sector, allowing domestic players to step in. Access to finance remains a problem for some actors, but African Energy has picked up clear signs of enthusiasm among Nigerian companies to do more deals. The issue also incudes a closer look at the latest developments with the Simandou iron ore mega-project in Guinea, where Rio Tinto expects first production in 2025. African Energy examines the latest corporate developments - including conformation that China’s Baowu has taken a big stake in blocks 1 and 2 – and the progress with rail and port infrastructure. The African Energy View focuses on what Opec+’s recent actions and statements mean for the direction of oil sector.  

France-based infrastructure investor Meridiam has signed a 25-year concession with the government of Togo and EDF to finance, design, build and operate a 64MWp solar PV plant in Sokodé, Central Region.

State utility Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) has started work to connect the 2.1GW Julius Nyerere hydroelectric power (HEP) plant to Chalinze substation in Pwani district, via a 400kV power transmission line built by India’s Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

Nigeria's  Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has announced a construction start at two off-grid solar PV systems in the Federal Capital Territory, backed by $12.4m from the South Korean government.

The Public Utilities Corporation (PUC) has signed a €21.8m ($23.5m) deal with Belgium’s International Montage Maintenance (IMM) to add 18MW of capacity to the 66.4MW Roche Caiman thermal baseload plant in Mahé.

London AIM-listed Helium One has said it will spud the Itumbula well in early January 2024, marking the start of a 30-day drilling programme.

A Franco-Japanese consortium of TotalEnergies, EDF and Sumitomo Corporation has signed joint development and framework agreements for Mozambique’s long-delayed 1.5GW Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric power plant.

A PPA for the 25MW Ilute independent power project fits into Zambia’s wider plan to use open access to become a regional hub for electricity trading. Offtaker Africa GreenCo will sell Ilute’s power to a variety of customers by wheeling across national utility Zesco’s transmission network and the Southern African Power Pool (Sapp)

Chevron could sign a production-sharing contracts for offshore blocks EG-06 and EG-11 with national oil company GEPetrol in the coming weeks, the government said as Equatorial Guinea prepares for its biggest US investor to pull out.

Hyphen Hydrogen Energy and Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have agreed a finance package for engineering, environmental and socio-economic development work on Hyphen’s multi-billion-dollar green hydrogen (GH2) project. The agreement was signed at the COP28 summit in Dubai.

Energean’s farm-in to Chariot’s Moroccan licences gives a boost to development prospects for the offshore Anchois gas field, while handing LSE-listed Energean a valuable foothold in Atlantic coast acreage.

The announcement that a unit of United Arab Emirates national security adviser Sheikh Tahnoun Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan’s International Holding Company was winning bidder for a stake in loss-making Mopani Copper Mines points to the emergence of ‘middle powers’ in strategic African resources plays and a hoped-for revival in Zambia’s mining ambitions.

A local arm of EDF and Scatec Africa has been awarded preferred bidder status on contracts to develop battery energy storage at four Eskom substations in the first round of the Battery Energy Storage IPP Procurement Programme (Besippp).

Solarcentury Africa is to build a 7MWp solar PV plant for Dallaglio Investments’ Eureka gold mine in Zimbabwe’s Mashonaland Central province. Zimbabwe is experiencing acute shortages of power that have prompted many mining companies and industrial companies to invest in their own power plants.