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The 1,290km Lobito corridor is being lined up for some $250m in financing from the United States’ Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and, reflecting the tone of recent US (re-) engagement with the region, the White House has also mooted an expansion of the Lobito corridor to the Tanzanian coast.

An official spokesman has told African Energy’s Windhoek correspondent that media reports saying the government could be looking to take stakes in existing mining and hydrocarbons licences were untrue.

More than 800MW of additional off-grid solar capacity is expected to come online over the next five years, according to the African Energy Live Data platform, with large installations in Chad, Morocco and South Africa. Falling costs and an easing of regulations means the financing gap with conventional power is narrowing – and similar trends can be seen in the smaller mini-grid sector.

A report into the Cabo Delgado insurgency and the future of TotalEnergies' Mozambique LNG project has concluded that the security and humanitarian situation is improving, which could lead to work restarting later this year. The Rufin report has also prompted a $200m action plan to address some root causes of the violence, writes Marc Howard.

Bola Ahmed Tinubu acted decisively at his 29 May inauguration as head of state, by ordering the removal of subsidies on petroleum products. Sources close to his incoming administration had predicted such a move was likely, but the timing of any announcement had been unclear. Previous governments have promised to remove subsidies before backing away from such a decision, so Tinubu’s nerves are likely to be tested in the face of the protests that are now likely.

Africa-focused venture capital fund E3 Capital, formerly known as Energy Access Ventures, has reached a first close of $48.1m for its Nairobi-based E3 Low Carbon Economy Fund, in partnership with London-headquartered Lion’s Head Global Partners.

The French overseas territory of Réunion – 175km south-west of Mauritius and 680km east of Madagascar – is investing heavily in renewable energy.

Mauritius’ turn to renewable energy has displaced large amounts of liquid- and coal-fired capacity, with efforts by the Central Electricity Board (CEB) to encourage renewable energy IPP developers yielding good results.

In the past three years, the Seychelles has increased its installed solar PV capacity more than fivefold to 12MWp, or around 4% of national power demand, saving millions of dollars in liquid fuel imports in the process.

The island states off the coast of East Africa are pushing ahead forcefully with renewable energy schemes to reduce their hydrocarbons use. The moves will save money for the authorities in Comoros, Mauritius and the Seychelles by cutting expensive imports of refined products and will also help to address the effects of climate change to which they are particularly vulnerable, writes Marc Howard.

Published May 2023, this map provides a detailed view of power infrastructure across the Indian Ocean islands of Comoros, Mauritius, Réunion and Seychelles. The map shows the location of the islands within the region, with an inset for each illustrating their respective power infrastructure.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved plans by utility Eskom to procure 344.5MW of capacity from new solar PV and battery energy storage plants.

In the run up to the 2018 election, Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF promised to increase electricity generation capacity and end load-shedding. The reality has been power cuts lasting over 16 hours. But despite this, the Zanu-PF government says it has a solution to the electricity supply crisis.

With elections due in August, the ruling Zanu-PF’s grip on power is being threatened by electricity shortages, corruption and soaring inflation. However, critics say an uneven electoral playing field still favours the incumbent, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi in Harare.

First details have emerged of the integrated power plant at Dangote Group’s 650,000 b/d Lagos refinery, commissioned on 22 May.