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Genel Energy plans to farm down its 75% interest in the SL-10B and SL-13 blocks onshore Somaliland. In its H1 results on 6 August, Genel said interpretation of the 2018 2D seismic data together with continued basin analysis has led to the maturation of a prospects and leads inventory. “A number of potentially high impact exploration targets have been identified within play types directly analogous to the prolific Yemeni rift basins,” Genel said.

Operator BG Group has drilled a successful appraisal well on the Pweza discovery as it seeks to firm up the reserves needed for a two-train LNG plant. Partner Ophir Energy said the Pweza-2 well was drilled 2km to the south of the Pweza-1 discovery well in Block 4 and was located downdip of the discovery well. The well intersected 20 metres of net pay with excellent reservoir quality, which was confirmed to be in pressure communication with Pweza-1.

Libya’s oil output has stabilised at approximately half of its 1.6m b/d maximum in early 2011 before the fall of the Qadhafi regime. Since September, National Oil Corporation (NOC) has found a way of operating under the divided control of the official House of Representatives-backed government in Tobruk and the self-declared General National Congress-backed government in Tripoli. NOC has pushed hard to get its various crude streams accepted back into the market. But while Tripoli is calm, fierce fighting in Cyrenaican capital Benghazi and the outbreak of hostilities between Tebu and Tuareg groups in the south-western town of Awbari mean that further fluctuations are likely.

In Nairobi, regional risk mitigation specialist The African Trade Insurance Agency (ATI) has remained open for the political and commercial cover that it provides for trade within Africa. “We are all well and the office is open and functioning normally, as the disturbances were localised and not in the main business areas,” said chief executive officer Peter M Jones. “

German solar developer SunEQ has announced a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 5MW solar photovoltaic project with Ohorongo Cement, one of the largest energy consumers in Namibia. A ground-breaking ceremony for the project took place on 5 June. Operation is expected to start by year-end and the plant will be the first utility-scale project in Namibia to generate solar power for industrial use. The project is the first for SunEQ, the sister company of German consultancy Suntrace, which intends to implement a pipeline of solar assets in sub-Saharan Africa.

The Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) Nile Equatorial Lakes Subsidiary Action Programme (Nelsap) has invited expressions of interest (EoIs) by 23 November from consultants to serve as owner’s engineer for the 90MW Rusumo Falls hydropower project on the Kagera River.

Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) managing director Cephas Gakpo has retired and will be replaced by the acting board chairman until a permanent replacement is found.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled on Sudan’s disputed Abyei region, substantially redrawing the border and giving the Heglig and Bamboo oilfields to Khartoum.

Ghana’s new government has withdrawn two draft petroleum bills from parliament for “wider consultation” with stakeholders

Petrobras farms into Benin Block 4; WHL completes Seyco acquisition; Exile Resources in Zambia and Nigeria

Eskom has scaled back its tariff increase request to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and announced further project delays as a consequence of scaling down its finance projections.

Power company Globeleq, owned by the UK’s Actis Infrastructure Fund, has agreed a three-year loan facility worth $70m with South Africa’s Standard Bank. The facility is expected to be used to expand the company’s African asset base from the current fleet of 1,200MW capacity operating or under construction in five countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including three renewable power projects with combined capacity of 238MW in South Africa with Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power.

Sweden’s Sweco has been awarded a $5.2m consultancy contract for a rehabilitation project to refurbish the five generators at the 2,075MW Cahora Bassa hydropower plant. Sweco will identify the scope of the rehabilitation requirement, draft technical specifications, provide technical support for contractor procurement, and supervise construction works. The project is scheduled for completion in 2025. Brazil’s Intertechne Consultores is also a partner for the project.

South Sudan’s government plans to spend a $14.75m portion of financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB) on the long-delayed rehabilitation and expansion of the power distribution network in the capital, Juba. Parliament has approved an AfDB facility for development activities in the country totalling $47.88m, according to the chairman of parliament’s finance committee, David Nailo. A further $18m will be used to support South Sudan’s participation in regional financial institutions including the Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank (formerly PTA Bank).

Equatorial Guinea has signalled that an agreement with Gazprom, Lukoil and Rosneft could emerge from the Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi on 23-24 October. A Russian news report, retweeted by minister of mines and hydrocarbons Gabriel Mbaga Obiang Lima, quoted the minister as saying the Equatorial Guinea delegation, to be led by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, would not come to the summit “empty-handed”.