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The National Water and Electricity Company seeks expressions of interest by 31 October from consultants to develop a strategic masterplan for the electricity sector. The study will assess current and future electricity demand and identify medium- and long-term investments in generation, transmission and distribution to meet forecast national demand and reliability standards. The contract is to be financed by the World Bank under the Electricity Restoration and Modernisation Project.

Kenya has selected Wood Plc to carry out design work for an oil export pipeline from the South Lokichar Basin. Reuters quoted Andrew Kamau, principal secretary at the Petroleum and Mining Ministry, as saying the work would take eight months. The government invited engineering design bids in January for the $2bn pipeline project.

Tullow Oil’s operations in Kenya’s Turkana County continue to be affected by worker unrest. On 10 October, Kenyan media reported that the company was facing limited industrial protests at its Ekosowan well on Block 10BB, although Tullow announced two days later that the issue had been resolved. Turkana County governor Josephat Nanok told African Energy the dispute was caused when oil services provider Ardan Logistics Kenya laid off several workers at the site. “The dispute was regarding contractor Ardan’s staff.

The government of elected President Alpha Condé plans to introduce a package of electricity sector reforms to create a framework for investment that will allow Guinea to harness its estimated 6,000MW hydroelectric potential

The UK’s imminent departure from the European Union (EU) could enable it to negotiate better bilateral trade deals with traditional partners in Africa, according to a report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Africa. Newcastle Central MP Chi Onwurah, who chairs the APPG, told the report launch in London on 28 February that Brexit was an opportunity for the UK to re-evaluate its trading terms with African countries.

Alten Africa, a subsidiary of Spanish developer Alten Energias Renovables, announced on 13 December that it has contracted France’s Voltalia to carry out engineering, procurement and construction and operation and maintenance services for the 40MWac Kesses 1 solar photovoltaic plant near Eldoret in western Kenya.

Ophir Energy spudded the first well in its 2012 Block R drilling programme on 2 July.

Oil services company Weatherford International said on 4 November that it hoped to finalise a settlement for some $250m with the US government for violations of the US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Iraq oil-for-food programme, and trading with sanctioned countries. The sanction settlement alone is expected to cost $100m, and Weatherford is awaiting approval from the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Weatherford first disclosed an overseas bribery investigation in 2007. The investigation later expanded to include potential violations of the Iraq oil-for-food programme and possible illegal trade with Cuba, Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Zimbabwe utility Zesa Holding is sticking to its power-exporting arrangement with NamPower, the Namibian parastatal has told African Energy.

The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s World Energy Investment 2016 report, launched in London on 14 September, “shows the electricity sector leading a broad reorientation of energy investment”, as upstream oil and gas investment has slumped. The Paris-based agency’s data show investment in renewable energy accelerating at an impressive rate, although Africa’s performance remains patchy, even in industry leaders like Morocco and South Africa. Despite the global upturn in renewable energy, the IEA warned that “more is needed to meet climate targets and address energy security concerns”.

Renewable energy projects are making progress as the industry waits for a government decision on whether to increase the capacity allocated to the third round of the renewable energy independent power producers procurement programme (REIPPP) and the outcome of public consultation for the revised Integrated Resource Plan (AE 268/5). While energy minister Dikobe Ben Martins barely mentioned the issue in a speech to the Energy Leaders’ Roundtable on 11 February, an extended third bid round for concentrated solar power is due to take place in March. Bid registration will take place on 3 March with submissions due on 31 March.

The Africa-EU Energy Partnership (AEEP)’s 2020 Political Targets call on Africa and the EU to take joint action to improve energy security by doubling the capacity of cross-border electricity interconnections within Africa and with Europe, and doubling the use of natural gas in Africa and of African gas exports to Europe by building natural gas infrastructure, notably to bring currently flared gas to market. The Second Stakeholder Meeting’s energy security session, in Milan on 17 May, focused on electricity interconnections, where much is expected from projects that have dragged on. However, significant progress is expected in cross-border trading in the period to 2020, notably in East Africa.

The temporary closure by protesters of three oil terminals, which caused a fall in exports of 300,000 b/d over two days in early July, is likely to reoccur, according to European security and diplomatic sources

The multilateral created to pull former communist economies into the global market is gearing up to provide significant support for North Africa, but like other elements of the so-called Deauville Partnership, things are not moving as quickly as supporters of the ‘Arab Spring’ would like, writes Jon Marks

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is close to finalising grants of UA9.69m from the African Development Fund and UA60m from the Fragile States Facility to finance Congo’s semi-urban and rural electrification project