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Bboxx has concluded its acquisition of PEG Africa, giving the ­London-based firm access to four more African markets – Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mali – while it is also tying up with more major corporates, creating ventures with Orange in Democratic Republic of Congo and Unilever in Kenya.

Norway’s DNO has agreed to pay $117.25m to acquire Mondoil Enterprises, which in turn holds a 33.3% stake in Foxtrot International, which has interests in offshore gas and associated liquids in Côte d'Ivoire. DNO is buying Mondoil from United Arab Emirates-based RAK Petroleum.

The West African Transco CLSG transmission network is working to build a second 243MW line, begin energy trade with indebted Liberia and integrate C&I customers and renewable energy sources into the sub-regional network that covers Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The government of Côte d'Ivoire has signed a €200m ($198.6m) financing structure with Germany’s KfW Ipex-Bank, Swedish Export Credit Corporation (SEK) and Israel-based Bluebird Finance & Projects to install clean water systems in more than 1,000 villages.

Italian major Eni has announced further positive results from its offshore Baleine (Whale) field, announcing on 28 July that the Baleine East 1X well had been drilled and successfully tested in Block CI-802, building up its case for a fast-track development to bring first oil in H1 2023.

Azito developer Globeleq is keen to invest further in Côte d’Ivoire’s power sector with “particular emphasis on renewable energy projects”, chief executive Mike Scholey told African Energy.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has overturned global calculations about natural gas supply, especially in Europe, meaning projects previously thought unfeasible are now making progress. One possible beneficiary is the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline, strongly pushed by King Mohammed VI and supported by his friend President Muhammadu Buhari, which could now undergo a radical change to supply the European network.

Jean-Claude Kassi Brou formally took over as governor of the West African franc zone central bank, Banque Centrale des Etats d’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO), on 4 July. A former Côte d’Ivoire industry minister and economist with a PhD from the United States, 69 year-old Brou had led the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) Commission since 2018.

Ivorian energy minister Patrick Achi has commissioned the Azito power plant expansion project, adding 179MW to the national grid.

London (LSE)-, Irish- and Ghana Stock Exchange-listed Tullow Oil’s merger with Capricorn Energy (ex-Cairn Energy) brings together two FTSE250 independent exploration and production companies to create an Africa-focused entity with a bigger portfolio and longer pockets. Capricorn’s balance sheet complements Tullow’s regional depth, but questions remain over who gains most from the merger and the deals promised to follow.

Commodity giant Glencore has pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the US authorities almost $1.2bn to end investigations into bribery and market manipulation. The settlement was part of a coordinated resolution with criminal and civil authorities in the US, UK, and Brazil announced on 24 May.

Grid synchronisation and an air-cooled condenser (ACC) pneumatic test have been carried out at the Azito phase four power plant expansion project.

A four-year emergency contract awarded to Turkey’s Karpowership highlights some of the challenges that face the Ivorian electricity industry, as supply in traditionally one of the continent’s best performing power sectors threatens to become unbalanced. Dan Marks looks into CdI’s supply-side options.

Côte d’Ivoire is still planning for a third gas-fired power plant, which is likely to operate as a mid-merit or peaking plant to help manage variable renewable power. It is not yet clear whether this plant will be located at a site near Abidjan, like Azito and Ciprel. There has been talk about repurposing the 700MW San-Pédro coal project as a CCGT unit.

Biovea Energies has begun construction of the 46MW Ayébo biomass power plant, a 2x23MW project fuelled by palm oil residues mostly collected from farmers in the Aboisso area.