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The federal government of Somalia has requested bids for a 10MWp solar PV plant with 20MWh of storage capacity, which would be the country’s first utility-scale renewable energy plant. Sited in the Puntland capital of Garowe, the plant is part of a World Bank Group-funded programme to boost generation and create a new sub-transmission network.

Washington, DC-based grid management specialist SparkMeter has signed a deal for Somali utility Blue Sky Energy to use its smart meters and grid management technology in a pilot programme. SparkMeter already has schemes with two other Somali utilities, Caabudwaq Electric Company and National Energy Corporation of Somalia (Necsom).

Following a hydrocarbon exploration and production agreement signed by the Somali Petroleum Authority and the Turkish Petroleum Corporation in July, a seismic research ship has now been sent from Istanbul to explore three offshore blocks in the Horn of Africa, protected by two Turkish frigates. Ankara has also signed a memorandum of understanding with São Tomé and Príncipe which could lead to similar activity there.

Dubai Sheikh Mohammed Bin Maktoum Al-Maktoum’s Alpha MBM Investments has aligned with Abu Dhabi-based Venom Blockchain to develop central bank digital currencies and stablecoins in Uganda, Somalia and CAR, as the ambitious junior member of Dubai’s ruling family and interests in Abu Dhabi move further into African business.

Abu Dhabi’s involvement in conflicts in Sudan and Libya is back in focus, after the UAE opened a second field hospital in eastern Chad, following evidence that its existing hospital was used as a cover for supplying weapons to Sudanese civil war leader Hemedti’s RSF militia. It fits into a wider pattern of Emirati involvement in African conflicts, as well as business.

Privately-held United States junior Liberty Petroleum has signed three production-sharing agreements (PSAs) with the Somali federal government for offshore blocks 131, 190, and 206.

Following a recent maritime defence agreement, Ankara has further increased its commitment to Somalia by signing an intergovernmental agreement covering offshore oil and gas exploration as Türkiye makes further inroads into the region.

The World Bank-funded Somali electricity sector recovery project has issued a call for expressions of interest from consultancy firms for work in autonomous Somaliland.

Former utility Ente Nazionale Energia Elettrica (Enee) collapsed in 1991 at the start of a devastating civil war and Somalia has not had a national grid since. However, entrepreneurs have maintained a good level of service in the cities, particularly Mogadishu, where three vertically-integrated independent power producers (IPPs) compete for retail business.

An AfDB grant-funded project will rehabilitate and expand electricity provision in Bossaso city as Somalia looks to boost electricity provision.

Yemeni-owned independent power producer Sabson plans a greenfield HFO-fired plant, as part of Somalia’s effort to increase its low on-grid capacity.

War-torn but entrepreneurial Somalia is edging back towards normality, at last securing membership of the East African Community and reporting some progress in tackling Al-Shabaab militants. The government also has longer-term ambitions to exploit ample renewable energy potential and offshore oil and gas resources, writes Dominic Dudley.

The funding provided by the United Arab Emirates for the 3.5MW Bosaso solar plant is the latest element in a long engagement in the area by the Gulf power.

The Cygnum Capital-managed Facility for Energy Inclusion has advanced a $30m loan to Equator Energy to help the Nairobi-headquartered C&I developer grow its business across Africa.

Mogadishu-headquartered Blue Sky Energy’s solar PV/diesel hybrid plant in the Dayniile district has reached a timely new milestone, with demand for power increasingly rapidly in the city. As well as being an IPP, Blue Sky acts as a distribution company and has its own transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure network.  The company’s chief technical officer Abdullahi Abdi took African Energy through its plans.