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SacOil is currently one of only three oil and gas companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, alongside petrochemicals giant Sasol and Nigeria’s Oando; it is the only pure exploration play. Chief executive Robin Vela told African Energy

BP has announced the completion of a R140m ($20m) expansion of its Pretoria fuel storage facility to ensure security of supply in inland South Africa. The company held a ceremony to open a new rail loading and offloading gantry described as one of the largest in Africa.

Fresh support from the South African government has strengthened the borrowing leverage of power parastatal Eskom, as it seeks to maintain its building programme, writes Kevin Godier. Just weeks after South Africa’s Eskom successfully tapped a $1.75bn bond from global investors, Pretoria announced on 15 February that it would support Eskom’s R549bn ($78.9bn) build programme up to 2017 with a R350bn guarantee framework

Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters sought to counter the criticism of shale gas exploration in the Karoo region during a 24 February media briefing in parliament – despite the issue of a Government Notice on 1 February by the Department of Mineral Resources declaring a moratorium on any new technical co-operation agreement, exploration or reconnaissance permits in the Karoo.

The government is pushing its plan to build a world-scale solar power plant, to use concentrated solar power technology at a site in Northern Cape (AE 196/10).

European Union sanctions on outgoing president Laurent Gbagbo have hit crude supplies to Abidjan’s 80,000 b/d Société Ivoirienne de Raffinage oil refinery, which is working at a “minimum” level, according to a spokesman. On 28 February, the government banned the filling of jerrycans at petrol stations, in a bid to prevent fuel hoarding.

Power barge heads for Luanda; Official confident on Lom Pangar HEP despite lack of funds; Songo Songo expansion waits on tariffs, financing; Share placing for South African start-up

China to fund Gabonese grid upgrade; Touré inaugurates thermo-solar plant; ABB wins Moroccan substations order; juwi opens Stellenbosch office; Uganda biomass project

Royal Dutch Shell and BP have offered the South African government a stake in the jointly owned Sapref refinery in Durban, according to reports from Johannesburg.

According to the draft bill on the incorporation of the South Sudan Electricity Corporation (SSEC), seen by African Energy, the state company will be responsible for the expansion, management and operation of the electricity grid, the development of generation and transmission capacity and the sale in bulk of “quality, reliable and cost-effective electricity” to distributors in South Sudan.

The government’s decision to abandon controversial plans to create regional electricity distributors shows the state centralising key business decisions, rather than letting the market shape the direction of the supply industry.

The role of export credit agencies (ECAs) have been flagged up by Rand Merchant Bank infrastructure finance transactor Hugh Hawarden

As this is African Energy’s 200th issue, the editorial team is minded to reflect on past stories and their links to current news

Energy financiers had their moments in 2010, but the power sector remains under-financed, writes Kevin Godier

ABB has won an order worth $43m from Eskom to supply medium-voltage switchgear as well as protection and supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) equipment for a thermal power plant being built in Mpumalanga