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United Kingdom private equity investor Actis has agreed the sale of BTE Renewables to two French businesses, utility Engie and asset manager Meridiam, for $1bn. The deal covers a portfolio of almost 500MW of solar photvoltaic and wind power capacity in South Africa and Kenya.

Lagos-headquartered multilateral the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has set out its stall as a financier and partner for the continent’s energy transition, with a strategy to support renewable energy and critical minerals projects around the continent, as well as the development of battery manufacturing supply chains. The AFC also plans to continue supporting short- to medium-term energy needs by backing upstream and midstream gas projects and gas-to-power (GTP) developments. Marc Howard spoke to AFC executive director and chief investment officer Sameh Shenouda during the recent Africa Energy Forum in Nairobi.

Electricity wheeling is gathering momentum in South Africa, as the sector tries to address the country’s power crisis. However, further reforms may be needed to tariff structures to encourage more participants into the market, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

Netherlands-based investors are setting up $1bn funds in both South Africa and Namibia, in partnership with local investors, to accelerate the development of green hydrogen projects in the two countries.

Despite vigorous opposition from a number of quarters, the South African government’s recently appointed electricity minister – who has been given new powers – still wants to procure 2GW of emergency electricity in a revised contract with Turkish-owned Karpowership. Meanwhile, generation is not the only factor causing difficulties, as the grid reaches its limit in some parts of the country.

Mainstream Renewable Power (MRP) has provided more details of its plans to develop 610MW of solar power capacity close to Eskom’s coal-fired power plants at Majuba and Tutuka. The amount of solar power to be developed close to the Eskom plants is now set to reach more than 2.4GW, after French green hydrogen (GH2) developer HDF Energy said it had plans for 1,500MW of capacity.

Mining and metals group Sibanye-Stillwater has signed its first power purchase agreement (PPA) and reached financial close for the 89MW Castle wind farm, near De Aar in Northern Cape province. The wind farm will supply Sibanye-Stillwater’s mining operations via a wheeling agreement with state utility Eskom.

Green hydrogen (GH2) developer HDF Energy has outlined to African Energy its plans to develop solar PV plants and hydrogen-based long-term storage across six sites near Eskom’s Majuba and Tutuka coal power stations.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved plans by utility Eskom to procure 344.5MW of capacity from new solar PV and battery energy storage plants.

Metals miner Pan African Resources continues to scale up investments in renewable energy projects to supply the group’s mines, having commissioned the 10MW Elikhulu Tailings Solar PV in May 2022. African Energy takes a closer look at Pan African’s power generation plans.

The cabinet has approved the merger of state-owned enterprises IGas and PetroSA, and the Strategic Fuel Fund (SFF) to form South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC).

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has outlined plans to procure nearly 17GW of generation capacity from different technologies in FY2023/24, in new efforts aimed at increasing electricity supply and tackling crippling shortages.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

The rapid increase in private sector projects is recorded in National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) data that show more than 1GW of electricity generation projects were launched by private companies in January/February 2023 alone, following the removal of licensing restrictions in December.

Cape Town-based independent power producer Red Rocket Energy is further building up its project portfolio with plans to build two 150MW solar PV and battery energy storage facilities close to Eskom’s Tutuka coal-fired power station. African Energy spoke to Red Rocket’s head of development Sharief Harris.