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The African Development Bank is inviting expressions of interest (EoIs) from consultants to carry out an economic and financial analysis on the 612MW Baynes hydropower plant on the border of Angola and Namibia.

State-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP) has continued its southern African expansion with the announcement on 4 July of the acquisition of three exploration blocks offshore South Africa in collaboration with its regular partner, France’s TotalEnergies. QP will hold a 25% interest in the South Outeniqua block, a 30% stake in the DWOB block, and 29.17% of the OBD block.

Canada’s ReconAfrica confirmed on 7 July that it had been granted a permit to shoot  2D seismic in the Kavango Basin. ReconAfrica and the state National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor) are now preparing for an initial 450km 2D seismic programme.

The pioneering modified single buyer market expanded on 1 July. After a relatively slow start, projects are now moving forward in earnest, writes Dan Marks. Namibia’s modified single buyer (MSB) market has been operating for almost two years but has taken time to bear fruit. However, the MSB is now starting to pick up momentum, with the latest sign coming on 25 June when local developer Natura Energy announced an agreement with developer Globeleq to develop the 81MW TeraSun solar PV project at Arandis in the Erongo region.

As the hype around hydrogen gets ever louder, governments and developers are putting forward grandiose plans to manufacture green hydrogen – ‘the new oil and gas’ – across the continent. African Energy has been sceptical about the hydrogen boom’s relevance to economies that are hard pressed to finance basic needs, but high hopes are being generated in countries like Mauritania and Namibia, where schemes to install an unimaginable 65GW of hydrogen-driven capacity are promised, writes John Hamilton.

Namibia Power Corporation (NamPower) has launched procurement for an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor to build the 50MW Anixas II heavy fuel oil (HFO) power plant in Walvis Bay.

Impact Oil & Gas’s farm-in deal in offshore South Africa, announced on 17 May, consolidates the UK independent’s access to sizeable acreage in ultra-deep water tracts of southern and eastern areas. Following government approval, Impact now owns a 90% working interest and operatorship of Area 2, with the remaining 10% held by Sliver Wave Energy.

The off-grid 0.25MWp solar PV plant with a 1MWh lithium-ion battery energy storage system (Bess) developed by South Africa’s BlueNova Energy at Timbila Nature Reserve in Namibia’s Erongo region is now online. Blue Nova chief executive James Verster told African Energy the plant’s power is being used to construct a tourism site in the 25,000ha wildlife reserve.

The 5MWp Unisun Energy Okatope Solar PV plant is expected to be commissioned by year-end, Pinehas Mutota of Namibia’s Electricity Control Board told African Energy. Initially intended to be completed by Q3 20, construction was delayed by land rights issues and Covid-19.

In a move to leverage pension fund income to increase local yields from renewable energy projects, Mergence Unlisted Investment Managers (Namibia) has increased its shareholding in the Ejuva I and II solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in Gobabis, Omaheke region, to take a 66% majority stake.

Namibia’s slow-burning oil and gas opening is finally picking up pace, as independents and majors prepare to drill. Is it possible that a country with no history of hydrocarbons production could become a significant player in southern Africa’s developing gas industry, asks James Gavin.

Tullow Oil moved back into the London Stock Exchange’s FTSE 250 index in early March, after its share price strengthened in line with a higher oil price and amid optimism about its debt. Tullow’s restoration to the index follows the cancellation of smart meter installer Calisen’s listing after it was taken private. Tullow was dropped from the FTSE 250 in March 2020, when its shares were suffering from a combination of a sharply lower oil price and the company’s own woes.

Namibian Power Corporation (NamPower) is inviting developers and technology providers to provide information to shape the late stages of development of the 50MW Lüderitz wind IPP.

Operator BW Energy has signed an agreement with National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia (Namcor), raising its stake in the Kudu licence to 95% from 56%. Having failed to attract a farm-in partner, the Norwegian company wrote down the full value of the project in Q1 2020, saying the move reflected lower pricing and a delay to the expected development timing. BW Energy said the new arrangement would enable gas sales agreements and increased the likelihood of securing financing for the upstream.

National utility NamPower signed a N317m ($20.8m) turnkey construction contract in December with Hopsol Africa Ltd and Tulive Private Equity Ltd for the 20MW Omburu solar PV plant. Speaking at the signing, NamPower managing director Simson Haulofu said the plant would begin operating by November 2021 and would generate 64GWh/yr. He added that the plant is expected to have 37% local content.