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Global Alliance for People and Planet and the Norwegian government have pledged more funding to support the development of solar power in Sahel countries.

London AIM-listed Savannah Energy has said its acquisition of ExxonMobil and Petronas’ upstream and midstream assets in Chad and Cameroon is on track to be completed by year-end.

The Sahel region’s multi-faceted crises have deepened further with junior officers replacing their seniors in Burkina Faso’s latest coup d’état, a move which now threatens sanctions and other retaliation from Ecowas states, increases diplomatic tensions with western governments – while Russia helps to fan the flames – and undermines business initiatives and efforts to make economies more sustainable. African Energy analyses the latest developments in Burkina Faso, Chad, Guinea and Mali, along with their G5 Sahel partner Niger and other big stakeholders in the region.

Mini-grid developer ZIZ Energie hopes to have its second ‘metro-grid’ online by December, having commissioned the first of five 1.7MW hybrid mini-grids in June. But success has not come easy for the development finance institution (DFI)-backed Chadian developer, amid political turmoil and supply constraints that continue to delay developments.

France’s Perenco started exports of crude oil via the Chad-Cameroon pipeline in late July, following its acquisition of exploration and production assets including PetroChad Mangara from Swiss commodity trading giant Glencore.

Brave efforts are being made to continue with business as usual in the Sahel, despite an apparently never-ending security crisis, which has been further aggravated by a split in the western-backed G5 Sahel (G5S) alliance of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, as the military-led regime in Bamako seeks to distance itself from France and its allies.

French independent Perenco has completed its acquisition of Swiss commodity trader Glencore’s upstream oil interests in Chad, with plans to boost output from the Doba basin’s Mangara, Badila and Krim fields.

UK-based climate fund manager Camco Clean Energy has partnered with Energy Peace Partners (EPP) to manage the Peace Renewable Energy Credit (P-Rec) Aggregation Fund.

Political and security conditions may be acutely difficult in the G5 Sahel countries, but a new era beckons for solar projects in the region, symbolised by AfDB approval of a plan to develop 500MW of PV capacity. Sector insiders believe that short-term problems such as rising risk premiums may be offset by the positive medium-to-long-term prospects for the rollout of solar PV across the Sahel, writes Marc Howard

London AIM-listed Savannah Energy raised $65m on 30 December through a share placing with institutional and other investors. Buyers included five of the company’s six directors, led by chief executive Andrew Knott, who subscribed to £2.2m ($3m)-worth of shares. The proceeds will be used alongside debt and other financing to fund the acquisition of upstream and midstream assets in Chad and Cameroon from ExxonMobil Corporation and Petronas E&P, announced earlier in the month.

Release, the containerised solar power unit set up by Norway’s Scatec, has signed agreements for solar PV and battery projects in Cameroon and Chad – the first large utility and mini-grid contracts it has signed since being launched in 2019.

London AIM-listed Savannah Energy will spend at least $626m acquiring Petronas and ExxonMobil’s upstream and midstream assets in Chad and Cameroon, completing a process first signalled on 2 June when the company said it was in advanced discussions with ExxonMobil for the portfolio.

The African Development Bank (AfDB), the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG)’s Emerging Africa Infrastructure Fund (EAIF) and France’s Proparco have joined the 34MW Djermaya solar PV project , which will also include a 4MWh battery system. The trio signed a loan agreement on 26 November, with the AfDB committing €18m ($20.3m) and the EAIF and Proparco each providing €9.3m in senior debt.

The African Development Bank (AfDB)-led Desert-to-Power (DtP) initiative is gathering momentum with a $150m investment by the Green Climate Fund. The investment is expected to be followed by further commitments from the AfDB to take the Desert to Power G5 Financing Facility – which covers Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – to $379.6m, to support projects across the supply chain.

The hybridisation of the Mongo diesel mini-grid has been delayed to Q1 2022, ZIZ Energies commercial and industrial (C&I) director Julien Mbainaissem told African Energy.