Search results

Six Wärtsilä 32 engines will power the remote, under-construction Boto gold mine at Lélou in Senegal’s south-eastern Kédougou region. Casablanca-listed Managem acquired the mine from Canada’s Iamgold in April 2023, as part of a wider acquisition of the Toronto-headquartered miner’s west African portfolio.

Zambian IPP Ndola Energy Corporation has extended the O&M deal for Wärtsilä engines as its 105MW HFO plant continues a decade-long arrangement. The IPP has become vital to Zambia’s electricity supply, at a time when the country’s hydroelectric power (HEP) plants are suffering a dramatic fall in output due to drought.

Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) has signed an MoU with master city developer Modon Holding to look at power generation and transmission projects at the planned Ras El-Hekma urban centre on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast.

The developers of the 100MWp Lotsane solar PV plant have given African Energy an update on key project milestones. The plant, to be located near Palapye in the Central district of Botswana, is being developed by London-headquartered Solar Century Africa and Gaborone-based Energy and National Resource Corporation. It is the largest of several renewable independent power producer (IPP) projects advancing in the country.

A sharp surge in forecourt prices has not been stemmed by the start of local gasoline sales from Dangote’s 650,000 b/d facility. This has caused a lingering dispute between Dangote and NNPC to burst in to the open, offering a glimpse of the fierce rivalry between the billionaire magnate and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

The Nigerian government needs an urgent boost after essential macroeconomic reform measures sparked huge public opposition. By placing President Bola Tinubu at the centre of plans to revive long stalled projects, Abuja can point to the potential for a better economic performance ahead – at least in the longer term – while opponents test the administration’s resilience with the threat of more short-term disorder.

The scale of the green hydrogen (GH2) opportunity emerging in North Africa is potentially transformative for the region. However, to date just one tiny pilot project is up and running and there is still no firm evidence that giga-scale projects can be made bankable. If the prospect is a mirage, it is one that has taken in a swathe of respected global investors. With an ever-increasing amount riding on the outcome, failure will be a disaster, but success could revolutionise the fortunes of the region, writes John Hamilton.

Egypt has the most prospective portfolio of green hydrogen development prospects anywhere in Africa. The multi-billion-dollar projects for which major global investors have signed framework agreements could be a lifeline for the heavily indebted country but will take years to come to fruition. However, two much smaller projects developed by Norway’s Scatec have secured firm offtake commitments, offering another way forward.

Oando’s completion of its NAOC purchase has likely served to expedite the process of local players buying mature assets from IOCs – a precedent that bodes well for further deals, although challenges will still need to be worked through. Meanwhile, NNPC has signalled renewed focus on backing long-stalled LNG prospects, writes James Gavin.

Its domestic renewable energy industry may just be getting back on track after years of delay, but Tunisia has already launched one of the most ambitious green hydrogen development programmes in Africa, which it is promoting together with longstanding electric power export schemes.

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) is back in Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)’s sightlines, after the state giant in early September greenlit development of the country’s first floating LNG (FLNG) plant, after a lengthy delay.  NNPC has also announced that it has held talks with investors to revive the long-delayed Brass Liquefied Natural Gas and Olokola Liquefied Natural Gas (OK LNG) projects.

Botswana has started to implement several solar, wind and battery IPP projects, ranging in size from 1MW to 100MW. It marks a shift away from a fossil fuel-dominated electricity system and reflects a determination to create surplus power, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

The first round of land allocations in Morocco’s green hydrogen investment process may soon be completed and is likely to include substantial areas in the contested territory of Western Sahara. African Energy has identified projects requiring the installation of at least 72GW of wind and solar generation, and more are likely to follow.

Pretoria faces an arduous job in financing its energy transition, which could cost as much as $500bn over the next three decades. The number and size of investments have been limited to date and the scarcity of funding threatens to stymie the government’s climate change targets, but local lenders are now stepping up to bridge some of the financial gap, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

The contract award – along with a second, concurrent Feed deal awarded to another player – paves the way for progress at the onshore LNG megaproject, with a final investment decision now pencilled in for 2026. It has been confirmed that the project will proceed on a modular basis, with the liquefaction process powered by electricity, implying a significant power generation requirement.   There are signs that work will also formally resume on the nearby, 15.2m t/yr TotalEnergies-operated Mozambique LNG (MLNG) project later this year.