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Changes to the regulations on which power plants need to have a generation licence have been hailed as the most significant change for the industry in a generation, but investors are still trying to assess what the possibilities might be, writes Dan Marks.

Mozambique is Africa’s undisputed graphite leader – at least for now. Total output at Balama (officially named Twigg) was recorded at 72,000 tonnes in 2021, but reached 128,000 tonnes in Q1-Q3 2022 – almost double Brazil’s total 2021 production, according to USGS data.

Zesco chairman Vickson Ncube has said achieving cost- reflective tariffs (CRTs) should not be done at the expense of making electricity too expensive for key groups such as copper miners and ordinary consumers.

Unilever Tea Kenya has said it will apply for a power generation licence this month, in a move that will reduce its reliance on utility Kenya Power (KPLC). The firm said it “intends to apply for a licence for the generation, transmission and distribution of electrical energy for use within its estates in the West Kenya area that encompass Kericho and Bomet counties”.

The Rural and Renewable Energy Agency (RREA) has issued an invitation for bids for the design, supply and installation of hydro-electro-mechanical equipment, 33kV evacuation line, substations and associated civil works for the 9.4MW Gbedin Falls hydroelectric plant

The Kumasi waste-to-power plant will pioneer changes in off-grid energy development and waste management in Ghana. Installed with pyrolysis technology, the hybrid plant is supported by the German government.

Investors in Africa’s power sector have been forced to fight aggressively for the most promising projects, as they have become frustrated with a lack of on-grid opportunities. Trends that emerge from African Energy’s industry soundings and analysis of project flow in the African Energy Live Data (Live Data) platform include investors taking advantage of technological and business innovation – as well as the availability of climate-linked finance – to move into commercial and industrial (C&I) solar.

China’s Sepco III Electric Power Construction Corporation  and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation have signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for the 50MW first phase of Ethiopia’ Tulu Moye geothermal project. The signing – which follows a tender launched in November 2020 – is a significant milestone  as the project pushes to agree a financing package with lenders.

Kibo Energy has extended the deadline for its takeover of the 100MW Chidome Solar PV project (also known as Victoria Falls Solar Park) in Zimbabwe for a second time.

Amea Power has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) and concession agreement for a 100MW solar PV project in Kairouan.

Construction starts have been announced by Oslo-based developer Scatec after the three Kenhardt projects in the Northern Cape reached financial close. “The project will be the largest investment in Scatec’s history,” the company said – and South Africa’s (and one of the world’s) largest solar and battery facilities.

The 30MW Nagréongo solar PV plant has been commissioned. The Dutch-financed plant is in Oubritenga province, to the north-east of the capital Ouagadougou.

One of South Africa’s largest wind power facilities, the Roggeveld Wind farm has been officially launched in the Western Cape by deputy minister of mineral resources and energy Nobuhle Nkabane.

The government is expected pay debts owed by Liberia Electricity Corporation to Côte d’Ivoire, clearing the way for Liberia to start receiving power through the Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea (CLSG) transmission line. The move comes as Monrovia seeks a new approach to LEC’s management and funds to repair the Mount Coffee hydroelectric plant.