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The East African Community (EAC) Sectoral Council on Energy has approved an energy security policy framework for the region which aims to provide policy guidance towards better understanding, measurement, monitoring, evaluation and management of energy security risks and challenges.

Wärtsilä has announced a framework supply contract for the generating equipment for three new fast-track power plant projects being developed by Dongfang Electric International Corporation. The new baseload plants will be located in Luena, Benguela and Saurimo, and will each have an electrical output of approximately 23MW.

Uganda Electricity Generation Company (UEGCL) has invited bids by 19 October to provide technical support for operations and maintenance of the Karuma and Isimba hydropower plants on the Victoria Nile. The 183MW Isimba plant, which is located in the Kamuli District in the Eastern Region, about 40km downstream of the 250MW Bujagali station, was fully commissioned in March 2019.

Société Nationale d’Electricité du Burkina Faso (Sonabel) on 16 September launched three tenders for the construction of transmission lines. Two tenders relate to the 90kV Koudougou-Zagtouli line, both with submission deadlines of 12 November and site visits on 8 October. The West African Development Bank is funding the contracts.

The 67.9MW Bokamoso solar PV plant in South Africa has begun operating, the project company announced. The plant is the largest in North West province, comprising 236,580 solar panels on a 150ha site, and has been under construction since November 2018.

After considerable speculation that the government might seek a new concessionaire or even nationalise the power utility, the Ivorian cabinet on 30 September approved a new concession agreement for Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité (CIE), renewing the existing agreement which expires at the end of October.

The 40MW Aggeneys, 67.9MW Bokamoso and 75MW Konkoonsies II solar PV plants have all begun operating. Aggeneys and Konkoonsies II were developed by private equity firm Actis’ Biotherm Energy and are expected to generate around 33GWh/yr. Both plants use Canadian Solar’s 1500V high-voltage polycrystalline silicon PV modules on single-axis tracking systems.

Engie Africa launched a pilot project earlier this month to provide purified water, power and Wi-Fi to off-grid communities in Kigali, Rwanda.

Gambia’s National Water and Electricity Company Ltd (Nawec) on 4 November issued a request for qualification from independent power producers to develop, finance, build, operate and maintain a 30MW dual fuel power plant in Kotu, Gambia.

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has announced the completion of a major retrofit of the 160MW Kpong hydropower plant, which will extend its operating lifetime by 30 years. The recommissioning of Ghana’s second largest hydropower station was marked by a ceremony held on 26 October in the presence of President Nana Akufo-Addo. Rehabilitation of the plant, which was financed by the French Development Agency, began in October 2014.

The long-awaited sector regulator Autorité Nationale de Régulation de l’Electricité (ANRE) has finally held its first board meeting in Rabat, approving its working procedures and a strategic road map for 2021-25. Details have yet to be published.

The World Bank has announced debarments of India’s Kalpataru Power Transmission Ltd and its regional subsidiaries and of China Electric Design and Research Institute (CEDRI). The bank said Kalpataru was sanctioned as a result of fraudulent practices when participating in the Southern African Power Market Project (SAPMP) in Democratic Republic of Congo, which rehabilitated and extended high-voltage power lines, and the Egypt Wind Power Development Project (EWPDP), which included developing transmission infrastructure.

The Ministry of Water and Energy on 6 November invited expressions of interest from consultants to oversee construction of the 420MW Nachtigal hydropower project. Submissions are due by 26 November. The contract is funded by the World Bank Group’s International Development Association.

Intermediary offtaker Africa GreenCo Group has reached its first financial close following investments by InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), and the Investment Fund for Developing Countries (IFU). The milestone allowed GreenCo to submit a formal licence application to trade energy to Zambia’s Energy Regulation Board at the end of October. It also allows the company to kickstart preparations for operations in Zambia through GreenCo Power Services.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) board on 26 November approved a $120m loan to fund the construction of the 50MW Malagarasi hydropower plant in the Kigoma region of western Tanzania. The project includes a run-of-river hydropower plant, a 54km, 132kV transmission line to connect to the national grid, distribution network expansion including rural electrification and last-mile connections, project management and contract administration support, and compensation and resettlement of affected persons.