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Zimbabwe utility Zesa Holding is sticking to its power-exporting arrangement with NamPower, the Namibian parastatal has told African Energy.

The International Energy Agency (IEA)’s World Energy Investment 2016 report, launched in London on 14 September, “shows the electricity sector leading a broad reorientation of energy investment”, as upstream oil and gas investment has slumped. The Paris-based agency’s data show investment in renewable energy accelerating at an impressive rate, although Africa’s performance remains patchy, even in industry leaders like Morocco and South Africa. Despite the global upturn in renewable energy, the IEA warned that “more is needed to meet climate targets and address energy security concerns”.

Renewable energy projects are making progress as the industry waits for a government decision on whether to increase the capacity allocated to the third round of the renewable energy independent power producers procurement programme (REIPPP) and the outcome of public consultation for the revised Integrated Resource Plan (AE 268/5). While energy minister Dikobe Ben Martins barely mentioned the issue in a speech to the Energy Leaders’ Roundtable on 11 February, an extended third bid round for concentrated solar power is due to take place in March. Bid registration will take place on 3 March with submissions due on 31 March.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is close to finalising grants of UA9.69m from the African Development Fund and UA60m from the Fragile States Facility to finance Congo’s semi-urban and rural electrification project

Agro-industry firm SIAT Gabon signed a power purchase agreement with state utility Société d’Energie et d’Eau du Gabon (Seeg) on 7 August to sell its surplus power to the grid. SIAT Gabon produces electricity from palm oil production residues. Local media reports said the supply from SIAT would meet nearly 20% of demand from the city of Lambaréné in the Moyen Ogooué region, where SIAT has a large palm oil plantation. “This agreement testifies to Seeg’s desire to provide new sources of clean energy in collaboration with companies committed to the sustainable industrial development of Gabon,” Seeg director-general Jean-Paul Camus said at the signing ceremony.

Symbion Power Lake Kivu Ltd on 8 December signed a 25-year power purchase agreement with state utility Rwanda Energy Group for a 50MW methane gas-to-power project on Lake Kivu. A detailed feasibility study and front-end engineering design have been completed for the project, which will now proceed to detailed design, procurement and permiting.The agreement comes as the KivuWatt project, developed by the US’ ContourGlobal, has begun tests for commissioning of its first 25MW after being connected to the grid.

The Zimbabwean State Procurement board has announced the winners of three contracts to build 100MW solar photovoltaic power plants in the country. Local company Intratrek Zimbabwe and its engineering, procurement and construction partner China’s Chint Electric are set to develop a plant near Gwanda. The other winners are China’s ZTE Corporation, which will develop a plant near Insukamini, and Number 17 Metallurgical China, with a plant near Munyati. The projects are believed to be worth $160m-200m each. Construction is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

Florida-based emergency energy provider APR Energy has announced the start of commercial operation at its 70MW/11kV Francistown temporary power project (AE 178/2).

New energy minister Ben Martins has taken up the portfolio vacated by Elizabeth Dipuo Peters, who has swapped to take up his post as transport minister in President Jacob Zuma’s government. As has been the case for several recent ministers, Martins does not have a background in energy issues. An African National Congress (ANC) member, he is a qualified lawyer and also an artist, writer and poet, whose posts include deputy chair of the Robben Island Museum Council

Kenya Power’s board of directors has named Ken Tarus as managing director and chief executive with effect from 1 August. Tarus had been acting managing director and chief executive since 4 January, when he was appointed following the departure of Ben Chumo at the end of his contract period. Tarus was previously the company’s general manager in charge of finance and had been a member of the executive management team for two years.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is appraising a E150m ($204m) loan to the Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy (Masen) for the third phase of the Ouarzazate solar power complex. The loan, under appraisal since 18 June, will help fund the construction and operation of a 150MW concentrated solar power plant with a total cost of E850m. The third phase will consist of a tower plant with three hours’ solar energy storage capacity. The loan is the EIB’s third for the project. Last December, the EIB approved a E250m loan to Masen for the construction and operation of a 200MW concentrated solar power parabolic plant, representing the second phase, whose total cost is estimated at E1.06bn.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir has shaken up the board of directors at state oil company Nilepet in a move that reinforces his personal influence over the company. Kiir issued a presidential decree in August making several new appointments to the board, including reinstating Benjamin Bol Mel, a business partner of the president, promoting current managing director Joseph Cleto Deng, Kiir’s former office manager, and appointing General Akol Kur Kuch, currently national security director.

A consortium of InfraCo Africa and Smart Energies International signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) on 9 August with the Ministry of Energy and Société Nationale d’Electricité (SNE) for the 60MWp Djermaya Solar project. “The PPA marks a key milestone in the development of Djermaya Solar, enabling the project to raise construction financing and demonstrating the joint commitment of all parties to developing renewable energy in Chad,” InfraCo said.

Violent protests have again broken out in Conakry over power cuts as the government struggles to fund badly needed repairs to generation and transmission infrastructure. State utility Electricité de Guinée (EDG) said the latest problems were caused by damage to one of Conakry’s main transformer substations, which had led to power cuts in 13, mainly outlying, districts of the capital. “This transformer is a transformer substation. It’s different from the little distribution transformers situated in the districts whose capacity is no greater than 160kVA,” an EDG official explained.

Finland’s Wärtsilä announced on 25 April that it had signed a contract to engineer, manufacture and deliver the 130MW Malicounda thermal plant at Mbour. The plant will comprise seven Wärtsilä 50 engines initially running on heavy fuel oil, with the option of converting to gas if it becomes available. Commercial operation is expected in 2020. The project will be owned by Melec PowerGen on a build, own, operate, transfer basis, with Lebanon’s Matelec as engineering, procurement and construction contractor.