Search results

Kribi Power Development Company (KPDC) has launched the construction of the 216MW Kribi gas-fired power plant with a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Philemon Yang.

Despite the global financial crunch, the government is hopeful of raising enough cash to accelerate the supply of gas and lower electricity prices for the consumer

Société Nigerienne d’Electricité (Nigelec) invites prequalification applications by 28 February for the design, supply and installation of equipment, and commissioning of a 19MW solar photovoltaic (PV)-diesel hybrid power plant in the central city of Agadez. The contract, to be co-financed by the Agence Française de Développement and the European Union, also requires the operation and maintenance of the project for two years before its transfer to Nigelec.

The Department of Energy on 14 October announced the signing of an intergovernmental framework agreement on nuclear co-operation with France. After the furore surrounding the announcement of a similar agreement with Russia in September, this statement was more carefully worded, announcing that the “agreement initiates the preparatory phase for the possible deployment of French nuclear technology in South Africa”. It goes on to say that “the agreement builds on the more than 40 years of co-operation between South Africa and France, as symbolised by the Koeberg nuclear power plant.

India’s Su-Kam Power Systems expects to begin installing in June the first of 40,000 solar power systems for rural households under a contract from the government, brand manager Kanav Sachdev told African Energy on 7 May. The company was awarded a five-year contract in January worth around $25m to supply, install and service 120W direct current (DC) systems to provide electricity for three lights and a fan per house. The systems, which are manufactured by Su-Kam, and will be installed over a six-month period, comprise a 120W rooftop solar panel, solar charge controller, inverter and a battery charger.

US President Barack Obama’s 24-28 July trip to East Africa balanced a broad agenda of sometimes contrary pressures that mixed business, diplomacy, security, human rights and appeals for improved governance. In two major speeches, Obama spoke out against leaders who outstayed their welcome, while emphasising pragmatism, commercial relations and security. Underlining the importance of his Power Africa drive, contracts were signed across the continent in mid-July by US companies and institutions, countering the doubters back home who say presidential initiatives lack substance.

Amid reports of in-fighting over power policy and claim and counter-claim over police raids, President

Niger inaugurated its first solar project on 24 November, the 7MWp Malbaza plant in the Tahoua region. The plant, which consists of 21,000 solar panels, was developed at a cost of $24.7m, with financing from the Export-Import Bank of India. It will meet the electricity supply needs of around 30,000 households in the departments of Madaoua, Malbaza and Konni, according to Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (Nigelec).

The African Development Bank board has approved an African Development Fund grant of $26m to rehabilitate and expand the distribution networks in Juba. The Power Distribution System Rehabilitation and Expansion Project aims to provide reliable electricity supply from existing and future generation facilities, thus satisfying the suppressed load and demand growth in Juba. The project consists of the construction of 145km of low-voltage 33kV lines; 370km of medium-voltage lines; the purchase and installation of 195 transformer stations; and 20,000 prepaid meters for connecting 20,000 new customers.

The presidents of Mozambique and Malawi have agreed to revive a plan for Malawi to receive electricity from the Cahora Bassa dam. The two leaders signed a memorandum of understanding on power supply during a visit by new Malawian President Joyce Banda to Maputo on 12 May.

Zambian authorities say they expect to lift fuel pump prices after a fall in the value of the kwacha currency following the start of electricity imports from Eskom. The kwacha has come under pressure after the government announced that it had paid South Africa $27m to import 300MW of emergency power to cushion power outages caused by drought. The kwacha depreciated by 5.6% against the US dollar in November, and on a year-to-year basis it has fallen by 17.6%.

Sinohydro signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Ministry of Water and Energy on 11 July to carry out studies for the design, financing, construction, operation and maintenance of a 20MW solar power plant at the site of the Lagdo hydroelectric power plant in the Bénoué district of northern Cameroon. The ministry said the MoU aimed to define the terms of collaboration between the Cameroonian and Chinese parties on the project.

The board of the Lomé-based Banque Ouest Africaine de Développement (BOAD) has approved more financing for troubled Senegalese utility Senelec and the government’s emergency power sector recovery plan ‘Takkal’ (AE 210/1).

In a signal that the United States remains a player in the race to develop South Africa’s nuclear industry, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and his SA counterpart Dipuo Peters signed a bilateral agreement on nuclear energy research and development co-operation on 14 September in Vienna.

Eskom has invited proposals from private investors to develop up to 3,000MW of new power generation capacity by June 2012. The beleaguered utility said that the new capacity was required to help meet growing demand until the commissioning of its Medupi and Bravo coal-fired plants, as well as a planned nuclear reactor, which are expected to enter service between 2013 and 2017 (AE 132/1).