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The National Energy Regulator of South Africa announced on 30 October that mineral resources and energy minister Gwede Mantashe has given the go-ahead for the regulator to process new licences for self-generation facilities above 1MW, even if they do not comply with the national Integrated Resource Plan.

Endeavour Mining expects the 18MWp solar PV power plant at its Houndé gold mine to be commissioned by end-2022, the Cayman Islands-headquartered company told African Energy. Chief executive Sebastien de Montessus said in June that construction had started at the plant.

Construction has been completed at three plants that form part of agro-industrial firm Tanganda Tea’s 7.5MWp solar PV and battery energy storage system (Bess). The developments, which Tanganda has privately funded, comprise Zimbabwe’s first large-scale embedded commercial and industrial (C&I) project.

The Zimbabwe government and Zimplats have signed an agreement that will see the platinum miner invest $1.4bn in a series of projects including the construction of a 110MW solar PV power plant. The spending programme also includes a new mine, the expansion of a smelter and construction of an additional concentrator, a base metal refinery and a sulphuric acid plant.

Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch’s government has underlined its determination to push through long-delayed, liberal legislation by approving a new law (projet de loi 82.21) on self-generation, which local industry players have long sought.

The US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a grant to Daybreak Power Solutions, a subsidiary of Nigeria’s Daystar Power Group, for a feasibility study into new solar PV and storage mini-grids for business offtakers.

Tronox Holdings is the latest energy-intensive company to make use of regulatory changes opening the electricity market in South Africa to more producers and consumers. The titanium dioxide producer has signed a power purchase agreement with Sola Group for 200MW of solar PV capacity.

With over 7.4GW of engine capacity installed across 45 countries, Helsinki-headquartered Wärtsilä reports progress on its own co-developed power projects in four sub-Saharan markets – Nigeria, Gabon, Mozambique and Malawi – as well as for a range of engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) work for gas-to-power (GTP) schemes.

Vivo Energy has completed the Nampala mine solar and battery plant project in Mali for Robex Resources and has signed an agreement for work at the Kiniéro goal mine in Guinea, operated by Sycamore Mining, which Robex is taking over.

The government has responded to a long-awaited report on electricity tariffs by rejecting some key recommendations, notably the consultants’ call to move to cost-reflective tariffs by raising prices for residential customers while reducing costs for businesses, including mining companies, writes Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Lusaka.

Growthpoint Properties continue its plan to install 20MW of solar capacity at properties across South Africa.

A move towards independent power transmission schemes being allowed to wheel power to private clients could prove a boon for commercial and industrial (C&I) developers. Panellists at the 20 September AIX Kenya roundtable predicted the environment will now become more favourable, following the election victory of William Ruto, after years when “we saw the government and utility push back on the C&I space owing to its revenue implications”.

The West African Transco CLSG transmission network is working to build a second 243MW line, begin energy trade with indebted Liberia and integrate C&I customers and renewable energy sources into the sub-regional network that covers Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

French independent power producer (IPP) Voltalia has begun construction of the 148MW Bolobedu solar PV plant in Limpopo province.  

Germany’s Juwi is the final stages of commissioning the 36MWp solar PV plant at Centamin’s Sukari gold mine, which will work alongside an existing diesel plant.