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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $116.7m loan to the Central Electricity Board (CEB) for the redevelopment of the Saint Louis power plant. The total cost will be $129.7m. The project will provide four 15MW medium-speed generators, a power station building, two 1,000m3 heavy fuel oil storage tanks and a 132kV substation.

Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) is seeking expressions of interest from independent power producers (IPPs) to develop a 100MW solar plant in a joint venture with the utility. Bids are due by 14 June. BPC said the country’s presently available capacity averaged 260MW from the 600MW installed capacity Morupule B plant, while the 132MW Morupule A plant is undergoing refurbishment. Peak demand is 600MW and the gap is met through imports from South Africa and Mozambique, with the 90MW Orapa and 105MW Matshelagabedi emergency plants used when imports are unavailable or too expensive.

Water and power utility Régie de Production et de Distribution d’Eau et d’Electricité (Regideso) has extended the deadline for bids to rehabilitate the 18MW Rwegura and 1.44MW Nyemanga hydro plants to 16 May.

Egypt’s New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA) is inviting expressions of interest from companies interested in providing technical assistance and project management services for the 100MW Kom Ombo concentrated solar power project. The contracts are being financed by a grant from the African Development Bank. Two contracts are being offered.

The Rural Electrification Authority is seeking expressions of interest from consultants to carry out an environmental and social impact assessment study for a proposed 50MW solar plant at Nanyuki in Laikipia County. The project follows the start-up last year of a 72MW solar plant at Uhuru Flowers in Nanyuki, developed by Kenya’s Azimuth Power, which provides energy to the company and feeds the surplus into the national grid. Work will include an environment baseline survey, assessment of the legislative and regulatory framework, determination of environmental and social impacts, assessment of occupational health and safety concerns, and development of a management plan, a resettlement action plan, and a monitoring plan.

The African Energy Live Data 2019 update shows that 9.6GW of net new capacity was added on the continent during the year. The figure includes off-grid and embedded plants in the public domain, as well as on-grid facilities. This is just over half of the capacity added in 2018 and significantly less than the five-year 2014-18 average of 13.2GW. The slowdown was widespread. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) excluding South Africa, 2.8GW was added, the lowest amount since 2014 and also significantly lower than the 2014-18 average of 3.8GW.

New players continue to flood into South Africa, but the dominance of established giants was demonstrated again when Denmark’s Vestas announced its largest order in the country on 1 August. The company will supply, install and commission 105MW of turbines for three second round renewable energy independent power producer procurement (REIPPP) programme projects for Innowind, a company 80% owned by EDF Energies Nouvelles. Vestas will supply seven 3MW V112 turbines to the Chaba wind farm, eight 3MW V112s to Waainek and 20 3MW V112s to Grassridge, all located in the Eastern Cape.

China’s Dongfang Electric Corporation has signed a supply contract with Egypt’s Arab Contractors and Elsewedy Electric for the 2,115MW Julius Nyerere hydropower project on the Rufiji River. Xinhua news agency said Dongfang would provide hydroelectric generating sets and related equipment. Elsewedy declined to comment to African Energy on timings or financing arrangements for the project.

Cameroonian company Nyong Power Plant Corporation (NPPC) signed a framework agreement with the government on 1 June in Yaoundé to produce 250MW of electricity from the Song-Mbong/Kelempeck hydro project on the Nyong River. The project company is backed by Swiss developer Hydro Operation International and French financial consultancy Finergreen. The CFA560bn ($958m) project, to be built on a build-operate-transfer basis, will involve a reservoir with 3.5bcm of storage capacity, and a transmission line to connect to the grid.

Italy’s Enel Green Power has partnered with First Solar-backed Powerhive to develop 100 mini-grids in Kenya with a combined capacity of 1MW. The Cloverfield project represents an investment of $12m, 93% of which will be provided by Enel and 7% by Powerhive. The portfolio has been developed by Powerhive in Kisii and Nyamira counties in western Kenya. Powerhive uses mobile phone technology to allow customers to prepay for power.

The 40MW Nkhotakota solar photovoltaic (PV) project is “on the cusp” of reaching financial close, Phanes Group chief executive Martin Haupts told African Energy at the Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon. The project was awarded to Phanes Group, responsAbility, and Jakson Engineers India following a tender in 2017. Construction has begun at the 60MW Salima project, which was awarded through the same tender, although the 26MW Golomoti project has yet to close.

Abu Dhabi-based renewable energy developer Masdar has started up the 6MW Port Victoria Wind Power Project, the Seychelles’ first large-scale, renewable energy project. It accounts for more than 8% of the grid capacity on the archipelago’s main island of Mahe, where 90% of the country’s residents live.

The East African Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (EACREEE) has opened at the Makerere University College of Engineering, Design, Art and Technology in Kampala. The centre aims to develop and implement a regional renewable energy and energy efficiency policy framework for the East African Community, to develop and execute regional programmes and projects and mobilise funding, to provide a framework for capacity building activities and strengthen networks between research and training institutions, and to act as a think-tank, lobbying agent and advisory platform for renewables in East Africa.

Good progress is being made on the 200MW Sahofika hydropower project with the initialling of a concession agreement on 12 September. A framework agreement was signed in May during a visit to France by Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina which set out a timetable for the development of the project. The initialling of the 35-year concession agreement took place on schedule and a power purchase agreement is expected to be initialled by mid-October.

Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) has added another 70MW of energy to the grid from the Olkaria geothermal project, as part of plans to increase output by 280MW this year. A first 70MW was added in July, another in August and a third in September. The final 70MW will be added in November. The new capacity more than doubles KenGen’s steam power output to 398MW now from 158MW in December, and is expected to reduce demand for expensive thermal power.