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Gridworks, a company launched by the UK government-owned CDC Group, announced on 2 December that it has reached financial close on a R106.7m ($7.5m) investment in South African commercial and industrial (C&I) solar company Mettle Solar Investments. The transaction has been in the works since before Gridworks was launched at the Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon in June and the commitment was first announced in July.The deal will see Mbuvi Ngunze appointed as Mettle’s chairman and Gridworks chief executive Simon Hodson and director Chris Flavin join the board of directors.

State power utility CI-Energies is seeking a consultancy to provide project management services for the development of the first of four planned floating solar PV plants on existing hydropower reservoirs in conjunction with battery storage. Expressions of interest are invited by 30 July to assist with studies and the procurement and supervision of a pilot hybrid project as a model for the rollout of the schemes.

Construction will start at the 25MWp Bangui Solar PV plant, which includes 25MWh of battery storage, in April, and commercial operations are expected in June 2022, the World Bank Group (WBG)’s Boris Ngouagouni told African Energy. Ngouagouni said Covid-19 had not significantly delayed the project. The WBG signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with China’s Shanxi Construction Investment Group Company in December.

The 35MWp Kahone and 25MWp Kael solar PV plants procured through the World Bank Group’s Scaling Solar programme in Senegal will be commissioned this month

The 35MWp Kahone Solar PV and 25MWp Kael Solar PV plants are expected to be commissioned this month, Katja Damman of France’s Engie told African Energy. The projects are part of utility Société Nationale d’Electricité du Sénégal’s (Senelec) commitment to gas and renewables.

Large renewable procurement in South Africa and ambitious hydrogen production plans in Egypt are expected to bring huge amounts of privately-owned, utility-scale solar capacity on line in the next three years. Meanwhile commercial and industrial solar remains a high growth potential market, according to analysis of  new data from the African Energy Live Data platform.

A feasibility study has confirmed the technical viability of Ncondezi Energy’s planned 300MW solar PV plus battery storage project in Mozambique’s Tete province. A preferred site has been selected but not yet announced. Ncondezi said it is close to cross-border interconnectors.

Demand for commercial and industrial (C&I) power projects is surging, particularly in eastern and southern Africa. In key markets such as South Africa and Kenya, customers have opted for C&I solutions that not only offer cheaper tariffs but also greater reliability than the grid. These imperatives have also prompted a shift to C&I in the West African market, where the sector has seen considerable activity this year although market players still deem it to be ‘early days’.

Work has begun at the solar PV plant being developed by CrossBoundary Energy (CBE) at RioTinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals (QMM) ilmenite mineral sands project. The project is being developed on the basis of a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).

The latest figures from African Energy Live Data suggest that Q1 2020 saw the lowest generation capacity additions in Africa for at least 20 years, with no new on-grid generation from February after coronavirus halted construction and commissioning

The Anglican Diocese of Central Zimbabwe has installed a 157kWp solar PV plant and 300kWh battery storage system at St Patrick’s High School in Gweru, Midlands province. The plant is the first phase of a proposed 5MW solar PV project that will meet the school’s electricity needs, with excess electricity sold to the national grid via a net metering scheme.

Energy and mineral development minister Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu has said South Africa’s Eskom Uganda will no longer operate and maintain the 200MW Kiira and 180MW Nalubaale hydroelectric power (HEP) plants, when their 20-year concessions are concluded next year.

President Lazarus Chakwera has called for a timely completion of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the 350MW Mpatamanga hydroelectric power project. The project’s implementation has been delayed for lack of a bankable ESIA.

Namibian Stock Exchange-listed Alpha Namibia Industries Renewable Power (Anirep) has secured a contract to build and operate an 18.5MW solar plant at Kokerboom in Keetmanshoop, with Canadian mining company Dundee Precious Metals Tsumeb as the off-taker.

Biovea Energies has begun construction of the 46MW Ayébo biomass power plant, a 2x23MW project fuelled by palm oil residues mostly collected from farmers in the Aboisso area.