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Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

The island states off the coast of East Africa are pushing ahead forcefully with renewable energy schemes to reduce their hydrocarbons use. The moves will save money for the authorities in Comoros, Mauritius and the Seychelles by cutting expensive imports of refined products and will also help to address the effects of climate change to which they are particularly vulnerable, writes Marc Howard.

The Export-Import Bank of the United States (Exim) has approved a $900m loan to build two solar PV plants for the Ministry of Energy and Water (Minea).

As Zimbabwe’s general election approaches, experts are complaining that its energy laws and policies are outdated and need extensive review to promote increased investment in renewable energy.

The 1,290km Lobito corridor is being lined up for some $250m in financing from the United States’ Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and, reflecting the tone of recent US (re-) engagement with the region, the White House has also mooted an expansion of the Lobito corridor to the Tanzanian coast.

Netherlands-based investors are setting up $1bn funds in both South Africa and Namibia, in partnership with local investors, to accelerate the development of green hydrogen projects in the two countries.

French developer Africa REN has secured a syndicated loan of up to €32m ($35m) for its Walo battery energy storage project in Bokhol, in the Saint-Louis region.

Actis has been selected as preferred bidder for what will be Egypt’s first power sector privatisation. The deal has yet to be formally announced but an industry source confirmed to African Energy that Actis was the successful bidder for a trio of wind plants built in the Gulf of Suez, which are being sold as a single entity.

United Kingdom private equity investor Actis has agreed the sale of BTE Renewables to two French businesses, utility Engie and asset manager Meridiam, for $1bn. The deal covers a portfolio of almost 500MW of solar photvoltaic and wind power capacity in South Africa and Kenya.

Global reactions to the 12-day UN climate negotiations in Durban were mixed, but there were glimmers of hope from the event for Africa’s energy industry

Southern Africa leaders have made a joint appeal at COP27 for nearly $20bn from investors to complete electricity transmission interconnectors and fund new renewable energy projects, in part to increase energy capacity in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

The British government, which remains COP president until November 2022 when Egypt takes over, is expected to take a more than usually active approach to climate change diplomacy over the next 12 months. One reason for this is that the United Kingdom has had an unusually long time to focus on the issue and it has an incentive to keep doing so.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) has committed funds to double capacity at the Doraleh desalination plant near Djibouti City, develop a solar PV plant to meet the higher power demand and expand wastewater treatment plants at Doraleh, Balbala and Douda.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on 8 February appointed Daniel Mminele as head of the Presidential Climate Task Team, which will negotiate the details of a possible $8.5bn agreement with the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US to support South Africa’s transition to a low greenhouse gas emission energy system.

Australia’s Danakali was, until recently, developing the Colluli potash project in the Danakil Depression region, 230km from Eritrea’s main port of Massawa. But chairman Seamus Cornelius told African Energy international sanctions had made it “incredibly difficult” to raise funds and develop the project.