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Construction is set to begin in January on a 10MW solar PV project to supply Amazon’s operations in South Africa, after the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approved an amended generation licence. The project is an important milestone for the country as the first licensed plant – plants larger than 1MW must have a generation licence – to use a Wheeling Use of System Agreement with national utility Eskom in recent years.

Differences over who should undertake a new feasibility study for the Gwanda solar project are delaying the signing of a revised contract between the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) and contractors IntraTrek and Chint Electric Company. In July, Cabinet approved a revised implementation plan for the 100MW Gwanda solar PV project, in which the developers agreed to evacuate the first 10MW of the project to the national grid within six months of financial close, and brought in African Transmission Corporation (ATC) as transaction adviser for the project.

The United Kingdom’s Renewable Energy Performance Platform on 11 December announced that it had signed an agreement to invest £1m equity in renewable-powered battery rental company Mobile Power.

Globeleq on 10 December announced that Spain’s TSK has been selected to build the 450MW Temane combined cycle gas power plant.

Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (Tanesco) is set to launch a tender for an EPC contractor for the 50MW Malagarasi hydropower project in the western region of Kigoma after securing financing from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

Tender for Maria Gléta CCGT The Ministry of Energy has invited bids by 28 December for the next phase of the Maria Gléta thermal power complex. The tender involves the design, supply and construction of a 143MW dual-fuel combined-cycle thermal power plant.

The Ministry of Water Resources and Electricity has launched a two-stage tender for the selection of a private sector developer to build and operate under a long-term concession a 100MW-150MW hydropower station on the Nzilo 2 site on the Lualaba River.

Oslo-listed PetroNor has announced the purchase of Svenska Petroleum Exploration Guinea Bissau, giving it operatorship of the Sinapa and Esperança licences.

While Tullow Oil has completed the $575m sale of its Uganda assets to operator Total, removing one barrier to a final investment decision (FID), development of the Lake Albert oil project is likely to take some time. With the year-end fast approaching, Ugandan energy minister Mary Goretti now says she expects FID in H1 2021, though Total had previously talked of a target of end-2020.

ARCH Emerging Markets Partners has completed a $40m investment in CrossBoundary Energy that will enable it to fund its pipeline of new projects. The solar developer is targeting $100m of funding as its role evolves to become both a developer and financier of projects, writes Dan Marks.

The Western Cape Government on 24 November launched a three-year Municipal Energy Resilience Project that will help municipalities in the province take advantage of new energy regulations. The provincial government led by the opposition Democratic Alliance has been pushing the national authorities to move more quickly to allow power procurement by municipalities as supply from bulk supplier Eskom has deteriorated.

The Ministry of Power, Rural Electrification Agency and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission on 30 November signed a memorandum of understanding to establish the Green Energy Investment Platform, a one-stop shop for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Niger Delta Power Holding Company executive director for generation Abdullahi Kassim has said the company is about to begin an audit of the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) power plants. Kassim made the comments during a tour of the Omotosho, Ogorode and Ihovbor plants in late November, saying that the audit had been backed by vice-president Yemi Osinbajo.

Zesco invites bids by 5 February 2021 for the engineering, design, manufacture, supply, construction, testing and commissioning of power transmission and distribution equipment under the Sustainable Electricity Supply Southern Division Project.