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Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa (FMCSA) has announced a partnership with South African solar provider SolarAfrica to develop a 13.5MWp solar PV installation for its Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria. The solar energy project forms part of plans to make the assembly plant self-sufficient in green energy by 2024, Ford said on 13 November.

Zesco is in talks to lower power purchase prices from its private suppliers while it awaits completion of a delayed cost of service study. The utility’s debt to Zambia’s four IPPs currently stands at just under $800m, and Maamba Collieries Ltd (MCL) has gone to the High Court in London to enforce payment on $350m it is owed.

EU concern over drilling plan The European Commission has expressed concern about the potential impact of oil exploration on the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, where Reconnaissance Energy Africa (ReconAfrica) plans to drill three wells starting in late December.

Dutch development bank FMO has agreed a €500,000 ($598,000) convertible loan with power company ZIZ Energie to fund its operations in Chad. FMO joins investment company Energy Access Ventures (EAV) in backing ZIZ in a €2m funding round. EAV announced it was investing in the company earlier this year.

A report from off-grid solar industry association Gogla shows significant falls in sales of household solar products in H1 2020 as Covid-19 slowed ­progress. The Global Off-grid Solar Market Report for H1 2020 shows sales of solar lighting products – including lanterns, multi-light systems, and solar home systems – fell by 26% compared with H1 2019, to the lowest volumes since 2014.

The Ministry of Military Production (MMP) has further extended its oil and gas sector interests with a new deal that shows how the military’s business arms intend to cooperate with international investors. A cooperation protocol was agreed in late October between Italian-Egyptian wellhead production company Tharwa Breda Petroleum Service Company (TBPSCo) and the National Authority for Military Production (NAMP). TBPSCo is 50% owned by Italy’s Breda Energia, with the other half of its equity held by a group of Egyptian state-owned institutions.

The British government has generated further controversy over its foreign aid policy by announcing that its overseas development assistance (ODA) budget will be reduced to 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) on a temporary basis to take account of the domestic strains from the coronavirus pandemic.

Eni chief executive Claudio Descalzi met Presidency Council head Fayez Al-Sarraj and National Oil Corporation chairman Mustafa Sanalla in Tripoli on 30 November. The Italian IOC has a track record of providing industry support to its national partners at strategic junctures, a policy that emphasises the depth of its commitment to its markets. Eni said Descalzi discussed business continuity and support for energy access, including Eni’s commitment to developing gas projects.

A consortium led by CDC Group’s Gridworks announced on 26 November that it had been selected as preferred bidder for the Essor Access to Electricity (A2E) Initiative in Democratic Republic of Congo. Gridworks has partnered with Eranove and AEE Power for the project.

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on 23 November published a consultation paper for the procurement of 2.5GW of nuclear capacity. Nersa must review decisions by energy and mineral resources minister Gwede Mantashe to procure additional generation capacity before they can be implemented.

The West African Power Pool North Core Project Management Unit invites sealed bids from engineering, procurement and construction contractors by 21 February to carry out turnkey construction work for a high-voltage transmission line.

South Africa’s Blue Nova Energy has exported its first intelligent energy storage system (iESS) to Namibia, providing 1MWh of storage for the Timbila Nature Reserve’s 250kW solar PV system. The iESS is a storage system of up to 500kW/1.5MWh housed within a six-metre container, or up to 1MW/3MWh in a 12-metre container.

National Oil Corporation (NOC) chairman Mustafa Sanalla and Medco International Ventures Limited chief executive Roberto Lorato have agreed a schedule to restart the development of the Indonesian company’s Ghadames Basin oil discovery, which has been on hold since the fall of the Qadhafi regime in 2011.

Tullow’s new chief executive has outlined a plan to turn around the company’s fortunes with a focus on generating cash from its core producing assets in West Africa. The company says it can generate $7bn over the next decade to raise production and pay down debt, writes Thalia Griffiths.

The improvement in global LNG markets has allowed Eni, Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation, the Egyptian Natural Gas Holding Company (Egas) and Spain’s Naturgy to revive agreements related to the Segas liquefaction plant in Damietta, which will now resume operations in Q1 2021. On 1 December, Eni announced that it has concluded agreements with its partners and amicably settled Naturgy’s claims against the Egyptian government in line with terms originally agreed in February.