Search results

As its real economy collapses, Zimbabwe seems condemned to suffering an ever-worsening power crisis. But at a regional level NamPower’s rescue deal for Zesa has started to bear fruit, with the first electricity flowing across the border into the Namibian grid.

Perenco to supply gas to Kribi plant; OCI to build Sidi Krir project; Chinese commit to $90m rural electrification scheme; Steel company orders equipment; HCB resumes supply to Zesa; Arab fund provides Roseires funding

With financing agreed for the 1,300MW Abu Qir expansion, the developers have issued a series of tenders. The Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) has announced plans to sign an agreement in February to part-finance the project.

With the government encouraging development of biofuels to meet domestic demand and also for export - with plans to use as much as 6.6% of Mozambique's total arable land for production - Mozambique is attracting a growing number of biofuels projects, some of them very well funded. These are in addition to the $510m contract signed

President Abdoulaye Wade has inaugurated a 67.5MW oil-fired unit on the outskirts of Dakar, built by Lebanon’s Matelec Group and Japan’s MHI Equipment Europe (AE 101/12).

The 12 January confirmation of Daniel Yengo Massampu as Société Nationale d’Electricité’s chief executive keeps a professional at the operational helm of Democratic Republic of Congo’s power sector during a difficult period

With capacity constraints causing load-shedding at home and export shortfalls to neighbouring countries, Eskom has expressed disappointment at the tariff increase approved by National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). Eskom said Nersa had approved a price increase of 14.2%, compared to the 18.7% sought by the utility.

Morocco’s state power company is increasingly active in Africa and plans to open an international arm in London, to be closer to international financial markets and the developer community, and to create much-needed new revenue flows, its chief executive told Jon Marks in Casablanca

The World Bank board has agreed a Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for 2008-11, deciding that despite the continued conflict in eastern Congo it is time to move from a post-conflict emergency phase (Transitional Support Strategy) to a strategic, long-term approach.

The World Bank Group has approved a $41.05m loan towards the financing of a planned interconnection between Ethiopia and Sudan as part of the Nile Basin Initiative. The loan to the Ethiopian government will help it finance its portion of the interconnector. The transmission line will run between the Ethiopian towns of Bahir-Dar and Metema, and up to the border with Sudan to connect the countries’ grids.

Office National d’Electricité (ONE) is close to finalising a management contract for rural electrification in northern Senegal.

President Nicolas Sarkozy has said France is prepared to help Egypt develop civil nuclear power. “Egypt has considerable energy needs and it naturally envisages building nuclear reactors,” Sarkozy told Al-Ahram in a pre-visit interview.

Bujagali Energy Ltd (BEL) has closed financing on a $682m construction debt facility for the 250MW Bujagali hydropower project (AE 129/22). Multilateral and bilateral debt will be provided by the European Investment Bank, International Finance Corporation, African Development Bank, Dutch development agency Nederlandse Financierings-Maatschappij voor Ontwikkelinsslanden (FMO), France’s Société de Promotion et de Participation pour la Cooperation Economique (Proparco) and Agence Française de Développement, and Germany’s Deutsche Investitions-und Entwicklungsgesellschaft and Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau. Commercial debt will be provided by Standard Chartered Bank and Barclays/Absa Capital, with partial risk guarantee cover provided by the World Bank’s International Development Association.

The World Bank is seeking expressions of interest from consultants to carry out a study on power sector reform and restructuring of the state Société Mauritanienne d’Electricité (Somelec). The Bank’s International Development Association has sought grant funding from the Public-Private Infrastructure Facility for a study on sector reform and Somelec restructuring, with a view to increasing the role of the private sector.

Libya plans a huge power development programme to mark the 40th anniversary of Muammar Qadhafi’s takeover in 2009 and to triple generation capacity by 2016, writes John Hamilton, recently in Tripoli.