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The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) and France’s EDF Group have signed an agreement to co-operate in the development of off-grid electrification in emerging markets, predominantly in sub-Saharan Africa. IFC said the pair would develop “affordable and sustainable solutions for rural electrification”, working together to source financing for potential projects, share expertise and explore co-investment opportunities, with a joint investment vehicle on the cards. A pilot project is being put in place in Benin, where 25,000 people will be supplied with power using solar and diesel-powered hybrid networks and two biomass-fired power plants.

The US Power Africa initiative’s Beyond the Grid programme on 20 June closed Round II of its Off-Grid Energy Challenge – a General Electric, US Agency for International Development and US African Development Foundation initiative, offering 18 $1.8m grants to developers of off-grid and small-scale renewables projects in each of the six Power Africa countries. Winners will be announced in mid-August. Beyond the Grid aims to facilitate investment in off-grid and small-scale power projects, and is specifically targeted at providing 20m new connections for households and businesses over a five-year period; it is partnering 27 companies that have committed to investing $1bn into off-grid and small-scale solutions.

The World Bank’s International Development Agency is considering a $100m loan for the Uganda Energy for Rural Transformation III (ERT-3) project. This aims to support investments in on- and off-grid projects and provide technical assistance. The government will provide $10m of financing, and an $8.9m grant from the Global Environment Facility is on the cards. ERT-3 will go to the World Bank board in July 2014, following the completion of appraisal in February.Faced with significant challenges in bringing grid power to small rural communities, Uganda failed to meet a government target of raising the rural electrification rate to 10% by 2010 from 1% in 2001.

A forthcoming paper by Durham University researchers Andrew Crossland, Oghenetejiri Anuta, Neal Wade and Bronwyn McNeil, in partnership with a solar photovoltaic (PV) installer in Rwanda, has found that inappropriate use of off-grid solar PV systems installed at health facilities and schools by NGOs is pushing up costs and shortening lifespans. “The cycle life of the batteries people are experiencing is two years, but we think you could increase that to five or six years at a minimum simply by changing the way you operate and by changing the way you design the systems,” Crossland told African Energy.

Energy and water resources minister Oluniyi Robbin-Coker is trying to mobilise limited resources to build generation capacity and overhaul a decrepit transmission and distribution system. With demand from the mining industry rising and access to power at just 6%, the government has set an ambitious target of installing 1GW of capacity in the next seven years. Sierra Leone has 92MW of installed capacity, including the 50MW Bumbuna dam inaugurated in November 2009, though the country has an estimated 2GW of hydro potential.

Eskom has given South Africa’s Romano Group an engineering, procurement and construction contract for a 360kW peak solar photovoltaic system to be installed on the roof of Eskom’s Megawatt Park head office in Johannesburg. So far in 2013, Romano has commissioned four rooftop PV projects in South Africa: two in Cape Town and two in Johannesburg.

Office National d'Electricité et de l’Eau Potable has released the 2013 procurement plan for the Integrated Wind and Rural Electrification project. Three tenders worth an estimated combined total of €222m ($290m) will be sought during the year.

The Islamic Development Bank has signed loan agreements totalling $51.7m to finance the last phase of Morocco’s rural electrification programme (Perg)

Lurio HEP concession tenders expected; Job for transmission consultant; Rural electrification tender; More companies join Mediterranean solar initiative; Lydec plans big Casablanca spend

A pre-feasibility study for Botswana Power Corporation’s planned 200MW solar thermal power project has identified five potential sites.

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