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The multi-donor Universal Energy Facility has issued a Wave 2 tender for mini-grid projects in Democratic Republic of Congo, while results are awaited on its call for bids in Madagascar and Sierra Leone.

Winch Energy has completed and commissioned three solar PV and storage mini-grids in Alikalia, Kondebaya and Sambia-Bendugu villages. The mini-grids were installed as part of the second phase of Winch’s 24-site mini-grid project in Sierra Leone

The Korea Institute for the Advancement of Technology (KIAT) is to invest $12.4m in four solar PV mini-grid projects in Nigeria, under a deal signed with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

Uganda-based developer Equatorial Power (EP) has secured grant finance from two multilateral finance institutions to scale up its mini-grid business in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Husk Power Systems has commissioned six additional solar PV mini-grids in the Doma and Lafia areas of Nasarawa state.

A move towards independent power transmission schemes being allowed to wheel power to private clients could prove a boon for commercial and industrial (C&I) developers. Panellists at the 20 September AIX Kenya roundtable predicted the environment will now become more favourable, following the election victory of William Ruto, after years when “we saw the government and utility push back on the C&I space owing to its revenue implications”.

Chronic power unreliability remains a blight in Nigeria – with half a dozen grid collapses so far this year – while the national grid remains woefully under-powered. Nigerians remain dependent on diesel and other back-ups, while big commercial and industrial (C&I) investments are being made by large private sector players. African Energy examines how the Dangote Group is becoming one of the country's major electricity generators.  

Energicity has announced the completion of two mini-grids, at Takpatchiomè and Gougouta in the Couffo department. Energicity was awarded a construction, operation and maintenance contract for 20 mini-grids in the Zou, Couffo and Collines departments under the Off-Grid Clean Energy Facility (OCEF), one of five concessionaires to sign deals.

Supermajor Shell has acquired Nigerian commercial and industrial (C&I) developer Daystar Power for an undisclosed sum. The Lagos-headquartered firm’s co-founders and management team will remain in situ. Daystar also announced plans to expand into southern and eastern African markets.

Nigeria’s Starsight Energy and South Africa’s SolarAfrica have announced plans to merge in a deal which, if approved by regulators, will join two of Africa’s largest commercial and industrial (C&I) renewable power developers into a pan-continental player with a portfolio of over 220MW of operated and signed generation capacity.

Mini-grid developer ZIZ Energie hopes to have its second ‘metro-grid’ online by December, having commissioned the first of five 1.7MW hybrid mini-grids in June. But success has not come easy for the development finance institution (DFI)-backed Chadian developer, amid political turmoil and supply constraints that continue to delay developments.

Bboxx has concluded its acquisition of PEG Africa, giving the ­London-based firm access to four more African markets – Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mali – while it is also tying up with more major corporates, creating ventures with Orange in Democratic Republic of Congo and Unilever in Kenya.

Schools have joined an increasing number of electricity users turning to alternatives to state utility Eskom as the energy crisis continues to take its toll in South Africa. As many as 41 schools in Western Cape province, with a combined capacity of 25.87MW, have applied to the Ministry of Education for connection to distributed solar PV systems.

The Economic Committee of West African States (Ecowas) inaugurated the Nigeria segment of its regional off-grid electricity access project (Rogeap) in Abuja on 19 July. The project, which was initially launched in 2017, was restructured with additional financing and relaunched in 2020.

The second phase of the Sierra Leone mini-grids project being undertaken by Winch Energy is expected to be completed in the coming months, according to vice president for business development Chris Kanani.