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Mining and metals group Sibanye-Stillwater has signed its first power purchase agreement (PPA) and reached financial close for the 89MW Castle wind farm, near De Aar in Northern Cape province. The wind farm will supply Sibanye-Stillwater’s mining operations via a wheeling agreement with state utility Eskom.

First details have emerged of the integrated power plant at Dangote Group’s 650,000 b/d Lagos refinery, commissioned on 22 May.

Metals miner Pan African Resources continues to scale up investments in renewable energy projects to supply the group’s mines, having commissioned the 10MW Elikhulu Tailings Solar PV in May 2022. African Energy takes a closer look at Pan African’s power generation plans.

Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX)-listed miner Global Atomic Corporation (GAC) has outlined the anticipated project milestones and time frame for its $208m Dasa uranium mine project in Niger’s Tchirozérine commune.  The project includes a planned grid-connected hybrid power plant with battery energy storage, constructed under a build-own-operate model.

Electricity projects supplying commercial and industrial customers had a total capacity of 5.9GW as of Q1 2023, analysis of the latest information on the African Energy Live Data platform shows – and that is almost certainly a substantial under-estimate. With companies in many countries, led by South Africa and Nigeria, looking to overcome weaknesses in their national grid supply, projects at various stages of planning are expected to add at least a further 1.5GW by 2025 – and probably more, as investors seek comfort in C&I supply.

The rapid increase in private sector projects is recorded in National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) data that show more than 1GW of electricity generation projects were launched by private companies in January/February 2023 alone, following the removal of licensing restrictions in December.

CrossBoundary Energy has confirmed to African Energy the expected commissioning date for its 11.25MWp solar PV and 8.5MW/MWh battery energy storage facility to supply Syrah Resources’ Twigg/Balama graphite project in Mozambique.

CrossBoundary Energy’s 8MWp solar PV installation is now dispatching power to Rio Tinto’s QIT Madagascar Minerals ilmenite facility in Taolagnaro, the Nairobi-headquartered developer told African Energy, while the project’s 8.2MWh battery energy storage system is also in the final stages of commissioning.

Starsight Premier Energy Group (Speg) has commissioned a 3MWp rooftop solar PV plant for timber firm Timsales Ltd in Elburgon, Nakuru County, Kenya.

The easing of licensing restrictions on private power generation over recent years has prompted a rapid rise in projects, according to figures from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), as more companies respond to the load-shedding crisis by developing their own electricity supplies.

London Stock Exchange-quoted Centamin, owner of the Sukari gold mine near Marsa Alam on Egypt's Red Sea Coast, has announced plans to increase the capacity of its 30MW solar PV plant.

A group of local investors has injected $12.1m into independent power producer Decentral Energy Managers to help it expand its commercial and industrial (C&I) footprint.

A surge of new mining projects in Zimbabwe – encouraged by a government keen to raise more export revenues – is leading to a rapid increase in demand for electricity, but persistent supply deficits threaten to derail the ambitious plans for the sector.

The parastatal Ethiopia Investment Holdings (EIH) and the Ministry of Finance said in March the tendering process to sell eight state-owned sugar companies was progressing. An initial expression of interest was launched in August 2022. A request for proposals (RfP), building on investor feedback, is expected soon.

A 600kW gas-fired power plant developed by Genesis Energy has started operating at the Malian Cashew Corporation’s factory in Diatoula, south of the capital Bamako.