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Commercial and industrial power developer CrossBoundary Energy said on 8 November it was working with Bank of America to explore opportunities with development finance institutions to structure a blended finance loan facility.

Electricity to supply Syrah Resources’ Twigg/Balama graphite project in Mozambique has been provided by 15.4MW of diesel generation capacity, but in December 2020 the Australian company signed a memorandum of understanding with Solarcentury to develop an 11.25MWp solar PV and 8.5MW/MWh battery storage facility.

Distributed Power Africa’s has signed a 25-year power lease agreement with Varun Beverages for a rooftop solar PV facility at the soft drinks manufacturer’s plant in Harare. Zimbabwe has emerged as a significant C&I market, reflecting the extent to which recurrent power blackouts are curtailing economic output, prompting companies and individuals to invest in solar energy.

Crossboundary Energy will deploy solar PV hybrid power plants at breweries in Enugu and Oyo states, continuing its growth in Nigeria following a recent $60m deal with Engie.

Contracts have been awarded to build solar PV power plants at seven tertiary institutions under the Energising Education Programme (EEP)’s second phase. The EEP is a World Bank-funded programme aimed at improving energy access in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Nine universities are slated to receive support in phase one.

Taqa Arabia will sell the power from its 20MW Sharm El Sheikh solar PV plant to customers of its own Global Energy distribution company. The project shows it is possible to build substantial renewable energy projects under regulator EgyptERA’s auto-generation rules. It has also stimulated positive headlines about the greening of the Red Sea tourism city in advance of COP27.

Canada’s Em-one Energy Solutions has been awarded a contract to construct the 3.1MW University of Abuja solar PV, diesel and battery plant.

A solar power plant with battery energy storage at Centamin’s Sukari gold mine is set to be fully commissioned by year end, replacing diesel generators. London-and-Toronto listed Centamin is also evaluating proposals from independent power producers (IPPs) to supply grid power to the mine.

Mining giant Anglo American (Anglo) and France’s EDF Renewables (EDF) have formed a joint venture company Envusa Energy (Envusa) that will develop renewable energy projects to meet Anglo’s energy needs in South Africa, with excess power supplied into the grid.

Growing electricity demand, chiefly in booming Democratic Republic of Congo mines, is expected to underpin Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC)’s recovery after a tumultuous period . But the sluggish performance at the debt-laden Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines threatens CEC’s resurgence.

Norway’s Empower New Energy has raised $74m in equity from a consortium led by The Hague, Netherlands-based Climate Fund Managers (CFM).

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.  

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.

The planned merger of Nigeria’s Starsight Energy and South Africa’s SolarAfrica reflects the commercial and industrial (C&I) sector’s continued rise, driven by the persistence of unreliable and expensive grid power in many African markets. Solar photovoltaic (PV) generation is rapidly growing as a source for C&I, according to trends identified by African Energy Live Data.