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The bankruptcy of Petroplus continues to trouble some of the Swiss refiner’s former suppliers. Petroplus owes Algeria’s Sonatrach over $250m for several cargoes of crude it delivered to the refiner, which filed for insolvency protection in January. Speaking in Algiers on 4 November, vice president for marketing Yamina Hamdi said “we are using all means possible to recoup these debts”.

The Azito gas power plant’s 139MW expansion has reached financial close, almost exactly a year after the concession agreement for the $430m project was approved by the government.

Foreign exchange reserves fell by 2% in September to $4.1bn – the equivalent of 2.6 months of imports – as trends towards dollarization and election-related spending added to downward pressures.

Fastnet Oil and Gas executive vice president exploration Paul Griffiths said in October that Morocco’s Foum Assaka offshore permit, which is operated by Kosmos Energy, as having “multi-billion barrel resources in place in several plays including a Jubilee field, Ghana analogue”.

The new federal government, due to be named any day, plans to invite companies that held acreage before the country’s civil war to return and resume exploration. While this may be good news for development, it could cause confusion for acreage licensed by the local authorities in Somaliland and Puntland, writes Thalia Griffiths.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) on 24 September began the appraisal process for a €50m ($65m) loan to a project to restore the inoperative 64MW Mount Coffee hydroelectric power station.

There is now hope for economic and military stability in both countries, but ongoing disputes over border issues and the status of Sudapet could still thwart co-operation, writes Hugh Boylan.

Markets have welcomed the announcement that five groups have been selected to take over PHCN’s generation plants, and that distribution bids will be announced soon. But enthusiasm about Nigeria’s power privatisation programme is tempered by concerns over some of the shareholders, write Leo Lawal in Lagos and Jon Marks.

Of all the assorted regional infrastructure projects jostling for supremacy in East Africa, the growing credibility of the Lamu Corridor project raises the possibility of a new East African power axis of Kenya and an emergent Ethiopia.

The African Development Bank’s soft loans arm has approved $348m in funding for an electricity highway project between Kenya and Ethiopia. The $1.26bn Eastern Electricity Highway Project is the first step towards a regional power pool which many hope will curb electricity price increases and improve security of supply.

Guinea has reached the completion point for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative, paving the way for $2.1bn of debt relief.

The proceeds from Zambia’s successful debut Eurobond issue will be spent on upgrading energy and transport infrastructure, writes Chiwoyu Sinyangwe in Lusaka.

With a new cabinet close to being finalised, National Oil Corporation is finally able to put in place some longer-term plans. The appointment of the new cabinet will give the ministry and NOC the authority to make decisions for the future, chairman Dr Nouri Berouin told John Hamilton in an interview in Tripoli.

One plant was not awarded in Nigeria’s generation plant round: Afam Generation Company in Rivers State. The bidders for the 776MW unit are alleged to have included a company linked to former power minister Professor Bart Nnaji, a key player in the privatisation process.

The World Bank board has approved $203m of funding for the Niger Basin Water Resources Development and Sustainable Ecosystems Management Programme, which includes support for the Kandadji Programme.