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Despite vigorous opposition from a number of quarters, the South African government’s recently appointed electricity minister – who has been given new powers – still wants to procure 2GW of emergency electricity in a revised contract with Turkish-owned Karpowership. Meanwhile, generation is not the only factor causing difficulties, as the grid reaches its limit in some parts of the country.

The Mphanda Nkuwa Implementation Office (GMNK) said on 8 June that the European Union and its European Investment Bank (EIB) lending arm would provide finance for the 1.5GW Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric power (HEP) plant development and its 1,300km high-voltage line from Tete province to Maputo.

Mogadishu-headquartered Blue Sky Energy’s solar PV/diesel hybrid plant in the Dayniile district has reached a timely new milestone, with demand for power increasingly rapidly in the city. As well as being an IPP, Blue Sky acts as a distribution company and has its own transmission and distribution (T&D) infrastructure network.  The company’s chief technical officer Abdullahi Abdi took African Energy through its plans.

The Eastern Africa Power Pool (EAPP) has awarded a contract for a feasibility study on electricity interconnections between Ethiopia and Somalia. EAPP said the selection of a consultant to undertake a nine-month environmental and social impact assessment (Esia) was also at an advanced stage.

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has outlined plans to procure nearly 17GW of generation capacity from different technologies in FY2023/24, in new efforts aimed at increasing electricity supply and tackling crippling shortages.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC) managing director Owen Silavwe has outlined hopes for the private utility to reach an agreement with Konkola Copper Mines (KCM) over outstanding debts of $192m. CEC has also set a target date for the commissioning of its 60MW Itimpi solar plant and provided an update on its DR Congo plans.

Three distribution companies – Kano, Kaduna and Aba Power Limited Electric – were briefly disconnected from the grid by Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in April after a long history of unpaid invoices. Government intervention led to them being reconnected, but only for a 60-day grace period. TCN has warned that other discos could be disconnected once the grace period expires.

Xlinks First has announced details of £30m ($37.4m) funding for its project to lay the world’s longest high-voltage direct current (HVDC) subsea cable, from Morocco to the United Kingdom.

Sudan’s energy sector has a history of mismanagement and bad value deals going back many years. Its record of failure started under Omar Hassan Al-Bashir (head of state under various titles from 1989 until 2019) and worsened under the ineffective successor civilian administration.

State grid operator Ethiopian Electric Power (EEP) has called for consultancy services for the African Development Bank (AfDB)-supported Eastern Ethiopia Electricity Grid Reinforcement Project.

China has agreed to extend a $240m preferential loan to Madagascar to finance construction of the Ranomafana hydroelectric power (HEP) plant on the Ikopa River in Anamalanga, roughly 115 north-west of Antananarivo.

Xlinks, which has grandiose plans to generate 3.6GW of renewable energy (RE) in Morocco to dispatch to the United Kingdom, has reportedly entered advanced talks for Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa) to provide financial backing so that work can start on what would be the world’s longest undersea cable.

Chadian developer ZIZ Energie has confirmed to African Energy the dates it expects its solar PV mini-grids in Ati and Moussoro to come online. The two projects have faced numerous delays due to supply constraints and financing issues.