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Modelling and number-crunching may not have the popular appeal of big new power stations or trans-continental interconnections, but they can be crucial to making markets work – and in Africa could open up new vistas for more efficient, more responsive and much larger electricity supply industries (ESIs).

The Zambian government has said it will not cancel power export contracts with neighbouring countries, despite a big drop in water levels at Lake Kariba, which has led to restrictions being imposed on electricity generation at hydroelectric power (HEP) plants.

Ahead of elections next year, the team that has pushed reforms to the electricity supply industry is working to ensure international financial commitments for electrification and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) are secured, and the broad lines of the All Progressive Congress (APC) administration’s policy continue, a senior source told African Energy. A particular focus is making sure that World Bank Group (WBG) commitments are implemented.

Renewable energy developer Darway Coast Nigeria has raised a seven-year, fixed-rate local currency debt facility for a mini-grid programme in southern Nigeria, in the first transaction backed by the Infrastructure Credit Guarantee Company (Infracredit)’s Clean Energy Funding Programme (CEFP).

Additions of renewable power generating capacity are proceeding more slowly than expected in markets with weak grids, such as Nigeria and Malawi. In response, developers are assessing potential solutions including increased baseload capacity and ancillary services agreements.

The Ugandan government is considering a public-private partnership (PPP) model for electricity distribution company Umeme, when the group’s current concession runs out in March 2025, according to well-placed industry sources speaking at African Energy's AIX: Power and Renewables 2022 event in London on 16-17 November.

Ratings agency Moody’s gave a positive response after the government said it would assume up to two-thirds of troubled Eskom’s debts, but several bailouts have failed in the past and there are doubts about the latest plan’s likelihood of success in meeting the ultimate goal of creating a sustainable utility.

Southern Africa leaders have made a joint appeal at COP27 for nearly $20bn from investors to complete electricity transmission interconnectors and fund new renewable energy projects, in part to increase energy capacity in the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP).

Construction of the 132kV Kandadji-Niamey transmission line has official started. Once completed, the line will evacuate 130MW from the Kandadji hydroelectric power (HEP) plant.

State-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company (Tanesco) has called for expressions of interest (EoI) for consultancy services for a 400kV Kisongo-Same-Segera transmission line and a 220kV line connecting Zanzibar and Mafia Island.

National power utilities from Guinea, Guinea Bissau and Senegal have expressed interest in buying electricity from a planned 150MW solar park in Gambia, using the West Africa Power Pool (Wapp). The project is one of nine solar park projects envisaged in an Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas) power masterplan.

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.

The Economic Community of West African States Bank for Investment and Development (Ebid) has approved a financing package totalling $250m to support the oil and gas, energy, agriculture and road sectors of five Ecowas member states. The state-owned Ghana Grid Company (Gridco) is among the recipients.

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.

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).