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The West African Power Pool has invited expressions of interest from consultants to carry out studies for a 150MW regional solar farm in Gambia. The project is one of nine large solar farms planned for development as part of a regional power masterplan drawn up by the Economic Community of West African States.

Eskom has extended the deadline for a tender for the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing and commissioning of a battery energy storage system. The 80MW/320MWh battery system will be installed at the Skaapvlei substation near Vredendal in the Western Cape as part of the 800MWh first phase of Eskom’s battery storage programme.The contract also covers operation and maintenance services for a period of five years. Bids had been due by 11 September, but this has been extended to 30 September.

State power utility CI-Energies is seeking a consultancy to provide project management services for the development of the first of four planned floating solar PV plants on existing hydropower reservoirs in conjunction with battery storage. Expressions of interest are invited by 30 July to assist with studies and the procurement and supervision of a pilot hybrid project as a model for the rollout of the schemes.

UK-based energy storage company Mega Amps announced on 29 June that it would be offering energy storage as a service, with lease agreements of up to 15 years. The company has a research and development facility in Cape Town, and South Africa will be one of its focus areas. The model will see storage systems offered to customers without any upfront payment.

The World Bank on 29 June approved $43m of additional financing for Gambia’s Electricity Restoration and Modernisation Project, which aims to support the country’s economic and political transition after 22 years of autocratic rule under former president Yahya Jammeh.The original project received $41m of funding in May 2018. The bank said the additional financing, in the form of a grant from the International Development Association, aims to scale up activities under the project, address a funding gap of $5m and finance new activities.

Beco, Somalia’s main electricity supplier, has announced the commissioning of an 8MWp solar PV plant in Mogadishu. The commissioning of the company’s second solar PV park, which currently provides electricity four hours a day, has already helped achieve its primary aim of cutting the cost of electricity in the Somali capital by reducing the use of diesel generators. According to Beco’s chief engineer, Mohamud Farah, the commissioning of the Mogadishu solar PV plant has seen the cost of power fall from $0.49 to $0.36/kWh.

The Economic Community of West African States, with funding from the World Bank Group, is seeking expressions of interest from consultants to carry out a study on battery storage in the region. The consultant will build on a study conducted by DNV GL.

Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable (ONEE) has invited expressions of interest from consultants by 22 April to conduct detailed studies and establish technical specifications for the 300MW El Menzel pumped-storage hydropower plant in the northern region of Fès-Meknès.The project aims to provide energy storage to help balance the grid and allow for the integration of intermittent renewable energy.

Engie subsidiary Ausar Energy has launched construction of a 400kW solar-thermal hybrid plant at Ndjolé in Moyen-Ogooué province. The plant is the first of eight planned solar hybrid plants with a combined capacity of 2.2MW being developed under an agreement signed between Engie and Gabonese financial institution Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations (CDC) in August 2018.

South Africa’s Megamillion Energy Company is aiming for its lithium-ion battery production pilot plant to begin operating in H2 2020. The site for the plant, which will initially be able to produce 0.25GWh/yr of batteries, has yet to be determined, with Coega Industrial Development Zone in the Eastern Cape the most likely location.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is seeking expressions of interest from consultants by 24 January for an environmental and social impact assessment of a proposed 300MW pumped storage power plant in El Menzel, northern Morocco. The EBRD announced on 23 December that it was considering providing financing to the Office National de l’Electricité et de l’Eau Potable for the project in Sefrou province, in the region of Fès-Meknès, alongside the European Investment Bank and Germany’s KfW.

Egypt’s Elsewedy Electric signed a turnkey contract worth $45m with the Ministry of Energy and Dams on 3 December to build a 20MW solar PV plant with a 35MWh battery system. The project will be located in Nesitu County around 20km from Juba on a 250,000m2 site. The African Export-Import Bank will finance the project, which is expected online in 2020. It is expected to produce 29GWh/yr, supplying power to more than 58,000 homes and reducing CO2 emissions by around 12,000 t/yr. Construction is expected to take one year.

Wärtsilä has been awarded a contract to design and engineer a 17MW/15MWh energy storage system for B2Gold’s Fekola mine. Germany’s Suntrace GmbH and BayWa r.e. GmbH completed a preliminary study this year and are providing technical support to the project, which is due for completion in August 2020.

Australian gold miner Resolute Mining has signed a heads of terms agreement with Aggreko for the development of a 60MW hybrid solar PV and thermal modular power station to supply the company’s Syama Gold Mine in southern Mali. Aggreko will fund and operate the plant, which will combine solar, battery and thermal technologies, Resolute announced on 25 November. Work will start this year and, once fully operational, the new plant is expected to reduce the gold mine’s power supply costs by approximately 40%, while reducing carbon emissions by around 20%, it added.

Gridworks, a company launched by the UK government-owned CDC Group, announced on 2 December that it has reached financial close on a R106.7m ($7.5m) investment in South African commercial and industrial (C&I) solar company Mettle Solar Investments. The transaction has been in the works since before Gridworks was launched at the Africa Energy Forum in Lisbon in June and the commitment was first announced in July.The deal will see Mbuvi Ngunze appointed as Mettle’s chairman and Gridworks chief executive Simon Hodson and director Chris Flavin join the board of directors.