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Three South Africa municipalities are looking for information from potential independent power producers. Ethekwini, which includes the city of Durban, has already issued a request for information (RfI) for 400MW.

Construction has begun on the 19MWp/15MWac Cuamba solar PV plant with 2MW/7MWh battery storage in Mozambique, according to a statement by project sponsors UK-based Globeleq, private equity firm Source Capital and Electricidade de Moçambique (EdM) on 14 June.

Cairo has secured the hosting rights for the COP27 intergovernmental meeting next year, in further evidence of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s interest in using climate change as a diplomatic tool, but the short-term prospects for large renewable schemes will remain limited until the economy expands by enough to use up existing surplus generation capacity, writes John Hamilton.

Construction has begun on the 19MWp/15MWac Cuamba solar PV plant with 2MW/7MWh battery storage in Mozambique

A 3.9MW solar PV power plant ,with 2.6MWh of battery storage, being developed by Vivo Energy to supply Robex Resources’s Nampala mine, remains on course to be commissioned by year-end.

The Independent Power Producer Office (IPP Office) announced the final element of the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme (RMIPPP) on 1 June, with the award of three 50MW solar PV and battery projects on adjacent sites in Kenhardt to Scatec. The Norwegian firm had to participate in a ‘value for money’ process which resulted in the announcement coming long after the other eight preferred bidders were announced on 18 March.

The 35MWp Kahone Solar PV and 25MWp Kael Solar PV plants are expected to be commissioned this month, Katja Damman of France’s Engie told African Energy. The projects are part of utility Société Nationale d’Electricité du Sénégal’s (Senelec) commitment to gas and renewables.

France’s Orion Energies expects to commission two of its projects in 2022 and 2023. Financial close for the 30MWp Ngaoundere solar PV plant, with 20MWh of battery storage, in the Adamaoua region of Cameroon is anticipated by year-end, Orion director Hadrien Clement told African Energy, with construction scheduled to be completed by H1 2022.

Construction of the 20MWp Brikama Solar PV plant is expected to start in Q4 21 and take 12 months, National Water and Electricity Company (Nawec) project co-ordinator Haddy Njie told African Energy. Spain’s AF-Mercados EMI was announced as owner’s engineer in December. Njie said implementation of the resettlement action plan was “very advanced”.

The 35MWp Kahone and 25MWp Kael solar PV plants procured through the World Bank Group’s Scaling Solar programme in Senegal will be commissioned this month

After years of delay, things are moving forward in Malawi, with three solar IPPs set to commission this year – despite Covid-related problems – and new battery storage and wind projects expected by a reforming administration, writes Marc Howard In an unusual development for a country where economic and governance issues have for years served to delay investments, offtaker Power Market Ltd (PML)’s chief executive Rosemary Mkandawire has said Malawi had recently received “too many” applications from developers of solar power projects. The surge in interest comes as three independent power projects (IPPs) procured during a 2017 tender are due to be commissioned this year.

Efforts to increase renewables’ share in Seychelles’ energy mix are reflected in an expected fivefold increase in solar generation, not least to serve revenue-generating luxury resorts. While more solar projects are planned, the outlook for the once-hyped oil search seems poor, with a new government in place since October which has put marine protection measures at the centre of policy, writes Marc Howard.

The launch of a project to bring renewable power generated in the southern part of Morocco directly to the UK is one of five high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnections now planned between North Africa and Europe. Alongside the Moroccan Xlinks project, similar schemes in Tunisia and Egypt are united by the common conceptual approach of enabling European countries to replace the 60% of primary energy now imported as fossil fuels. However, the underlying political and commercial motivations, as well as the technological details, differ in each case.

The World Bank Group (WBG) has released details of its proposed $152m Zanzibar Energy Sector Transformation Project, which will provide finance for a battery system and solar PV plant, grid modernisation and electrification, as well as institutional strengthening. The WBG’s International Development Association is assessing a $127m credit for the project, with the remaining $25m provided by the Clean Technology Fund.

Construction will start at the 25MWp Bangui Solar PV plant, which includes 25MWh of battery storage, in April, and commercial operations are expected in June 2022, the World Bank Group (WBG)’s Boris Ngouagouni told African Energy. Ngouagouni said Covid-19 had not significantly delayed the project. The WBG signed an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with China’s Shanxi Construction Investment Group Company in December.