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Libya’s oil sector governance is under fire as never before, with Presidential Council head Mohammed Al-Menfi asking National Oil Corporation to explain its multi-billion-dollar spending over the past two years. With oil production flatlining and gas production at risk of severe decline, Libya needs new field developments, but two of its biggest projects have become mired in allegations of corruption. With potential ramifications for all those operating across a range of sectors in Libya, African Energy has been investigating these issues and more for a series of articles based on extensive source enquiries and documentary evidence.

The Kaminho project to develop the Cameia and Golfinho fields in Block 20/11 has reached a final investment decision, as operator TotalEnergies and partners Petronas and Sonangol seek to open up the offshore Kwanza Basin and supply some gas to CCGT units that will serve the Angolan power grid.

The African Development Bank is seeking a consultant to carry out a feasibility study for a floating solar power project on the Kariba dam, a major source of water and electricity for Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Cape Town-based NOA Group has concluded the purchase of the 350MW Khauta solar PV cluster in Free State province from Germany’s Pure New Energy. Chief executive Karel Cornelissen provided African Energy with details of NOA’s plans for the Khauta projects and beyond.

Angolan state utility Prodel has announced that the Luachimo hydroelectric plant’s rehab is complete and its capacity has been quadrupled. The project is part of the government’s 2023-27 plan to diversify its energy mix by incorporating about 72% of renewable energy and achieving a 50% electrification rate.

Chariot has plugged its RZK-1 well in Morocco’s Loukos onshore licence area after deciding its gas was uneconomic to develop, but the British indie has quickly moved on to drill the nearby OBA-1 exploration well.

IFC and the Italian Climate Fund are investing in Eni’s project to increase biofuel feedstock production and processing in Kenya.

Benin’s President Patrice Talon has allowed the temporary lifting of the inaugural cargo from the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline, after his 8 May bombshell announcement that Cotonou would not allow exports until Niamey reopened its side of the border, write Virgile Ahissou in Cotonou and Marc Howard.

Ener-G-Africa has officially launched a biomass stove and cookware factory in Paarl, near Cape Town, giving impetus to efforts to promote green cooking in Africa.

Two units of the 2.1GW Nyerere hydroelectric megaproject are already online – adding 470MW to the Tanzanian grid – and a source has told African Energy details of the remaining seven turbines to follow. Already, the megaproject is generating surplus capacity to such an extent that state utility Tanesco is reducing output at other HEP plants while it waits for demand to pick up.

Dubai-based Amea Power has broken ground on its Kairouan solar project. The 120MW plant, which is being developed under a build-own-operate (BOO) model, is one of the few projects to make progress in Tunisia’s troubled renewable energy programme.

President Mohammed Ould Cheikh Mohammed Ahmed El Ghazouani’s meeting with Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune on 22 February, at the airport in Tindouf, south-western Algeria, was replete with symbolism. Not only did the leaders formally inaugurate fixed border posts on the 460km bilateral frontier, a roster of projects were announced that signal of a wider intensification of relations. Some of these schemes could help Algeria to outflank its bitter regional rival Morocco by increasing its business further south.

The issue leads with Mauritania, where, ahead of his expected late June re-election, President Mohammed Ahmed El Ghazouani is presiding over a potentially fast-changing country that can expect new revenues from its joint Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) gas field with Senegal and potentially more long-term investment plays that exploit its minerals reserves, P2X potential and route to the sea. There is also a focus on Senegal, where new President Bassirou Diomaye Faye pointedly opted for Nouakchott as the destination for his first official foreign trip, underlining his Pastef party’s pan-African agenda. Discussions between the two presidents centred around the potential for renegotiating the GTA development’s terms. African Energy also examines Senegal's power generation sector. President Faye has vowed to boost on-grid renewable energy capacity and phase out the use of expensive liquid fuels for power generation. Analysis from African Energy Live Data shows this is a continuation of a trend set by his predecessor Macky Sall. However, the phasing out of HFO also relies on the country tapping into its substantial gas reserves and Faye’s pledge to renegotiate hydrocarbons contracts makes some nervous. Power coverage also includes a closer look at Guinea, where approval from the interim parliament in Conakry for an LNG import terminal and gas-to-power plant could be the first step towards meeting a predicted huge mining-driven increase in electricity demand. Upstream oil and gas coverage leads with Nigeria, where there are signs of progress on two multi-billion dollar asset sales to local players by international majors. Hydrocarbons coverage also includes a focus on Niger, following the sudden announcement that Benin would block the lifting of oil cargoes from the Niger-Benin Export Pipeline. The African Energy View examines how gas supply risks highlight the baseload challenge for energy transition strategies across the continent.

Inauguration of the 8MW solar PV plant at Fort Dauphin ilmenite mine marks the official roll-out of a pioneering commercial and industrial (C&I)  project, which also includes wind power and battery storage.

The World Bank has approved its first energy project loan for Namibia, to be deployed to finance grid expansion and support increased integration of renewable energy into an electricity system that still serves only about half of the population and is heavily dependent on imports.