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French major TotalEnergies said in late July that it was withdrawing from South Africa’s offshore Block 11B/12B block, after deciding that the two gas discoveries made there were not economically viable. PetroSA had been hoping the gas could be used to supply its shuttered 45,000 b/d Mossel Bay refinery, which it wants to bring back online.

Johannesburg-based real estate investor Vukile Property Fund plans to increase its power generating capacity from rooftop solar PV to 41MWp by 2026, as part of a strategy to invest in alternative and cheaper electricity to supplement unreliable grid supplies to its shopping malls.

The Botala Energy-led Serowe Solar Consortium has won a tender to develop the 4MW Puthi Solar PV plant in the Serowe Energy Hub. Botala is also looking to develop solar/gas hybrid capacity using feedstock from its coal bed methane upstream project.

Mauritius-based Afreenergy has signed an agreement to acquire three commercial and industrial (C&I) solar PV plants in Senegal from French developer GreenYellow, which is divesting from Africa to concentrate on Europe.

Rift Valley Energy (RVE), a subsidiary of French asset manager Meridiam, has provided African Energy with an update on the timelines for its Suma and Liusenga hydroelectric power (HEP) plants in Tanzania.

African Energy’s latest piece of investigative journalism is based on a stream of leaked documents, mostly in Arabic, which have been translated and verified by senior editor John Hamilton. This exposé of mismanagement, corruption and lack of accountability is part of an ongoing reporting project. (Access to the dossier is included in African Energy newsletter subscriptions).

The issue leads with Mozambique, where Maputo’s goal to become a regional power exporter continues to take shape, with investors committed to a substantial pipeline of renewable and gas-fired plants. Utility EDM is also promoting expansion of national and international interconnections. African Energy also focuses on Egypt, where a cabinet reshuffle is the most significant reshaping of the energy sector’s management in nearly a decade. New ministers face daunting challenges as Egypt struggles to meet its ambitions for energy self-sufficiency and to become a regional gas and renewable power hub. Power coverage includes a feature on Zambia, which is is hoping to revive abandoned private sector-led power projects to help stem shortages caused by a severe drought. Oil and gas coverage leads with Senegal, where President Faye has said his administration, which took power in April, intends to deliver on its campaign promise to renegotiate offshore oil and gas contracts. African Energy also examines the state of Africa's upstream M&A market. John Hamilton has another incisive report of developments in Libya, where an apparent loosening of rules about who can trade Libyan crude has introduced further uncertainty and opacity into a market that was, historically, tightly regulated.  African Energy has seen evidence pointing to a new and unprecedented deal to export crude from eastern Libya. Finance and policy coverage looks at the new South African government lineup and examines another lesser-known UAE royal doing deals in Uganda and Zimbabwe. The African Energy View focuses on new thinking about how to tackle Africa’s electricity problems.  

London-listed Afentra has said its completion of the acquisition of Azule’s stakes in two offshore Angola oil blocks has presented a strong platform for the company to capitalise on further opportunities in Angola, as well as in target markets in West Africa.

A review of offshore oil and gas contracts had been anticipated, following pledges made on the campaign trail ahead of the February election. Agreements signed by the previous administration of President Macky Sall are expected to come in for particular scrutiny, write Waly Dione Faye and Marc Howard.

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR)’s granting of a licence to state power utility Eskom to continue operating Koeberg nuclear power station’s Unit I for another 20 years should provide South Africa with greater energy stability. A review to extend Koeberg unit II by 20 years is still being carried out. South Africa is also making progress with plans to procure 2.5GW of new nuclear capacity.

Veolia Environnement’s sale of majority interest in Casablanca’s water and electricity provider to a new state-owned regional utility is part of a wider shift towards public ownership of the sector in Morocco.

Despite a period of intense activity in markets such as Namibia and Nigeria, merger and acquisition deals around the continent are taking longer to get over the line, reflecting the more complex structures being adopted and the need to tap less familiar sources of funding, writes James Gavin.

State-owned Kuvimba Mining Houses (KMH) is holding discussions with potential funding partners to develop mineral beneficiation at its portfolio of mines, where renewable C&I capacity is increasingly supplying power, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

French major TotalEnergies has agreed to sell its 10% stake in the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) joint venture to the local Chappal Energies for $860m. SPDC holds 18 licences in Nigeria’s Niger Delta. It is the latest instance of a now well-established trend for international oil companies to sell assets in the country.

British energy major BP has signed a joint development agreement with a consortium of Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) and the local Hassan Allam Utilities and Infinity Power to explore the potential for a large, multi-phase green hydrogen (GH2) project in Egypt.