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The UK/Norway-owned IPP Globeleq has raised $99m of debt financing for Mozambique’s first wind project, adding to its southern African portfolio. Despite industry pessimism over the prospects for utility-scale projects, Globeleq is advancing a large pipeline of greenfield renewable and gas capacity in eastern and southern Africa and is bullish over the future of utility-scale projects, writes Marc Howard.

InfraCo Africa, part of the Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG), has committed $1.5m to the 30MWac Vungu solar PV project in Midlands province. InfraCo said Vungu was set to become Zimbabwe’s first solar IPP with international project finance. It is also part of a national pilot programme to develop standardised documents for solar IPPs in the country.

Ethiopia is moving ahead with the fifth filling of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (Gerd), according to Egyptian officials who cited evidence from satellite imagery.

The second phase of KMC’s spodumene processing plant, under construction in Hwange district, has been delayed by three months. The first phase of the processing plant was commissioned in December 2023.

Mozambican regulator Autoridade Reguladora de Energia (Arene) has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for independent power producers (IPPs) to develop and install solar PV and battery energy storage systems (Bess) through the country’s Global Energy Transfer Feed-in Tariff (Get FiT) programme.

Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani has approved plans for the Tunisian portion of the 600MW high-voltage direct current Tunisia-Italy interconnector project (Elmed). First conceived over two decades ago, the revival of the Elmed project reflects increased European demand for imports of renewable power.

With African electricity supply industries in a state of flux, everyone agrees the infrastructure needed for economic development can only come from the private sector, but the existing financial and commercial models are inadequate – and a desperate need for investment in transmission only makes this financing challenge harder. Some new thinking about how to crack these problems was presented at the African Energy Forum in Barcelona, but the boldest ideas require a leap of faith, writes John Hamilton*

A tanker loaded with 1m barrels of Libyan crude destined for China left Tobruk port in eastern Libya on 11 July. If it can take its cargo to market, a definitive boundary will have been crossed in the dismantling of National Oil Corporation (NOC)’s control over oil export and marketing – a trade already mired in allegations about the illicit exchange of oil for Chinese military drones

The next phase of Egypt’s renewable energy development will stretch over several years, with financial close on the most ambitious projects not expected before 2026. If successful, Cairo could establish a pipeline of projects with several gigawatts of wind generation capacity being added every year into the next decade.

President El Sisi’s cabinet reshuffle is the most significant reshaping of the energy sector’s management in nearly a decade, bringing new ministers to the oil and gas and electricity portfolios, who face daunting challenges as Egypt struggles to meet its ambitions for energy self-sufficiency and to become a regional gas and renewable power hub, writes John Hamilton.

Wärtsilä has added 120MW of gas-to-power capacity in Nigeria so far this year, in a sign that demand for commercial and industrial (C&I) plants remains robust. Its strong pipeline of orders in West and North Africa notably includes large offtakers seeking to balance their grids and enable increased renewable energy capacity, the Finnish engine manufacturer told African Energy.

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, while progress is reported on the strategic 1.5GW Mphanda Nkuwa hydroelectric project, writes Marc Howard.

Another series of delays have postponed the commissioning of the Mozambique-Malawi Regional Interconnector Project (Moma), the World Bank Group (WBG) has confirmed. The 218km, 400kV line will connect Malawi’s isolated grid to the Southern African Power Pool (Sapp) and add a badly-needed source of electrons to its grid – with a 50MW allocation expected from state-owned independent power producer (IPP) Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa.

The ANC has kept control of a swathe of portfolios, as South Africa’s Government of National Unity has raised hope that the new coalition can speed reforms and implement more effective policies to tackle persistent economic challenges, write Tonderayi Mukeredzi and Jon Marks.

South African electricity supply industry (ESI) lobbies have welcomed the creation of the Government of National Unity's new Department of Electricity and Energy (Dee) as a positive development that will enable a faster energy transition.