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US player West Africa LNG has a $300m deal to build a liquefied natural gas import and distribution terminal to supply gas to power-hungry miners and to-be-developed alumina processing facilities in a country where previous efforts to expand the grid have faltered and significant additional generation capacity will be required to develop alumina processing at scale. Chaired by a former US ambassador to Guinea, WALNG has yet to expand on financing and other critical details.

Tlou Energy said on 15 March it had started the next stage of its Lesedi gas-to-power (GTP) project in Botswana, with drilling commencing on a core-hole ahead of the spudding of an additional gas production well.

The 750MW total capacity Kafue Gorge Lower’s fifth and final generating machine was commissioned on 24 March, lifting Zambia’s installed power surplus close to a peak of 380MW.

Climate Finance Partnership (CFP), an investment vehicle run by giant United States fund manager BlackRock, is making its first investment in Africa with a large minority stake in the 310MW Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) project in Marsabit County, northern Kenya.

Construction of the 69MW Msenge Emoyeni wind farm has started, after the project reached financial close in mid-February, according to the African Clean Energy Developments (Aced) consortium. Rand Merchant Bank was the sole mandated lead arranger.

The Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (BUAN) on 15 March commissioned a 1MW solar PV plant, which will provide power to its Gaborone premises. The plant is part of an ‘agrovoltaic’ project which combines electricity generation and food production.

State-owned Unidade de Gestāo de Projetos Especiais (UGPE) published a tender on 8 March to build four solar PV plants, including a 1.3MW plant on Fogo island, a 1.2MW facility on Santo Antāo island and two 0.4MW plants on the islands of Sāo Nicolau and Maio, along with a storage component.

 A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed for Zimbabwe’s first high-powered green hydrogen power plant, to be developed in the Chipangayi Renewable Park (RETPark), in Manicaland province’s Chipinge district.

President Nana Akufo-Addo’s cash-strapped government is mired in disputes with power producers, oil companies and other big investors, amid creditors’ concerns over its refinancing plans and a build-up of payment arrears. This is complicating the finalisation of an expected $3bn IMF facility and efforts to relaunch Ghana’s investment drive, write Jon Marks and AE staff.

The Ghanaian government is making another effort to renegotiate state electricity distributor Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)’s supply deals with independent power producers (IPPs), in a bid to replace take-or-pay agreements that have left the state liable for unused electricity while amassing large debts.

HDF Energy and Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company (ZETDC) have agreed to develop Zimbabwe’s first green hydrogen power plant, with the French GH2 developer promising financial close soon.

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) has acquired a stake in Ubiquity Energy, owner of electricity trading platform Energy Exchange of Southern Africa.

The phase three expansion of Amea Power’s Blitta solar PV and battery energy storage plant in Togo was formally launched by President Faure Gnassingbé on 22 March. Blitta – officially named the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Solar Power Plant – was Amea’s first African project to be commissioned, in June 2021

In a move its principals said would create Africa’s largest renewable energy (RE) company, Amsterdam-headquartered Lekela Power BV on 20 March announced the completion of its acquisition by the Infinity Power Holding BV joint venture of Cairo-based Infinity Power and United Arab Emirates state-owned Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company).

National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on 10 March approved an 18.65% increase in Eskom’s electricity tariffs for standard customers from 1 April and an 18.49% increase for municipalities from 1 July.