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A proposal to add 300MW of solar PV in a Greater Cotonou industrial zone would reshape the small West African economy’s power sector if implemented, but analysis of the African Energy Live Data platform suggests a more incremental approach will be necessary given Benin’s rocky record of project implementation, alternative GTP ambitions and the sheer size of what is proposed compared to operating capacity.

As Djibouti wakes up to the potential of geothermal and wind, and looks to the P2X potential of green hydrogen, its small and fossil-fuel dependent power sector could be on the brink of major change. An update of planned generation projects by African Energy Live Data identifies the most important plants and raises questions about how the government’s ambitious net zero ambitions can be achieved, write Camilla Nytun and John Hamilton.

Enel Green Power (EGP) has told African Energy that its 138MW Garob wind project in South Africa is expected online “in the coming weeks”. The project was selected as a preferred bidder in an expansion of the fourth round of the renewable energy independent power producer procurement programme (REIPPP4) in June 2015.

Development of the 10MW Achada Mostarda wind power plant on Santiago Island has been delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Burundi’s first utility-scale power development to come online in over three decades started up in October. The 7.5MW Mubuga solar PV plant will boost the country’s on-grid generation capacity by just over 10%, according to African Energy Live Data.

Construction has started at Burkina Faso’s largest solar PV project, the 38MW Kodéni plant, after France’s Africa Ren said on 21 October it had reached financial close on the scheme.

The Kelvin coal power plant has signed a two-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the City of Johannesburg to supply an additional 100MW.

Independent power producer (IPP) Solgas Energy has connected its flagship project, the 5MW Cross Mabale power plant in Hwange, to the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority grid. 

Finland’s Wärtsilä and Gabon Power Company (GPC) announced the signing of an agreement with the government to develop, supply, build and operate a 120MW gas-fired power plant at Owendo on 23 September.

Work has started at the 25MWp Bangui solar PV and battery plant, the World Bank Group (WBG)’s Boris Ngouagouni told African Energy.

Covid-19-related restrictions have delayed commissioning of the 56MW Shema Power Lake Kivu methane-to-power plant (previously known as Kivu56), project director Tony de la Motte told African Energy.

The remaining contracts for the 20MWp Jambur solar PV project are “expected to be signed in the last quarter of this year, after which design and construction will begin”, National Water and Electricity Company (Nawec) senior power engineer Ebrima A Bah told African Energy.

Miner Goviex Uranium chief executive Daniel Major told African Energy that work on the 20MW Madaouela Mine solar PV and diesel hybrid plant near Arlit, in the Agadez region, had been postponed.

Construction of the Korhogo solar PV plant is expected to begin in Q2 2022, developer Madagascar-based Groupe Filatex chief operating officer George Conde told African Energy.

Global markets may be recovering, but the continent is behind the curve and analysis of the 6,700-plus generation projects contained in the African Energy Live Data platform shows the trend continues.