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Over the last two months South Africa and Zambia have enacted new liberalising laws and market regulations in an attempt to attract investment to their power generation, transmission, and distribution sectors.

The imminent return of Casablanca-based power and water utility Lydec to public ownership marks an important step in what has been a drawn-out process, but major hurdles remain before the government’s new electricity distribution structure is firmly in place, write John Hamilton and our Casablanca correspondent.

Despite the enormous need for investment in new transmission and distribution capacity and rehabilitating existing infrastructure, there is precious little private sector involvement in African utilities. The old model of state-dominated, vertically-integrated utilities has conspicuously failed to expand access or lower costs, yet it continues to exercise a hold over governments, writes Marc Howard.

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*

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.

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.

The National Transmission Company of South Africa opened for business on 1 July, marking an important step in the wider reform programme for state utility Eskom and the unbundling electricity supply industry.

Faced by a severe drought which has seen water levels fall dramatically at its hydroelectric power plants, Zambia is hoping to revive abandoned private sector-led power projects and speed up work on an interconnector with Tanzania.

Senior Kenyan officials have confirmed that the government’s moratorium on independent power projects should be lifted soon after the controversial 2024/25 budget is approved by the National Assembly. However, the passage of the finance bill has become entangled with anger over a cost-of-living crisis, with protestors storming the parliament on 25 June and even President Ruto’s apparent about-turn not calming tensions, writes Jon Marks.

Gemcorp Capital has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Energy and Water which could lead to excess power generated in Angola being exported to Namibia and the Southern African Power Pool (Sapp).

According to cabinet secretary for energy Davis Chirchir, the Kenyan government’s moratorium on IPPs is ‘unsustainable’, amid the risk of future loadshedding due to shortage of supply, while other advances are in the pipeline, including wheeling tariffs and the supply of power through embedded networks, writes Neville Otuki in Nairobi.

Guinea’s Linsan substation has been fully commissioned with the completion of a 225/110kV transformer installation. The facility is regionally significant as it is where two strategic 225kV international networks interconnect: the West African Power Pool (Wapp)’s Transco Côte d’Ivoire-Liberia-Sierra Leone-Guinea (CLSG) line and the Organisation for the Development of the Gambia River (OMVG)’s double-circuit Loop line.

NOA Group has inked a power purchase agreement with Tronox to supply over 200MW of wind and solar energy to the mining and chemical firm’s South African operations. The power will be facilitated through a wheeling arrangement with Eskom.

The potential of Morocco’s ‘southern provinces’ to generate large amounts of solar and wind power does little for the main consumption centres much further north if the kingdom’s transmission systems can’t handle the electrons. As geopolitical perceptions shift, projects in the disputed Western Sahara to develop these renewables and transport the electricity northwards could offer opportunities for foreign investors – and France seems to have taken the bait, with an apparently significant change of policy that could lead to a major investment in HVDC connections between Dakhla and Casablanca.