Vol. 11 Issue 6 - Petroleum Africa

Vol. 11 Issue 6

November/December 2018w w w . A E - A f r i c a . c o m

ISSN 1756-4417

Filling the Energy Information Gap in Africa

Publisher’s Note

Digital technologies are changing the way the world doesbusiness, from the top global conglomerates all the waythrough to the individual consumer, no matter what theirsocio-economic level. In Alternative Energy Africa’s finalissue of the year, we have two great articles which featurethe differences these technologies are already making inAfrica’s energy sector and the potential opportunities they

hold for the future. You can find these discussions by Energy 4 Impact andAurecon in both our Alternative Focus and Feature articles respectively.

Further, insights into how Africa’s energy transition can be guided by soundlocal content policies for the renewables sector are discussed in our LocalImpact section by legal firm Miranda & Associados. And be sure not to misssome of the most recent updates out of Nigeria and Zimbabwe in our AfricaFocus coverage. As always, your comments and suggestions are alwayswelcome and can be sent to [email protected].

I wish you all a happy holiday season and a very prosperous New Year!See you in 2019.

M E S S A G EF R O M T H E P U B L I S H E R

Dianne SutherlandPublisher

F E AT U R E SAfrica BeatGlobal AlternativesAfrican PoliticsCorporateMarkets & PolicyConferences

D E PA R T M E N T S

All rights to editorial matter are reserved by Alternative Energy Africa, a Petroleum Africa Magazine, Inc. publication.No article may be reproduced or transmitted by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher.

CONTENTSVOL. 11 ISSUE 6November/December

20Africa Spotlight

Zimbabwe 24

Nigeria

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Alternative Energy Africa MagazineNovember/December

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Alternative FocusDigital Technologies 17

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Tech BeatLinden Vleihuis:Reintroducing Biodiversity into Urban Living

FeatureWhat if Africa was Orange? 12

Vol. 11 Issue 6

w w w . A E - A f r i c a . c o m

ISSN 1756-4417

Filling the Energy Information Gap in Africa

PublisherDianne Sutherland

Contributing EditorJennifer Nickle

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Advertising RepresentativesAustria, Germany, SwitzerlandEisenacher MedienErhardt EisenacherTel: +49 0228 2499 [email protected]

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South AfricaAntonette BentingTel: +27 82 414 [email protected]

Local ImpactAfrica’s Energy Transition 14

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Juhl Energy to Build First of ItsKind Solar-Wind Hybrid Project

Africa Beat

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Blue Shark to Supply Tidal Turbines to DjiboutiBlue Shark Power Systems signed a MoU with Djibouti for the supplyof its Tidal electric turbines. The turbines will have a combined capacityof 120 MW. The MoU covers preliminary studies for the damproject and the supply of 495 turbines with an individual capacityof 240 kW.

The preliminary studies to be conducted will test several variants ofthese turbines to determine the most effective. These tests shouldtake place in H1 2019 and the first 80 turbines will be delivered byH1 2020.

The construction of this infrastructure is part of the energy policy ofDjibouti that is aimed at producing 100% of its energy from renewablesources, by 2020.

Senegal Powering 25 VillagesSenegal will see 25 villages in the south-east of the country electrifiedwith solar by the end of the year as part of a sustainable developmentprogram promoting renewable energies.

“Of the 40 villages targeted, more than 25 will be electrified inDecember. All installation work will be completed before the end ofNovember. These 25 villages will have electricity by the end ofDecember,” said Cheikh Wade, head of monitoring at the Center forRenewable Energy and Energy Efficiency of ECOWAS.

The regional organization is one of the program’s donors, which alsobenefits from the financial support of the European Union. The initiativeis aimed first and foremost at communities far from the electricity gridthat would not have been able to access energy for 15 or even 20 years.

Morocco’s 180-MW Midelt Wind Farm Sees FundingIn Morocco power producers Nareva and Enel Green Power completedthe financial mobilization of $230 million needed for the constructionof the Midelt wind farm. Part of the financing came from a loanallocated by Morocco’s National Office of Electricity and DrinkingWater (ONEE).

With a capacity of 180 MW, the infrastructure will be built in twoyears. The production of the Midelt wind farm is covered by a 20-yearpower purchase agreement with ONEE, and is part of a larger 850 MWproject that the partners are undertaking.

Egyptian Firms Win Tanzanian Hydropower JobArab Contractors Company has been awarded the contract for thedesign and construction of Rufiji’s Dam and Power Plant in the Stiegler’sGorge area of Tanzania. The project is a joint venture between the ArabContractors Company and Elsewedy Electric Company.

The Tanzanian government considers this project one of the mostimportant national projects for power generation in the East African

nation. The tender for the project was launched in September 2017.The contract involves the construction of the main dam and adjoiningstructures. This involves, among other things, a 100 km reservoirspanning approximately 1,350 sq km.

The implementation of the infrastructure will significantly increase thepower output of the country, which is currently 562 MW. Tanzania hasallocated $307 million for this project in its 2018-2019 national budget,which represents over 40% of total budget allocations.

Perdekraal East Wind Farm Provides Power to GridSouth Africa has announced that it is seeing some power from its new$205 million,110-MW Perdekraal East Wind Farm. The power is beingtransferred to its electrical distribution network.

The wind farm project is made up of 48 wind turbines. Spanning3,055 hectares, the location was chosen because of its excellent windresource and its proximity to national roads for wind turbinetransportation.

While not fully complete at this time the project will be supplying thefull 110 MW of power to the national grid by late-2020. The projectis expected to have a major impact not only on the national grid butalso on the economies of surrounding communities in the WesternCape’s Witzenberg local municipality.

Independent utility-scale wind and solar power plant developerMainstream Asset Management South Africa will be responsible formanaging its operation.

EIB Supports Cameroon’s Nachtigal ProjectThe European Investment Bank announced its strong support for theconstruction of a 420-MW hydropower project in Cameroon. The EIBwill provide a €50-million long-term project finance loan to NachtigalHydro Power Company (NHPC) under the Impact Financing Envelopeof the ACP Cotonou Investment Facility.

The project will be owned and operated by NHPC, owned by EDF,IFC and the Republic of Cameroon. It will be focused on the constructionof a 420-MW hydropower project on the Sanaga river near the NachtigalFalls, located 65 km to the north-east of Yaoundé, as well as theoperation of this facility for a period of 35 years. It also includes theconstruction of a 50-km power transmission line. The project willincrease the country’s electricity supply by 30%.

The project’s expected total cost is €1.2 billion. Under a public-privatepartnership, EIB will co-finance alongside a large group of lendersincluding 10 other development finance institutions and four localcommercial banks, coordinated by IFC.

AfDB Allocates Funds for Senegal’s MalicoundaThe African Development Bank (AfDB) allocated €51.26 million toSenegal for the development of its electricity sector. The funds will beused for the construction of the 120-MW Malicounda combined-cyclediesel plant.

The infrastructure, the cost of which has been estimated at €125 million,will be built in 22 months. The project also includes the installationof a transmission line that will connect the plant to the 225-kVtransformer station of the national grid located nearby.

Source: Blue Shark Power Systems

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KenGen Starts Construction on Geothermal PlantKenya launched construction on an 83-MW geothermal power plant,according to state-run KenGen. President Uhuru Kenyatta attended thegroundbreaking for the plant at Olkaria.The plant is being built byJapan’s Marubeni Corp. in a consortium and is expected to be completedin 2021.

KenGen plans to add 1,745 MW worth of geothermal power by 2025,part of a government push to end power generation using fossil fuelsand also to power an industrialization drive aimed at providing jobsfor its youthful population.

Cenpower Cancels EPC for Kpone Contract with Group FiveCenpower Generation Company Ltd. has announced the terminationof its engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract withGroup Five Power for the construction of the 350 MW CombinedCycle Gas Turbine power plant, the Kpone Independent Power Project(KIPP), in the Tema industrial zone.

The project suffered more than a year’s delay and Cenpower recentlycalled on the bonds put in place as security by Group Five for DelayDamages due to the inability of Group Five to complete the project bythe scheduled completion date of September 13, 2017.

Theophilus Sackey, CEO of Cenpower said Group Five had beenallowed time to remedy the failure to timely complete the project butas a consequence of the continued delays it was necessary to terminatethe EPC Contract. “Given the continued delays to completion, it hasbeen concluded that it is in the best interests of the project and itsstakeholders to terminate the EPC contract,” Sackey stated.

He noted that although the Delay Damages recently received byCenpower do not come close to the losses suffered by the Company,Cenpower and its shareholders remain committed to ensuring that theproject is completed and commercially operational as soon as possible.Currently, construction of the plant is complete but testing andcommissioning work still remain to be performed.

A technical team from the shareholder group has been assembled tocomplete the outstanding commissioning works as soon as possible.The team will work with all the current Ghanaian workers on theproject thereby ensuring that there are no jobs losses as a result ofthe termination.

Greenfield Power Plant for GhanaEarly Power Limited (EPL) issued a full construction Notice to Proceedon Stage 1 of the 400-MW Bridge Power Project (the Bridge Project).Stage 1 of this greenfield multi-fuel combined cycle power plant locatedin Tema, Ghana is comprised of 202 MW. It will begin deliveringelectricity to the Ghanaian power grid in Q4 2019.

On completion, the Bridge Project will be one of the largest LPGfueled power projects in the world and will meet the moststringent local and international (World Bank/IFC) environmentalrequirements.

The Bridge Project will initially run on LPG, helping to diversifyGhana’s fuel mix, but will switch to run on natural gas as its primaryfuel when natural gas becomes available in Tema. Once LPG becomesthe Bridge Project’s ‘back-up’ fuel, its LPG infrastructure will be usedto provide environmentally friendly LPG for domestic use in theGhanaian marketplace.

The Bridge Project is sponsored by a consortium that includesEndeavor Energy, Sage Trading Group (Sage), and General Electric(GE). GuarantCo has provided an EPC contractor paymentguarantee for Stage 1 of the Bridge Power plant and METKA is theconstruction contractor. The first stage of the plant’s construction isexpected to take a total of 24 months, although power will initiallycome online in 10 months and the combined cycle portion of Stage 1will be completed in Q4 2020.

Not only does the Project represent a significant capital investment inGhana, it will create approximately 1,000 jobs (majority Ghanaian)during the construction period and circa 500 jobs in the longer-term,including 125 people permanently employed as part of ongoingoperations at the plant.

DLO to Invest in Nigerian SolarDLO Energy Resources Group is investing in a solar farm project inNigeria’s Kaduna State to power its green industrial zone. Thedevelopment of a 30-MW solar PV plant is expected to commencenext year and will generate enough electricity to supply homes, includingcustomers of major local utility providers.

“We are very excited to work on this opportunity with our partnersand the Kaduna state government. This project is a resoundingopportunity for not only providing power in Kaduna but alsofostering inter-African collaboration,” said Mabhena-Olagunju,managing director.

“This transaction is a good example of an African solution forAfrican problems and more importantly it provides a real opportunityfor intra-African collaboration between South Africa and Nigeria. Weare equally excited to see this project to fruition and believe thereis a real opportunity to put renewable energy on the African map,”she said.

DLO, is a 100% black female owned independent power producer, andhas a portfolio of wind and solar assets in South Africa. The companyhas co-developed and currently operates the 244-MW De Aar windfarm in South Africa under its Renewable Energy Independent PowerProducer Program.

View news items in their entirety at www.AE-Africa.com

Africa Beat

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Floating Solar for Cote d’IvoireThe French Development Agency (AFD) will finance a project to buildthe first floating solar power station in Africa. The project will belocated in Côte d’Ivoire and was announced by the country’s Ministerof Petroleum, Energy and Renewable Energies, Thierry Tanoh.

According to the Minister, this government initiative responds to thecountry’s need to increase renewable energy to 11% of its energy mixby 2020, then to 16% in 2030, given the country’s low megawattproduction rate.

Tanoh also explained that with a network of 5,000 km of high voltagelines and an installed capacity of 2,200 MW, the country aims to reachthe 4,000 MW mark of electricity production in 2020 and 6,600 MWin 2030 thanks to a network development program.

The facilities of this solar power plant will be on water bodies, lagoonor sea, abundant in Côte d’Ivoire.

Nigeria Sharing Electricity with Burkina FasoNigeria plans to supply electricity to Burkina Faso to help relieve theneighboring country of its energy deficit. This information was reportedby Lamu Audu, the executive director of Mainstream Solutions Limited,which operates the Kainji and Jebba hydroelectric plants.

According to the manager, this decision is motivated by the high levelof rejection of electricity generation by generation companies, whichhave no choice but to turn to other buyers for the part of their productionnot taken into account by the Nigerian power grid. Audu explainedthat as far as his company is concerned, only 600 to 650 MW ofelectricity is being bought by distribution companies (DisCos) out of922 MW.

Contract Signed to Modernize Libyan Power LinesMustafa Sanalla, head of Libya’s National Oil Corp. (NOC), attendedthe contract signing ceremony that will see some power lines in thecountry modernized. The contract signed is related to the modernizationand connection of power lines to the Argoub grid, within the Marsael-Brega municipality.

The project includes the renovation of the electricity grid and safebuilding of power lines to residential areas, in accordance with therequired technical specifications – thereby ensuring coverage for allresidential housing in the area.

NOC is the overall project sponsor; a project implemented in accordancewith NOC’s framework of sustainable development projects in areasadjacent to operational sites.

Tunisia Tags 30 for TenderThe Ministry of Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises inTunisia has tagged some 30 firms and/or consortia as part of the tenderprocess to add 800 MW of capacity to the country’s national grid.The call for prequalification was launched in May 2018 by theTunisian authorities.

Among the companies selected were Masdar, EDF EN, Acciona Energia,Canadian Solar, Enel Green Power, Engie, Fotowatio RenewableVenture, ACWA Power, Total Eren and Scatec Solar.

The projects concerned are the solar power plants of Tozeur (50 MW),Sidi Bouzid Kairouan (100 MW), Gafsa (100 MW) and Tataouine (200MW). The wind farms under the call are Jbel Abderrahmane (200 MW)and Jbel Tbaga (100 MW).

Israel to Fund Solar Project in AngolaIsrael plans to provide funding to Angola to be invested in severalfields, including agriculture and energy generation. According to OrenRosenblat, Israel’s ambassador to Angola, the Middle Eastern countrywill make around $60 million available for investment in Angola.

Most of this funding will go towards the construction of a 5 MW solarpower plant by Israeli companies in Benguela province. This new plantwill solve the problems of irregular electricity production whilefacilitating the establishment of an industrial park in the locality.

The rest of the funding will go to the agricultural sector, with 10municipalities in the province with excellent farmland.

“We want to establish cooperation with the Benguela government inthe agricultural and energy sectors, such as the one alreadyestablished in different provinces, where farms built by Israelis areprogressing successfully, thus guaranteeing food security in theseareas,” Rosenblat said.

E-voucher System Launched in KenyaAzuri and Unilever launched a mobile e-voucher system in Kenya foroff-grid rural consumers as a gateway to goods and services. Duringthe visit to Kenya by UK Prime Minister Theresa May earlier this year,Azuri and Unilever announced that they were teaming up to bring solarto millions more off-grid homes across Kenya and, with that, moderngoods and services to enhance family life.

As part of the offer, Azuri customers who purchase a Quad solar homelighting system receive an e-voucher for free Sunlight washing powderfor every week they top up their pay-as-you-go solar system.

The e-voucher system, powered by telecommunications providerSafaricom, has been developed to ensure the widest coverage acrossthe remotest areas. Customers can redeem the e-vouchers at anyparticipating kiosk or trader.

The Azuri Quad complete solar home lighting package comes with a10W solar panel, four powerful LED lights, USB port and mobilephone charging, rechargeable radio and rechargeable torch.

LTP Energias Lights-Up Off-Grid AngolaIn Angola, the off-grid communities of Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Sul,and Lunda Sul are finally getting electricity. Launched in 2016, a PV

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electrification project led by the energy company LTP Energias isbringing solar energy to these three provinces, where the national gridhas been unable to provide power to everyone.

Financed by the Angolan Ministry of Energy and Water, LTP’s projectcontributes to increasing the country’s electrification rates, usingrenewable energy sources. Once the project is completed, the statewill invest a total of $60 million in the three provinces to installpublic lighting and provide the communities with solar kits(consisting of a solar panel, batteries and eco-friendly light bulbs) forneighborhoods, houses, hospitals, medical centers and schools inrural areas.

Luís Figueiredo, executive director of LTP Energias, said theproject already has shown a positive impact on the life of thecommunities. He stressed that now it is possible to keep smallbusinesses open during the night, something that wasn’t possible beforedue to the lack of energy, and that families feel safer thanks to thestreet lighting.

Seraphim Inaugurates Solar Cell Factory in CoegaSeraphim Solar System Co. Ltd. inaugurated a new 500-MW solar cellfactory in the Coega Industrial Development Zone of Port Elizabeth,South Africa, along with a 200-MW half-cell module assembly expansionin Eastern Cape.

This new cell factory will be the first in the African continent. The newfactory and expansion is co-developed by both Seraphim and IndustrialDevelopment Corporation of South Africa (IDC), and will begincommercial operation in Q3 2019.

This is another step forward for Seraphim’s goal of expanding globalproduction capacity, previously opening a 300-MW module plant inSouth Africa this past August.

The new expansions will bolster Seraphim’s manufacturing supplychain in South Africa by directly supporting its growing moduleassembly plant already operating in Eastern Cape since last summer.The new factory equipment plans are a critical element in Seraphim’sglobalization strategy to mitigate against unpredictable tariffs leviedon Chinese manufacturers.

New Solar Plant Opens in UpingtonAnother 100 MW of new solar power was added to South Africa’s gridwhen the Karoshoek Solar One project went live in Upington, NorthernCape. This project is the latest success of the government’s RenewableEnergy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP)which mobilizes private capital and expertise to provide renewableenergy to Eskom.

Karoshoek is a concentrated solar project harvesting the sun’s energythrough a series of concave mirrors, and using this energy to heat HighTemperature Fluid, which then drives a steam turbine to convert theenergy into electricity. This project also has the capacity to store energyin enormous tanks containing molten salt, and can thereforecontinue to supply the grid during the evening peak, after the sun hasset. The project is located 30 km east of Upington, in an area that isdescribed as one of the best places on earth to generate solar power.This is due to high levels of solar radiation as well as easy access tothe national grid.

The project was originated by Pancho Ndebele of Emvelo Holdings(Emvelo) and co-developed by Emvelo, the Industrial DevelopmentCorporation (IDC) and Cobra (a Spanish company responsible for theconstruction of the plant), who respectively claim a 15%, 20% and20% shareholding in the project. The remaining shareholders in theproject are the Community Trust, Public Investment Corporation (PIC)and Hosken Consolidated Investment (HCI) respectively owning 15%,20% and 10%. The plant was constructed by Dankocom, a jointventure between Spanish companies Cobra and Sener, and their localpartner, Emvelo.

Commercial funding played a crucial role in enabling the project andwas provided by Absa, DBSA, IDC, Investec, Nedbank, StandardBank, PIC and Vantage Capital. In line with the rules of the REIPPPP,the project will make annual contributions to Social EconomicDevelopment projects in the area around the plant. During the last threeyears of construction, the plant created a large number of jobs, employingmostly local people.

The CEO and CFO of Karoshoek Solar One are both Black Women,a rare achievement in the energy industry. The owner’s team wassupported by Mott Macdonald and Ayesa.

The CEO of Karoshoek Solar One, Niroshma Chetty expressed hersatisfaction with progress, “Not many projects have been completedon time and within budget, as we have done today. It has been a massiveeffort involving many teams of people. We would like to thank ourEPC Contractor, for their skill and dedication. We also recognize theoutstanding role of Eskom, the IPP office in the Department of Energy,and the local Government of Upington. We also thank the communityfor their ongoing interest in and support of the project. The shareholders,board of directors and lenders have also played an outstanding roleand have demonstrated skill and patience. A great deal of teamworkis required to execute large, complex projects like this one. We arevery proud to be part of the process.”

“We have shown once again that solar energy has a huge role to playin South Africa. With renewable energy we can combine the provisionof power, with positive social and environmental outcomes. Solartechnology allows us to produce energy without releasing carbon orother harmful emissions. It is a crucial part of our energy mix.”

Elsewedy Inaugurates Manufacturing Plant in AlgeriaElsewedy Electric Algeria inaugurated a manufacturing plant for theproduction of electric cable accessories in Algeria. Setting up thisproduction plant cost $1 million and can produce 100,000 units a year.With its inauguration, Elsewedy Electric brings together in Algeria allthe trades of the electricity value chain.

The company installed production units for the manufacturing of cablesand accessories, as well as components for energy transformers,generation, transmission and distribution of energy.

These factories can already manufacture 30,000 tons of electrical cablesand will assemble 3,000 transformers a year.

The company, present for 10 years on Algerian soil, has 600 directemployees and 1,000 indirect employees. It claims to have a localintegration rate of 35% and claims 45% share of the Algerian marketof electrical equipment.


Global Alternatives

Juhl Energy selected GE Renewable Energyto supply equipment for the first commercialintegrated solar-wind hybrid power generationproject in the United.States. The Minnesota-based clean energy company has developedthe 2.0 MW community-based renewableenergy project to provide low-cost, locallygenerated energy to the Lake Region ElectricCooperative of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota.

Bank of America has provided necessaryfinancial support for the project, agreeing topurchase the project-generated RenewableEnergy Certificates (RECs), in line with itsenvironmental goals. 3Degrees facilitatedthe connection between Juhl Energy and Bankof America.

The project will use one 2.0-116 wind turbinefrom GE Renewable Energy’s Onshore Windbusiness supported by 0.5 MW of PV solar.The innovative project utilizes GE’s WindIntegrated Solar Energy (WiSE) technologyplatform – developed through GE’s GlobalResearch Center – to directly integrate thesolar panels through the wind turbine’sconverter so both wind and solar share thesame balance of plant, increasing system netcapacity by 3%-4% and annual energyproduction by up to 10%. The hybrid designgives these type of projects the ability toproduce power when it is most needed, withthe solar essentially providing summerpeak energy, and the wind providing winterpeak energy.

Bank of America’s purchase of the RE’s fromthe project long term will cover the bank’selectricity usage in the state and will contributeto its 2020 environmental operations goal ofpurchasing 100% renewable electricity.

Juhl Energy to Build First of Its Kind Solar-Wind Hybrid Project

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Bourbon Subsea Services has been selectedby Windplus to install three floating windturbines of 8.3 MW, 20 km off Viana doCastelo, Portuguese coast. These turbines, witha total capacity of 25 MW, are the mostpowerful in the floating offshore wind industry.The project includes project management,engineering and the procurement of thecomplete mooring system (supplied by Vryhof).

The mooring systems with three sets of threemooring lines will be pre-laid in the first phase.

The wind turbines will be then towed to theoffshore site and hooked up in a second phase,which will also include the installation andhook up of the inter-array electrical cables.Bourbon will provide a variety of marine assetsrequired for the different phases of theoperations, including AHTS, tugs and ROVs.

With strong experience in mooring installationof floating wind turbines, the Bourbon SubseaServices project team will work closely withWindPlus, Vryhof and Principle Power,

designer of the floating foundations, to ensurethe successful delivery of this project.

Bourbon Subsea to Install 25-MW Offshore Windfarm

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Thin-film power solution company, HanergyThin Film Power Group, as part of its globallaunch, introduced in Dubai its innovativeBIPV product – HanWall, the world’s firstintegrated solar powered wall solution for theMiddle East market.

HanWall is Hanergy’s newest development inthe building-integrated PV segment, goingwell beyond simple installation of rooftop solarpanels and making power generatingcapability an integral part of the fabric ofa building.

Equipped with CIGS solar cell technology,every 1,000 square meters of HanWallincorporated in the south facade of a buildingin Beijing can generate 326 kW of electricityper day, equaling to a reduced usage of 48 tonsof coal. As of today, over 700 patent

applications have been filed forHanWall. Quality certificationsincluding China CompulsoryCertification have been issued orare in the process of beingapproved by authorities fromChina and six other countriesand regions.

Reiterating the par-excellencecapabilities of its pioneering BIPVproduct, Hanergy assured to itspotential clientele of the abiding power output,being no less than 85% for at least 25 years.HanWall can resist a grade-12 typhoon and itcan adapt to temperatures from -40 degreesCelsius to +85 degrees Celsius, and has fourdifferent colors and various sizes, allowingdesigners to utilize the creative ability to buildnew eco landmarks.

As part of the contract, Hanergy will be theappointing authority in PV product designconsultant and business partner for the latter.As the next step, Hanergy will provide thin-film solar product including HanWall in OmanChinatown commercial project, and the twoparties will build this project as Oman’s GreenNew Landmark.

Hanergy Introduces its Cutting-Edge BIPV Product in the Middle East Market

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Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE)received the order for the 487-MW SeaMadeoffshore wind power project in Belgium fromcustomer Seamade NV. It includes supply andcommissioning of 58 units of the SG 8.0-167DD offshore wind turbine and a 17-year serviceagreement. The project consists of the twocombined sites: Seastar, a 252 MW offshorewind power plant with 30 SG 8.0-167 windturbines and Mermaid, a 235 MW offshorewind power plant with 28 SG 8.0-167wind turbines.

SeaMade NV is a partnership formed of theOtary RS NV (70%), Engie Electrabel NV(17.5%) and Eneco Wind Belgium SA (12.5%).Offshore construction is to commence in 2019

and be completed in 2020. SGREwill provide the logistics solutionalong with remote monitoring anddiagnostics for the following 17years in order to ensure their long-term availability and performance.

The 252 MW SeaMade Seastar siteis located 40 km off the Belgiancoast, and features water depths upto 38 meters. The 30 SG 8.0-167DD offshore wind turbines will be installedon monopiles, and supply approximately260,000 Belgian households with electricity.

The 235 MW SeaMade Mermaid site islocated approximately 54 km off the

Belgian coast, and features water depths up toapproximately 40 meters. The 28 SG 8.0-167DD offshore wind turbines will also beinstalled on monopiles. It will supplyapproximately 230,000 households withelectricity.

Siemens Gamesa Nabs 487 MW Wind Project in Belgium


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Ingeteam, an independent global supplier ofelectrical conversion and turbine controlequipment, opened a new facility in the vicinityof Chennai to satisfy the demand for windpower converters and control cabinets by bothlocal and international OEMs with operationsin India.

Located in the Tamil Nadu region, Ingeteam’snew 3,500 square meter facility is equippedwith state-of-the-art production technology.The production plant in India will manufactureelectrical components following the samestringent standards and processes asIngeteam’s other production facilities in Spain,USA and Brazil.

The new facility has beenspecially developed tomeet the needs of apromising and demandingmarket, such as India. Thishighly efficient as well ascost-effective productioncenter is based on amodular design and can beeasily modified. Theproduction l ines areextremely agile, so theycan quickly be adapted tomeet new client requirements. In addition, thefloor space availability will enable Ingeteamto expand the facility on demand. Production

at the new facility started in August, with firstdeliveries made in September. Serial productionstarted in October.

IngeteamOpens High-Tech Electrical Wind Turbine Component Facility in India

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Etihad Energy Service Company (EtihadESCO) announced the signing of a contractwith leading property developer Seven Tidesto save 13.2 million KWh of electricity and2.6 million IG of water, through theimplementation of a range of EnergyConservation Measures (ECMs), cutting costsby 14.8% and saving AED 7.3 million annually.The agreement was signed by Ali Al Jassim,CEO, Etihad ESCO and Abdulla Bin Sulayem,CEO, Seven Tides on the first day of the 20th

Water, Energy, Technology and EnvironmentExhibition (WETEX 2018).

Property Developer Seven Tides owns severalprojects in the Middle East, includingresidential, commercial and resort properties.Etihad ESCO audited 22 buildings by Seven

Tides before proposing multiple ECMs thatoffer enormous scope of energy savings. Theenergy and equipment performance post theimplementation of the project are guaranteedfor six years, with a payback period of lessthan three years.

The retrofit project will encompass theinstallation of Variable-Frequency Drive (VFD)control on Air Handling Units (AHUs) toregulate the Fresh Air Handling Units (FAHUs)based on the demand for fresh air, therebypreventing any waste of energy. This willenable fresh air handling units to functionbased on the principle of demand-basedventilation, which provides fresh air on thebasis of occupancy/demand. Besides,fluorescent, metal halide and other conventional

lights will be replaced with high efficiencyLED lights across Seven Tides’ properties suchas Ibn Battuta Gate, Discovery Gardens,Anantara The Palm Dubai Resort and the restof the Seven Tides projects based in Dubai aspart of the program.

Etihad ESCO to Improve Energy Efficiency of 22 Buildings

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n September 2018, Solid Green demonstrated sector leadership whenthe Vleihuis Development in Linden, Johannesburg, achieved NetZero Certifications from the GBCSA for Carbon, Water and Ecology.

The project was also awarded Runner Up: Net Zero Innovative ProjectAward in the Green Building Council Leadership Awards 2018.

Owned and designed by Marc Sherratt Sustainability Architects, thedevelopment comprises five residential units on a 2,500 square meter-long,narrow brownfield site close to Linden’s 4th Avenue ‘high street’, day care,schools and various leisure amenities.

The Landscape as ClientThe design brief required that the project should demonstrate innovationin terms of sustainability and biomimicry, while being contextually relevant.“The area was once dominated by grassland, wetland and koppie,” saidMarc Sherratt. “Restoring the indigenous ecology of the site became thestarting point and controlling device for the architectural design. Weapproached the landscape first rather than the buildings, to determine whatlife we could keep, and which landscape might increase the area’s biodiversity.We decided to treat the landscape as a client.

“We underwent an extensive research process into the indigenous landscapeof Johannesburg, and consulted with a wetland specialist and an ecologist.Through this process, we decided to re-create a wetland on the site and todevelop buildings that would sit sensitively in the landscape. The overarchingdesign concept was informed by a bird’s nest – from how the structurestouch the ground and the use of local materials, to the building’s responseto climate and ideas around camouflage.”

Wetlands provide evaporative cooling of around 2 degrees, thus giving thebuilding resilience and future-proofing. Wetlands are also nature’s way offiltering and purifying water. This type of ecosystem facilitates largevolumes of water being stored and recycled on site, which addresses oneof the biggest challenges under a Net Zero certification for water by negatingthe need for large water storage tanks.

The wetland therefore has several uses. It acts as a storage facility; providesa wildlife sanctuary for indigenous wetland species, many of which arethreatened; and offers a unique aesthetic value to the development. Wateris filtered slowly and naturally using the slight slope of the site, ultimatelyresulting in potable water for residential use. Sherrat explained that, whenthe cost of the system is shared between five units, it will be amortizedrelatively quickly.

Solid Green Sustainability Consultant on the project, Annelide Sherrattcommented, “Rainwater that falls onto the wetland and runoff from theroof is harvested and stored in the wetland. The total collection area onsite including the roof and wetland surface area is approximately 960 squaremeters. The average annual rainfall that is predicted to be harvested isestimated to be 655,600 liters. The predicted consumption of the developmentis 643,100 liters, so the project is expected to achieve a surplus of 12,500liters of harvested water per year.

“The project will have a 3-step filtration system, which catches leaves andplant materials, filters water down to 10 microns through a micron screenfilter, and then purifies it to drinkable quality. The storage tanks of filteredwater will have more than five days of water available for use at all times.”

In addition, the architect’s research revealed that wetlands in nature are amajor source of fresh food for communities providing, among others, fishand fresh water mussels. Sherratt explains, “Unit owners will be offeredthe option of an aquaculture system, which, together with the option of anurban farm on the roof, will allow them to produce their own food.This challenges the Western concept of sustainability and proposesa more African approach that embraces practical benefits tothe community.”

Touching the Earth LightlyThe building itself sits lightly on the earth, touching the ground at twopoints only, with the rest of the structure floating above the wetland. Eachof the five units has its own private view and the primary spaces are north-facing, with open plan kitchen and living areas on the ground floor andbedrooms on the first floor. The roof areas have been designed to

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LINDEN VLEIHUISReintroducing Biodiversity into Urban Living

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accommodate residents’ individual needs such as children’s play areas,urban farming, or outdoor entertainment areas.

“The premise behind this development is that the way we consume is asimportant as the way in which we build,” says Sherratt. “To protect theintegrity of the site, we are developing strict parameters with regards tohow the development will be operated, a process that will be managed bya body corporate. The residents of this development will become stewardswho understand that urban growth can help protect threatened biodiversity,in a symbiotic relationship that acts to the benefit of both.”

In addition to passive design principles with lightweight, low Portlandcement concrete construction providing good thermal mass, each unit willbe fitted with Energy Star appliances, a gas stove, a solar hot water heatingelement and a 3kW solar PV system with 15kWh of storage.

The ground floor spaces have double glazed stacking door systems, allowingseamless integration of interior and exterior spaces; while the upstairsrooms have sliding glass doors with timber screens to minimize solar gain.Skylights bring in additional natural light and illuminate the internal naturaltextures.

Finishes are as natural as possible, without painting or applied floor finisheswhich would increase the building’s embodied energy. The intention is tooffer clients three options for internal wall cladding, using a system thatallows the cladding to be changed or adapted over time – reeds that are

commonly used in the African subcontinent, which could potentially begrown on site; recycled timber; or Rhino Wood, which is more expensivebut has longevity.

The project is not currently targeting the Net Zero - Waste category, as thisoption is not open to projects in the design phase, but the developers hopeto target this category in the as-built and operational phase of the project.

An Ambitious Vision“Net-zero represents the beginning of the first true response to climatechange from the building industry,” Chilufya Lombe, SustainabilityConsultant and Director at Solid Green observes. “Whilst it is evident thatwe cannot stop the development of new buildings as cities grow, it ispossible to ensure that impact on the environment as a result ofdevelopment is negated. This represents a significant departure from thelast 10 years of green buildings in South Africa where the target has been‘having less impact’ – or, specifically, targeting 30% lower than thisbenchmark or using 30% less than a normal project. Achieving net-zeroin any category is quite a difficult task. Triple net-zero represents thepinnacle in environmental design by building a structure that has zeroimpact on resources.”

The Linden Vleihuis embodies an ambitious vision for integrating truesustainability and reintroducing endemic biodiversity into an existing urbancontext. As such, it raises the bar for residential developments that seekto address the impacts of climate change.

ette Midler was right: from a distance the earth does lookvery blue and green. It also looks pitch black at night to thosein search of the world’s second largest continent – and half

of the earth’s land mass, for that matter.

But now imagine this: what if, some years down the line, Africa wasorange? What if, by the year 2030, viewed from outer space, thecontinent was ablaze with little lights, symbols of prosperity andconnectedness, everywhere? Orange would indicate a better way oflife, a sense of progress and opportunity availed to the remotest ofvillages. An open door to education, finance, and technology that couldrewrite the story of future generations… all thanks to the day thatenergy rode into town.

It’s imaginable, but is it actually plausible to provide broad-scale energyaccess to millions of under-resourced citizens and disconnectedcommunities across the world’s second biggest continent? With morethan half of the extreme poor living in sub-Saharan Africa, and thatstatistic is on the rise, is it really even a conversation worth having?Experts in renewable energy and finance would argue it most certainlyis. Because it’s not only doable for Africa; it’s inevitable.

One element that will help to light up the developing world could beburied in the algorithm we tend toassociate exclusively with globaleconomics. Blockchain technologygives us the potential to decentralizewhat has always been centralized.It could potentially revolutionizethe playing field and empower theaverage individuals to manage whatwas once an exclusive managed bycentralized power. Blockchain couldquite possibly be the platform fora new energy era for Africa. It could put power (in every sense of theword) into the hands of Africans everywhere.

Cracking open a new epochFor the first time, we have a decentralized currency that cannot becensored; it cannot be manipulated or controlled by any third party orgovernment. This, in turn, has given rise to universal contractingsystems that authorize and protect any kind of legal or financialtransaction. Together, these technologies on one integrated platform

are offering ordinary people immense power and autonomy to accessnew markets and resources.

And just as cryptography will allow us to sidestep the red tape anddethrone the economic powers that be, so too will our technology allowus to steer the very systems we depend on for life. No longer willpeople just be consumers, reliant on big power plants for their massproduction; blockchain innovation will allow energy users to becomemerchants and makers of their own energy.

Not just a first world winNaturally, the developed world has a lot of pilot projects on the go andthriving examples to support broad scale alternative energy investment.

But in Africa, with nations wroughtby such economic instability andsocial fragmentation, where two outof three people lack access toelectricity in sub-Saharan nations,can we really expect a notable andnear shift in the balance towardsbroad scale energy usage? In theNetherlands – this makes sense. ButNamibia and Niger? Could

renewable energy actually be the aceup their future’s sleeve and crack open a new epoch in sustainableenergy? Research would argue so.

All the more, renewable power is offering logical and lucrative alternativeenergy solutions to climate constrained fossil fuel-based economieswithin developing African nations. Without a doubt the biggest drawcardis the going rate; tariffs for large scale PV and wind power now sitbelow US5c/kwh, which is substantially lower than any other form ofpower. In fact, since 2009, the cost of solar photovoltaics has dropped

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What if Africa was Orange?What if Africa was Orange?

By Ele NdlovuClient Director for Energy, Aurecon

Without a doubt the biggest drawcard is the goingrate; tariffs for large scale PV and wind power nowsit below US5c/kwh, which is substantially lowerthan any other form of power. In fact, since 2009,

the cost of solar photovoltaics has droppedaround 75% …

around 75%, offering the developing world access to clean, cheapenergy and electricity for communities that were decades in the dark.And by 2050, it’s predicted that photovoltaic costs will drop by another71% globally; 50% of the total electricity may be provided by solarand wind technologies.

Just in Africa alone, a Mckinsey study reveals that solar energy haspractically 10 times the potential energy generation capacity of fossilfuel-based power. Sub-Saharan Africa is a wealth of primary renewableenergy supply, with enough geothermal, hydro, wind and solar resourcesto provide terawatts of power. In fact, the continent is alleged to sourcean additional 10 terawatts of solar energy, 1,300 gigawatts of windpower, and 1 gigawatt of geothermal capacity. That’s a staggeringamount of fuel potential waiting to be untapped.

Despite the expected phenomenal rise of renewable energy, coal, gasand hydro power are likely to continue to play an important role in theenergy system. In particular, they can bridge extended periods of timewhen the sun isn’t shining or the wind isn’t blowing. But they tooneed to adapt quickly to a new reality of a much more dynamicenergy system.

Renewables for Africa’s winInitiatives like former President Obama’s Power Africa are playing acritical role in accelerating the pace and access to safe, clean energythroughout the continent. Their ambitious goal to “unlock the energysector potential” in sub-Saharan Africa is aiming at an additional 30,000megawatts (MW) and 60 million connections by 2030. Much of thisnew energy will be renewable – for some countries, a first of its kindproject. The initiative is more than a once-off investment into ruralelectrification. It’s an effort to work together, with 120 public andprivate sector partners across the energy stakeholder spectrum, to builda regulatory, policy and legal framework that would push renewableenergy to the forefront of future investment.

They are not alone. Projects like the IFC and World Bank’s jointinitiative, Scaling Solar, are trumpeting the solar industry across four

countries of sub-Saharan Africa, operating as a “one stop shop” toimplement and sustain privately-funded grid-connected solar projects.Their work, along with others throughout countries like South Africa,Ethiopia, and Kenya, is laying the groundwork for Africa to emergeas a potential future leader and model for successful, sustainable private-public partnerships in the renewable energy space.

The roadblocks to progress (not dead ends)But in spite of all this good news, there’s obviously so much work tobe done. Africa is, for one, a continent rich in fossil fuels. Theiraccessibility and affordability, compounded by the high upfrontinvestment costs in renewable energies, have been major impedimentsto the transition to renewable energy. Technical barriers, faultyinfrastructure and data limitations (like wind speed) hinder steadygrowth in green energy investments, along with a deficit of technicalskills to manage these processes. Shaky political climates, policyinconsistencies, and corruption discourage investor confidence. Shortterm profit motives present roadblocks to the process. But the goodnews is, all of these challenges can, and will, be overcome in time.

The key will be to marry vocational studies with skills training, so thatpeople are well equipped to manage and operate these technologies.And as innovation in science and technology keeps birthing better,more sophisticated renewable energy solutions, investments will rapidlyfollow. No doubt, the cost of clean energy will continue to fall, as itis being deployed.

Though we’re still in early days of its inception, and far from the full-blown reality of a decentralized revolution, a new energy matrix maybe fast approaching. While blockchain technology alone will not solvethe energy crisis in Africa, this technology together with the fallingrenewable energy and battery costs, improved interconnections acrossthe continent, and the ability to control the demand to match it to theavailable supply, will enable Africa to light up.

Someday, probably sooner than we think, Africa will come out of hershadows and reveal her true color: orange.

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ue to its vulnerability to the effects of climate change, Africaas a whole is facing the cumulative challenges of providingmuch needed energy to the continent, while at the same time

tackling such effects and coping with their consequences on production,growth, and employment in all economic sectors. While adaptationefforts are already underway, and will continue to be needed, preventingthe worst possible impacts of climate change from materializing is alsocritical. Otherwise, the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for SustainableDevelopment may be compromised.

Indeed, over the past decade, climate change and extreme weatherevents have caused unprecedented damage to African countries, ruininginfrastructure, threatening economic activity, and destroying jobs. Themost visible manifestations are the droughts in southern Africa, floodsin West Africa, and desertification of entire areas in the Maghreb region.The mass migrations that the World has witnessed in recent yearscannot be dissociated from climate change and its impact on economicdevelopment.

It is noteworthy that certain African countries have focused a significantamount of their attention on adaptation to climate change. At the sametime, however, an increasing number of governments across Africaconsider a sustainable energy transition as a central aspect of theirclimate strategies. In this regard, realistic and efficient local contentpolicies will certainly have an important role to play.

Challenges in Africa’s energy transitionCompared to the majority of fossil fuel-dependent industrializedcountries, the energy transition in Africa presents a distinct feature.With the exception of a few nations, such as South Africa, most Africancountries are not in a situation of pressure where they need to phaseout coal to meet their energy needs through alternative energy sources.Africa’s energy transition instead faces two important challenges:modernization and expansion.

Modernization is linked toexploiting the continent’s vastendowment of renewable energyresources, including biomass, wind,solar, and hydro-power potential.It also implies moving away fromthe use of inefficient and hazardoussources of energy by over 700million people and towards thedeployment of modern fuels and

sources of energy for cooking, heating, and lighting. In the fossil fuelsector (notably oil and gas), both resource and labor productivity needto be improved. In turn, expansion is about bringing to scale-adaptedtechnologies to meet the energy needs of a growing population of1.2 billion people, of which only 30 percent have access to reliableelectricity supply.

Globally, we are witnessing a shift in the energy landscape, away fromfossil fuels and towards less-polluting sources of energy. In Africa,however, a closer look reveals a slightly different picture. While onthe one hand, there is a clear expansion in energy generation fromrenewables, including with the recently launched Taiba Ndiaye WindProject in Senegal that will generate 158-megawatts of additionalcapacity, and the planned Nzema Solar Power Station in Ghana thatwil l be the largestinstallation of its kind inAfrica, and is expected toi n c r e a s e G h a n a ’ selectricity generatingcapacity by 6% withnearly 100,000 homes tobenefit from clean energy.

On the other hand, since 2004, there has been a wave of oil and gasdiscoveries and increased interest in countries such as Chad, Ghana,Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sao Tome & Principe,Senegal, and Togo, that also open up the opportunity for domestic gas-to-power projects. According to the Africa Energy Outlook 2014, 30%of global oil and gas discoveries made between 2010 and 2014 havebeen in sub-Saharan Africa. A number of countries that were previouslynet energy importers will become energy exporters in the next fiveyears due to increasing oil exports, and based on certain estimates,sub-Saharan Africa is expected to outpace Russia as a global gassupplier by 2040.

Therefore, while the African energylandscape is changing, it is not ina single direction. The energytransition is complex and hasimportant ramifications for thestructure of economies and futuredevelopment prospects. Climatechange is an essential aspect to it, butso are many other key aspects of thesustainable development goals.

Local Impact

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By Luís MirandaMiranda & Associados

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AFRICA’S ENERGY TRANSITIONAn Opportunity to Implement Efficient Local Content Policies?

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… expansion is about bringing to scale-adaptedtechnologies to meet the energy needs of a growingpopulation of 1.2 billion people, of which only 30%

have access to reliable electricity supply.

Towards the Towards Towardsthe emergence of a skilled work forceMore than 10 million young Africans are expected to enter the labormarket each year over the coming years. Most analysts tend to agreethat the traditional public sector will not be able to absorb this newwork force. Entrepreneurship and self-employment are indispensableto create quality jobs in large numbers, and the energy transition canplay a central role in this regard. For that to happen, skills developmentand upgrading, entrepreneurship promotion, and enabling policy andgovernance frameworks are required.

A global review of skills for green jobs in several African countriesrevealed the existence of a gap between the goals and targets set inenvironmental policies and the human resources available for theirimplementation. The same applies in the energy sector. Some skillsgaps already exist for technical and engineering positions and couldgrow as the renewable energy sector continues to expand. Skills gapscould lead to project delays or even cancellations, cost overruns, andfaulty installations. Efforts are needed in education and training systemsto develop renewable energy curricula, integrate modules into vocationaltraining courses, support apprenticeships, and establish common qualitystandards. Nonetheless, there are promising experiences. For example,Cape Verde launched a Renewable Energy and Industrial MaintenanceCenter (CERMI), whose main activity is the training of professionalsin the areas of design, assembly, and maintenance of photovoltaicinstallations.

Various intervention models and programs to promote job creation inclean energies have shown a clear advantage of combining technicaland vocational training with entrepreneurship training. Particularly forAfrican countries, entrepreneurship and self-employment are becomingpriorities in youth employment strategies and policies. In view ofAfrica’s specific business environment, micro-enterprises have animportant role to play. In general, micro-enterprises are defined asbusinesses with up to 10 employees, small businesses as those with 10to 100 employees, and medium-sized enterprises as those with 100 to250 employees. In Africa, the majority of job creation is from thesmallest businesses. This contrasts with other regions of the globe,such as East Asia and the Pacific region, where job growth is mostlyconcentrated in enterprises with 20–99 employees, and Latin Americaand Eastern Europe/Central Asia, where more than 40% of job creationis by businesses with more than 100 employees.

Typically, young entrepreneurs in the energy space face challengesrelated to (i) access to finance, (ii) lack of technical knowledge, and(iii) lack of experience in business management. It should also be notedthat because of the prevalence of unemployment and underemployment,there are some entrepreneurs by vocation, but also a large number ofentrepreneurs by necessity.

Nevertheless, many young Africanssee the potential associated with thedevelopment of micro and smallenterprises in the renewable energysector. Remarkable initiatives areunderway throughout Africa, withdynamic companies such as M-Kopa Solar, which operates in EastAfrica in the distribution and

installation of solar kits. Many such small and micro enterprises activein the distribution of energy systems, maintenance and operation, andsometimes in assembly would benefit from policies to support theirintegration in value chains and the development of local supply chains.Government policies favoring local content and after-sales servicescould, among others, contribute to improving the current landscape,if they are developed in a reasonable and sustainable manner.

Lessons learned from oil & gas local content policiesAs governments look for ways to elevate local capacity and bolstereconomic development, setting adequate and reasonable local contentpolicies and programs can incentivize financial investment and technicaland technological transfers that will benefit countries competing toattract the best companies, as well as companies searching for the mostattractive markets to maximize efficiencies and manage costs.Contrariwise, setting unreasonable and unachievable local contentrequirements scares away investors.

Pressure to use local content (e.g. local workers, companies, goods,and services) in large or mega-projects continues to increase throughoutthe Continent. For growing markets, particularly in Africa, it can bea catalyst for rapid development. However, striking the balance betweenshort-term job creation and longer-term specialization, diversification,and supply chain development is a challenging issue for governments,companies, and communities.

Use of local workers and suppliers can be the most efficient way toexecute key aspects of a project, while other jobs require specializedskills not available among nationals. This reality can become a sourceof socio-economic and political tension when local supply and projectdemand are not well understood by all stakeholders. This is compoundedwhen there is a “ramping up” to thousands of skilled workers in a veryshort period of time compared to what is realistically accessible withinthe market, or when companies bring their own labor force into the

project and leave behind very littlethat can be transitioned intomeaningful local capacities.

Many oil rich countries have usedtheir hydrocarbon resources as amajor tool to propel developmentand improve the living conditionsof their people. For example, thediscovery in 2007 of oil in

Some skills gaps already exist for technical andengineering positions and could grow as the

renewable energy sector continues to expand. Skillsgaps could lead to project delays or even

cancellations, cost overruns, and faulty installations.

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Local Impact

commercial quantities in Ghana was embraced with euphoria by manyGhanaians. This optimism was underpinned by the expectation thatthe new oil resource would contribute tremendously to an acceleratedrate in Ghana’s economic growth and development. The channelsthrough which Ghanaians expected to benefit from the oil resourcesinclude the expansion and deepening of indigenous businesses in theoil and gas sector, increased job opportunities, possible access tocheaper fuel, and revenue from oil and gas resources for nationaldevelopment. However, the minimum threshold of 90% localparticipation in all aspects of the oil and gas value-chain by 2020 isfar from being realistic and achievable. Total activities in the petroleumupstream sector were reported at 6.3 billion dollars between 2010 and2015. Out of this, foreign companies were reported to have accumulated5.3 billion dollars, with local companies and/or businesses managinga paltry one billion dollars. With less than two years to achieve the2020 target of 90% local content and local participation, these resultsonly represent 18.8% of the latter.

Despite the expeditious enactment of various Local Content and LocalParticipation Regulations across the continent, analysts and industryexperts are still not convinced that the majority of the countries havedone the necessary preparatory (or follow up) work to ensure that thecapacity of local businesses and companies is duly built up, so as toenhance their capability to deliver the desired quality of goods andservices to the oil and gas sector.

Considering the foregoing, and in order to avoid the mistakes in thelocal content policies which have been adopted in the oil and gasindustry across the continent, African governments should seek toimplement more realistic local content targets for long-lasting renewableenergy projects. It is also crucial that they realize that channeling State

funds to vocational and higher education is key to creating the conditionsrequired for the local populations to take advantage of the new job andbusiness opportunities.

ConclusionAfrica’s energy transition is well underway, structured by national andregional contexts and priorities, as well as global policy frameworksand commitments that countries have made. In the African context, theinclusion of local content provisions in renewable energylegislation may be seen by Governments as a step in the right direction,but it must be carefully addressed if it is to have a successful andmeaningful impact.

Although it is natural that the countries try to emulate the actions takenin other sectors, care must also be taken to keep expectations reasonable.Too much local content, too quickly can lead to the flight of investorsand services and goods of dubious quality, with long lasting negativeeffects on the environment and the economy. We wouldn’t be surprisedto see lower local content thresholds for renewable projects than thosecurrently applicable to the oil and gas industry. In doing so, and bylearning from the mistakes and excesses from the past in other sectors,African governments will be able to create progressive andcomprehensive strategies to ensure the successful integration of theirnationals and businesses into all the aspects of the renewables energyindustry, without scaring away investors.

About the AuthorLuís Miranda is currently the Head of Miranda Alliance’s Houston Liaison Office.Prior to moving to Houston, Luís gained significant experience advising oil & gas,energy and mining companies and living in West Africa, where he was based atMiranda’s local offices. Luís may be contacted at [email protected].

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igital technologies are helping sub-Saharan Africancountries tap new sources of capital as they seek waysto close the energy access gap.

Last year, the Tanzania-based social enterprise Simusolar raised$50,000 to finance its work selling solar powered systems to farmersand fishermen in rural areas traditionally excluded from mainstreamenergy provision.

In the context of sub-Saharan Africa’s multi-billion-dollar energyaccess gap, the money raised was just a drop in the ocean. Yet asa symbol of the increasingly transformational role being played bytechnology in helping finance the drive towards universalenergy access – in Africa and beyond – it was a particularlycompelling one.

For a start, the money was raised on the Kiva microloan platform.Kiva is one of a growing number of online crowdfunding venturesthat are directing money raised from the likes of you and me in theform of small loans or investments to individuals or small businessesin Africa and elsewhere that need capital to grow. The $50,000raised by Kiva attracted $25,000 in match funding from Energy 4Impact as part of our Crowd Power program supported by UK Aid.

Then there are the products that Simusolar offers its customers.These typically harness solar technology in some way to enablegreater productivity – for example, solar-powered lanterns fornight-time fishing or solar water pumps to help farmers increasecrop yields. Integral to all Simusolar’s solutions is built-in mobiletechnology that allows customers to easily pay for the productsthey buy in small increments over time at a price they can afford.

It’s an example that neatly illustrates the extent to which technologyhas become central to the energy access story. At all key stages ofthe process – raising the initial capital, financing and paying forthe equipment and the final product itself – technology is thechief agent in a process that allows subsistence farmers and fishermento afford equipment that wouldotherwise be beyond theirfinancial means and improvetheir livelihoods as a result.According to Simusolar,fishermen using its solarlanterns have reported adoubling of their income in thefirst year of use.

The new possibilities opened up by technology are a potentialgame-changer in Africa’s push towards greater energy access.According to the International Energy Agency some 590 millionAfricans – around 50% of the population – are still without accessto electricity, a figure that rises to 80% in rural areas. Thesituation is worse for access to clean cooking options, witharound 780 million people relying on dirty options such ascharcoal or kerosene for cooking. Unsurprisingly, closing Africa’senergy access gap has become an international priority. One of theUnited Nations’ 2015 sustainable development goals pledgesuniversal access to affordable energy by 2030, and a hugeamount of good work to fulfil this ambition is now underway byactors across the institutional spectrum, from heavyweightinternational bodies such as the World Bank through to smalllocal businesses.

But as these many fine efforts to improve the energy accesssituation in Africa continue, persistent challenges remain in securingthe capital needed to close the gap. As an organization thatsupports businesses working to provide energy solutions in off-grid communities, we at Energy 4 Impact see the theme of accessto capital recur at all levels of the energy access debate, from smallbusiness offering solar home solutions through to last-mileconsumers.

On one level, the sums involvedare vast: recent IEA analysis putthe cost of attaining universalenergy access in sub-SaharanAfrica by 2030 at $28 billionper year beyond currentlyplanned levels of investment.But set against that backdrop

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Alternative Focus

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIESAfrica’s High-Tech Path to Energy Inclusion

DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIESAfrica’s High-Tech Path to Energy Inclusion

By Ben Good, CEOEnergy 4 Impact

According a report on the African mobile economyby GSMA, tech start-ups in Africa secured over

$560 million in investment in 2017, a 53% increaseon the previous year, with solar companies

accounting for 21% of this.

are many complex questions about affordability and the flow ofcredit. How can households cover the costs of purchasing a solarhome system or clean cooking stove when trying to live on a fewdollars a day? How can farmers in rural Africa afford to buyrelatively expensive equipment such as solar kits or access loanswhen they have no credit history? In the absence of effective,affordable local credit, how can small companies operating in theenergy access space raise capital to supply customers with equipmentat prices that will be within their means?

The mobile revolutionAt Energy 4 Impact we are involved in many projects aimed atanswering these questions, and from this vantage point the extentto which technology is playing an increasingly integral role inemerging solutions to the energy access challenge is clear. A keydevelopment has been the growth of mobile phone penetration insub-Saharan Africa, which stood at 44% of the population in 2017and is forecast by industry body GSMA to reach 52% by 2023.This has enabled a number of very significant leaps forward,including opening up mobile money services to millions of peoplewithout prior access to even the most basic banking facilities.

While this in itself has been transformative, lifting millions out ofpoverty, it has also opened up many new possibilities in energyaccess terms. As we have already seen in the Simusolar example,mobile technology is an essential part of the process, enablingfarmers and fishermen to make regular, affordable payments forequipment that would otherwise lie beyond their reach. Similarly,many solar home system providers use mobile-enabled pay-as-you-go (PAYGo) models to allow customers in off-grid locationsto pay for equipment over time in instalments they are able toafford as a result of savings in expenditure on alternative, dirtysources of energy such as kerosene.

And of course, as these models become better established andunderstood they create virtuous circles. On the customer side, bymaking regular payments for their equipment they establish a credithistory, enabling them to purchase further equipment or even takesteps towards greater participation in mainstream financial services.

In Uganda, for instance, the financial inclusion organization FINCAhas launched BrightLife, a social enterprise that offers productssuch as solar home systems and other productive use appliancesto low income Ugandans via PAYGo-enabled finance. Earlier thisyear BrightLife teamed up with FIBR (Financial Inclusion onBusiness Runways), a research project run by consultancy BFAand supported by the Mastercard Foundation that is exploring waysto connect financial services to low-income populations in Africathrough digital innovation. FIBR is working BrightLife and FINCAto develop new data analytics instruments to mine the credit datagenerated by BrightLife’s PAYGo customers and link them to betterbanking services – energy access as a stepping stone to the formalfinancial sector, all enabled by digital technology.

Meanwhile, on the business side, growing familiarity amonginvestors with mobile-enabled PAYGo business models is enablingcompanies operating in this space to access capital from a widerpool of investors and at more favorable rates, and in turn expand

their customer base. According a report on the African mobileeconomy by GSMA, tech start-ups in Africa secured over $560million in investment in 2017, a 53% increase on the previous year,with solar companies accounting for 21% of this.

And for both businesses and consumers, another importantdevelopment is the growth in digital credit offerings. In Kenyaalone there are an estimated 20 digital credit providers, offeringhouseholds and entrepreneurs the opportunity of accessing loansthrough their mobile phones. While these loans are not restrictedto energy-related expenditure, the fact that last-mile businesses andconsumers have these new tech-enabled routes to accessingcredit will be of huge benefit to the ongoing development of energyaccess markets.

Affordable clean cookingInteresting technology-enabled examples are also beginning toemerge on the clean cooking front. As the IEA figures show, themajority of Africans still rely on dirty forms of fuel (such as charcoalor wood) for their cooking, something that is unsustainable in bothhealth and environmental terms. Clean alternatives exist, but oftenrequire equipment that for many households carries a prohibitivelyhigh upfront cost.

In Kenya the tech start-up KOKO Networks is pioneering anaffordable clean cooking solution aimed at urban consumers thatruns off ethanol, a much cleaner option than biomass or kerosene.While not operating along the same pay-as-you-go basis as mostsolar home models, KOKO Networks’ solution is still enabled bymobile and digital technologies, with customers paying to top uptheir cooking gas canisters at one of a number of so-called‘KOKOpoints’ located across Nairobi, where the company isinitially rolling its system out. The KOKOpoints are linked to acloud-based platform that accepts mobile money payments fromcustomers and allows KOKO to gather customer data, which,among other things, is used for targeted digital advertising displayedto customers as they refill their canisters.

Although customers face an initial cash outlay to purchase KOKO’sproprietary stove and gas canister, the company offers customerswho are unable to afford this in one go a savings option enabledby its bespoke digital payment system. Over a period of timecustomers can pay deposits into KOKO’s savings program,

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eventually amassing enough to purchase the stove system outright– typically after only a couple of months, the company says. Anotherdemonstration of how technology is bringing potentially life-changing energy technologies within the financial reach of millionsof Africans.

The power of the crowdBeyond specific appliance-based solutions, digital technology isalso helping introduce entirely new sources of capital to the energyaccess world.

Notably, crowdfunding campaigns similar to the Simusolar exampleare becoming increasingly popular among energy access companiesoperating in Africa and elsewhere. According to research undertakenas part of Energy 4 Impact’s Crowd Power program, the amountof money raised through crowdfunding for energy access projectsgrew from $3.4 million in 2015 to $13.7 million last year. This stillrepresents only a fraction of the total off-grid market butcrowdfunding undoubtedly has an important and growing role toplay in closing the energy access finance gap.

The figures above are evidence of this; so too is the increasingsize and ambition of crowdfunding campaigns. This year we sawthe UK-based crowdfunding platform Lendah team upwith off-grid energy provider BBOXX on a multi-yearcrowdfunding campaign through which the pair hope to raise£2.5 million to finance BBOXX’s expansion into several newAfrican countries.

And crowdfunding has evidently caught the eye of the developmentcommunity as a serious vehicle for energy access finance. TheUK’s secretary of state for international development, PennyMordaunt, recently spoke of her interest in exploring how technologycan connect UK citizens with opportunities to invest in projectsoverseas that have a positive social or environmental benefit aswell as generating a return. Crowdfunding very much fits withinthis narrative, and indeed the UK’s Department of InternationalDevelopment has agreed to co-fund money raised through EnergiseAfrica, the wider crowdfunding platform, used by BBOXX in theexample cited above. Meanwhile, the Swedish development agency,Sida, recently agreeing to partially guarantee up to €10 million ofinvestments made through the energy access crowdfunding platform

Trine. Proof if more were needed of the increasingly influentialrole of crowdfunding in energy access financing.

Less of a known quantity, but nonetheless generating a significantbuzz, is the application of distributed ledger – or blockchain – anddigital currency (crypto currency) technologies as a means of raisingcapital for energy access. It is probably worth sounding a note ofcaution at this point to highlight the fact that, as things stand, thehype around the potential for blockchain to revolutionize the globalenergy system substantially outweighs the number of concreteexamples of this promise made manifest.

Nevertheless, some interesting examples are beginning to emergethat may give an indication of the shape of things to come. One isfrom the South Africa-based Sun Exchange, which has developedits own cryptocurrency, the SUNEX Token, that enables investorsto buy shares in solar projects. Earlier this year the companyannounced a partnership with the mini-grid technology innovatorPowerhive under which Powerhive will use funds raisedthrough sales of SUNEX to build solar-powered mini-gridprojects in rural Kenya. Sun Exchange anticipates raising up to$23 million for Powerhive, enough for up to 150 projects, thecompany claims. It is early days for this venture, but if Sun Exchangecan prove its model out, it could represent an important newtechnology-enabled conduit for getting much needed investmentinto energy access projects.

In many ways, exotic technologies such as blockchain highlighthow we are really just at the beginning of the story of how digitalinnovation is helping crack open the world of energy access finance.Technology is evolving at a dizzying pace, and the systems andmodels being deployed today may look very different to those inplace only a few years down the line.

Of course, in an ideal world, commercial banks and other mainstreamfinance institutions would be responding to the pressing need forcapital to close Africa’s energy access gap by providing the necessaryinvestment, but for many reasons are not doing so anywhere nearquickly enough. Until they do, energy access is a space that willremain wide open for disruption. And if nothing else is certain,one sure fact is that there are plenty of technology providers outthere who would be only too happy to help fill the void.

espite all of its resources and being Africa’s number onecrude oil producer, Nigeria still suffers from a severelack of access to power. Power outages are the norm in

the country and expensive diesel gensets for back-up power areheavily relied upon. The government, under President MuhammaduBuhari, is taking serious steps to address the power shortfall.

Finding the PowerAt present, the vast majority of the country’s power generation isthermal, at around 10,200 MW, followed by hydro at around2,400 MW. In November 2017, Minister of Power, Works andHousing, Babatunde Fashola said the federal government “iscommitted to delivering 30% of Nigeria’s energy needs by exploringrenewable sources of power.” The country currently has 85% ofits power coming from thermal power plants operating mainly ongas and 15% from hydropower.

“Let me be clear by saying that our commitment as a country toput in place renewable and low carbon energy is clear and firm.But that’s not all. It is a commitment driven by necessity that willrely on policies and contracts,” said Fashola.

As part of this plan the government signed power purchaseagreements with 14 independent power producers who willbuild about 1,000 MW of solar power plants. Fashola alsostated that this goal was part of Vision 30:30:30 which isto have, by 2030, an installed capacity of 30 GW, of which30% is renewable.

Partnering-UpNigeria has no shortage of developmental and private sector partnerswilling to help the country address its power deficit with sustainable,clean energy. The US AID Power Africa initiative is one suchpartner working closely with Nigeria in order to help the countryachieve its goals. Over 3,380 MW of new power deals have reachedfinancial close with assistance from Power Africa, with another11,750 MW in the power pipeline by 2030.

Recently, in March 2018, USAID and Power Africa concluded thefour-year Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Project (REEEP)in Nigeria. The $2.1-million project ran from March 2014 toFebruary 2018, and was aimed at mitigating climate change,reducing carbon emissions, increasing economic opportunities,improving employment and ultimately sustaining development inthe country. The project was implemented by Winrock Internationalwho provided training and capacity building for local citizens,working with some Nigerian banks to achieve the objective. USAIDwas able to work with donors, NGOs, government agenciesand financial institutions to enable over 16,600 connections for2.5 MW of power through off and on-grid sources, with over261,938 citizens receiving clean and renewable energy.

Another partner in upgrading the power & distribution network forNigeria is the World Bank. Nigeria will receive funds from theWorld Bank to improve its power transmission network. The globallending institution in February approved a $486 million creditfacility for the transmission grid upgrade.

Africa Spotlight

NIGERIAD

President: Muhammadu Buhari(since 29 May 2015)Minister of Power, Works & Housing:Babatunde FasholaPopulation: 203,452,505 (July 2018 est.)Electricity - production:29.35 billion kWh (2016 est.)Electricity - consumption:24.72 billion kWh (2016 est.)Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:19% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)Installed Power Capacity: 12,522 MWAccess Rate: 45% (Rural 36%, Urban 55%)Source: CIA World Factbook, Power Africa

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Under the global lending institution’s Nigeria Electrification Project(NEP) approved in June, it will look to increase access to electricityservices for households, public educational institutions, andunderserved (MSMEs) micro, small, and medium enterprises. Theproject comprises of four components. The first component, solarhybrid mini grids for rural economic development will beimplemented under a market-based private sector led approach toconstruct, operate, and maintain economically viable mini grids,supported by subsidies that reduce initial capital outlays. It consistsof the following sub-components: (i) minimum subsidy tender formini grids; and (ii) performance-based grants program. The secondcomponent, stand-alone solar systems for homes and MSMEs goalis to significantly increase the market for stand-alone solar systemsin Nigeria in order to provide access to electricity to more than onemillion Nigerian households and MSMEs at a lower cost than theircurrent means of service such as small diesel gensets. It consistsof the following sub-components: (i) market scale-up challengegrants; and (ii) performance-based grants. The third component,an energizing education objective, is to provide reliable, affordable,and sustainable power to public universities and associated teachinghospitals. The fourth component, technical assistance, is designedto build a framework for rural electrification upscaling, supportproject implementation as well as broad capacity building in RuralElectrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Electricity RegulatoryCommission (NERC), Federal Ministry of Power, Works, andHousing (FMPWH), and other relevant stakeholders.

In February, the Decentralized Renewable Energy (DER) solutionstaskforce was formed. FHI360, as well as Power for All, US GlobalDevelopment Lab, Power Africa, USAID-Nigeria, will be helpingto drive access to modern, clean and affordable electricity. Thecollaboration was formed under the Scaling Off Grid Energy(SOGE) Grand Challenge for Development, a partnership uponwhich 20 million households in sub-Saharan Africa countries couldgain access to modern clean energy.

A statement issued soon after the launch indicated that DERsolutions, which could be used to achieve this objective, rangefrom stand-alone systems to mini-grids and mobile solar farms.Thetaskforce is taking on a multi-stakeholder approach to acceleratethe end of energy poverty in Nigeria. Some of the goals of thetaskforce include identifying priorities and supporting specificstakeholder-led actions that will accelerate the expansion of off-grid energy in Nigeria.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) is lending its financialsupport to the growth of Nigeria’s energy sector. The AfDB approveda grant of $1.5 million to support a power project in Nigeria’sJigawa state. This was revealed by Amadou Hott, VP of the Power,Energy, Climate and Growth department of the bank. Accordingto the AfDB executive, the use of the money will go for establishingeverything required to develop the project, and then organizing abidding process to attract investors. He also noted that the bankwould be involved with five or six out of 14 solar projects investorshad approached the bank with.

The Vice President further said that the bank had a guaranteeprogram that was already put in place, to guarantee some of theprojects. “We call them the Partial Risk Guarantee (PRG). So,when the budgets are ready, the guarantees will be utilized tominimize risk so that investors can be attracted to these kinds ofprojects,’’ he said.

The AfDB in November mobilized $200 million to support theNigerian power sector. This funding will facilitate the deploymentof off-grid solutions by private investors, as well as theimplementation of electrical systems for federal universities. Allof these accompanying measures are implemented as part of thepreviously mentioned NEP conducted by the REA. Of theallocated funds, $150 million was released by the bank from itsown funds while $50 million was mobilized from the AfricaGrowing Together Fund (AGTF). AGTF is a financing facilitysponsored by the People’s Bank of China and administered by the AfDB.

On- and Off-Grid SolarThe situation for many off-grid Nigerians has seen rapid changesince the country’s renewable energy plans began to gain steam,unlike the many oil and gas initiatives that seem to falter on botha governmental and private sector level. Minister Fashola assertedthat solar was going to play an important role in Nigeria, especiallyas a means to reduce pressure on the national grid; and indeed, itis already making an impact.

November 2017 was a busy month in the Nigerian solar sector. Apartnership made up of Pan Africa Solar and BBOXX announcedit would develop an 80-MW utility scale PV power plant constructed

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Minister Fashola takes an active role in overseeingthe reform and upgrade of Nigeria’s power sector

Minister Fashola visits Morocco’s Noor solar facility

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in the town of Kankia in Katsina State. The project focuses on astable state in the north of the country, where due to lack of availablehydro resources and gas supply, renewables are the only long-termsustainable option. The project will integrate panels mounted ontilting structures that track the path of the sun throughout the day,constructed on 210 hectares of land.

Also in November 2017,Lumos Mobile ElectricityService deployed its60,000th Y’ello Box. TheY’ello Box is an at-homesolar electricity devicethat lets users gain accessto reliable electricity atan affordable price. TheLumos service is combining the power of the sun and a MTNmobile phone to bring a new type of power to Nigeria. Thissignificant milestone means more than 300,000 people right acrossNigeria are now benefitting from affordable, reliable, clean electricity,thanks to the of ability of the Lumos Mobile Electricity service tounleash the power of the mobile.

In cooperation with energy-solution provider Daystar Power, SolarSolutions GmbH delivered AEG solar modules for a German armedforces project in Nigeria. The AEG high-performance modulesform part of three German armed forces projects supported underthe framework of cooperation between Germany and Nigeria. ThePV equipment was handed over in the beginning of Q4 2017 andinstalled within 10 days. The majority of the time was spentintegrating this clean renewable form of energy into the existingelectric system. The PV system is located in Abuja and is installedat the Armed Forces Electronic and Mechatronics EngineeringWorkshop and School. The PV System provides clean electricityto the workshops/training center. This is the first installation ofseveral planned PV systems of the German armed forces in Nigeria.

In January 2018, the government of Kano State granted 150 acresof land to Dangote Group for the construction of its solar powerplant in Zakirai. The solar project, which will cost $150 million,will be set up in collaboration with the British company, BlackRhino. It will have a capacity of 100 MW and will be fully fundedby Dangote and Black Rhino. The companies plan to complete theconstruction of the infrastructure, two years after starting work.The Zakirai solar power plant is part of the portfolio of projectsjointly developed by the two companies. They aim to invest up to$10 billion in the Nigerian energy sector.

Mainstream Energy Solutions will build a 500-MW solarpower plant. The company, which already operates the Kainji andJebba hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity ofapproximately 1,500 MW, intends to diversify its power plantportfolio in Nigeria.

“Mainstream is currently working with Engie de France, a globalplayer in the sector, to develop a 500-MW photovoltaic powerplant. This initiative not only aims to increase our installed capacityin Nigeria, but also to complement our two hydroelectricpower generation units,” said Lamu Audu, executive director ofMainstream Energy.

Also, as part of its expansion, the company plans to increase thecapacity of its Kainji plant, which currently stands at 922 MW, to1,300 MW.

This past September, Nigeria launched its rural electrificationprogram in Jigawa state with a call for expressions of interest fromthe Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA). The expressionof interest is for the carrying out of the feasibility studies, as wellas the implementation of the program.

The program, which consists of installing solar power plants withan overall capacity of 1 GW, is being undertaken by independentpower producers.

SEFA is a fund administered by the AfDB that supports small scalerenewable energy projects and promotes energy efficiency andsupports the program in this context. The fund will provide a $1.5million grant to help start feasibility studies.

All the plants to be built under the program will inject theirproduction into the national grid, through a 330 kV or 132 kVtransmission line, to be built by Nigeria Bulk ElectricityTrading (NBET).

Other RE ProjectsWhile solar is providing immediate relief to many in the short term,several other renewable energy technologies will seek to sustainthe country’s power supply over the long term.

WindNigeria is expected to seeits first commercial scalewind farm come online2019. The Katsina WindFarm in the Lambar Rimicommunity will add 10MW to the national grid.Eight years in themaking, the projectstalled two years in at 90 percent completion after an incidentinvolving the abduction of an executive of the French contractorVergnet. The project consists of 37 wind turbines each capable ofgenerating 275 kilowatts of power.

HydroAfter many years of an on and off status, the Mambilla hydropowerproject looks as if it is on again. In September 2017 it was announcedthat the China Civil Engineering Construction Corp. (CCECC) willbuild the 3,050-MW hydroelectric plant in the Mambila region ofeastern Nigeria. With a total cost estimated at $5.8-billion, theproject will last six years and will be 85% financed by the Export-Import Bank of China (Eximbank China); the Nigerian governmentwill contribute the remaining funds.

The Mambilla hydroelectric facility will comprise four dams andtwo underground powerhouses having 12 turbine generator unitsin total. The four dams to be constructed on the Dongo River forthe Mambilla hydropower project include Nya (formerly knownas Gembu), Sumsum, Nghu and Api Weir dams. The powergenerated will be transmitted to the national grid by four 500kV

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DC transmission lines connecting Makrudi, and one 330kV DCtransmission line connecting Jalingo. The combined length of thetransmission lines will be 700 km.

This August, the Nigerian government completed the formalitiesfor the awarding of six mini hydroelectric power plant concessions.The infrastructure will be entrusted to private operators as part ofa build, operate and transfer (BOT) agreement.

“This is one of the government’s initiatives to improve electricitysupply for the most vulnerable segments of society. We haveproposed six small-scale infrastructures that have been abandoned

for several decades. In addition to the universities in which thestate is directly involved financially, all the projects are supportedby private funds,” said Minister Fashola.

NuclearA proposed plan by the government of Nigeria to construct a nuclearpower plant by mid-2020 is seen as a way for the country to providea cheaper and stable source of electricity at fair pricing to Nigerians.Nigeria entered into an agreement with Russia’s Rosatom for theconstruction of a nuclear power plant and research center in October2017. Not everyone is all in with this plan, with advocacy groupsclaiming it would do more harm than good for the environment,also pointing to its high cost of about $20 billion.

Meanwhile, in June Canadian firm StareCore Nuclear proposed toset up 23 small modules of nuclear reactors distributed inpower stations in order to increase the West African country’senergy capacity.

“This proposal includes the installation of 23 mini-nuclear networksin the most remote areas of the country to reduce the electrificationbill for these areas. Responding to the safety standards of theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the small reactorsinstalled by StarCore do not overheat and the automation oftheir operation causes them to go out on their own as soon as aproblem arises,” according to the company. Starcore will own theinfrastructure put in place and sell its production to the country aspart of an agreement to buy electricity. It hopes to obtain asovereign guarantee to facilitate the mobilization of fundsfor construction.

Nigerian RE Academy Launched

Asteven Group officially launched the first sub-SaharanRenewable Energy Academy in February 2018 in Nigeria.Students of the academy will be trained green vendors, serviceproviders, installers, technicians, and dealers in renewableenergy technologies.Graduates will receive global certifications.

The development falls under efforts to help expand Nigeria’srenewable energy portfolio to secure its energy supply againstgrowing demand. Dr Sunny Akpoyibo, CEO at Asteven Groupsaid the academy will help improve the country’s renewableenergy workforce in an effort to boost capacity generatedlocally and reduce reliance on energy imports.

he energy situation in Zimbabwe is dire. According to asurvey by BMI Research, “Zimbabwe is projected toimport 2,508 (TWh) of power in 2018, while consumption

will soar to 8,600 TWh on the back of rising demand.” Until now,Zimbabwe has no commercial oil or gas reserves and the outlookfor making significant discoveries is not optimistic. The countryhas had to rely on expensive fuel as well as power imports fromits neighbors Mozambique and South Africa to the tune of350 MW. On the bright side, government has begun a concertedeffort to incorporate renewable energy into its energy mix.

RE PotentialWhile Zimbabwe has tremendous renewable energy potential, todate its citizens have very low access, ranging from 16% in ruralareas where nearly 70% of the population resides, up to 78% inurban areas. Zimbabwe has strong potential for electricity generationfrom hydro, solar and biomass resources but very little of theseresources have been tapped into. Wind and geothermal energy stillneed to be further explored, to determine their potential.

According to the “Renewable Energy Market Study Zimbabwe2017” completed by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (NEA),Zimbabwe’s hydro potential is mostly on the Zambezi River (sharedwith Zambia) and on some inland rivers and dams. The country’shydro potential is estimated at 18,600 GWh per annum on theZambezi River and about 120 MW on internal rivers and dams,however, Zimbabwe’s hydro generation is vulnerable to the impactsof climate change and climate variability. The country derives

around 80% of its hydro-power needs from Lake Kariba Dam onthe Zambezi River.

The NEA study also reports solar radiation averages of 20 MJ/m2per day. Solar radiation varies from an average of about 16MJ/m2per day in winter to about 22 MJ/m2 per day in mid-summer.Further, it claims wind speeds over Zimbabwe that are generallylow, averaging 3 m/s, although there are some areas where thewind speeds are slightly higher (Bulawayo Airport (4.35 m/s),Gweru (3.9 m/s)). Generally, the study says, wind has been usedmore for water pumping than electricity generation.

In late 2016 Zimbabwe announced it was developing a renewableenergy policy which seeks to accelerate the adoption of renewableenergy technologies in both rural and urban areas to exploit itspotential. Barriers to the adoption of the technologies were to beaddressed in the Policy Framework, and the government said itwould hold consultative workshops to gather the views of peopleon the challenges the country is facing in its efforts to develop

Africa Spotlight

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Head of State: President Emmerson DambudzoMnangagwa (since 24 November 2017)Ministry of Energy and Power Development:Joram GumboPopulation: 14,030,368 (July 2018 est.)GDP (purchasing power parity):$34.27 billion (2017 est.)GDP - Per capita: $2,300 (2017 est.)Electricity - production:6.8 billion kWh (2016 est.)Electricity - consumption:7.118 billion kWh (2016 est.)Electricity - Imports:2.22 billion kWh (2016 est.)

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renewable energy. Fast forward two years, and the policy is stillbeing fine-tuned and is in the approval process, with hopes tofinalize it in early 2019. The policy includes a renewable energyfeed in tariff (REFIT) which is yet to be implemented.

Online and Planned ProjectsA number of projects are in the planning stages while a few havecome online. These projects range from utility scale to small off-grid, with several already having a tangible impact.

In April Zimbabwe’s Kariba South Hydropower Project wasinaugurated by the country’s recently installed president, EmmersonMnangagwa. The inauguration saw units 7 and 8 of the plant onlinecontributing an additional 300 MW, increasing the capacity of theinfrastructure to 1,050 MW. The expansion project led by theChinese company Sino Hydro Corporation, had an estimated costof $533 million. This financing was provided by the Exim Bankof China ($319 million) and the balance was provided by ZimbabwePower Company (ZPC).

The huge Gwanda Solar Power project was hoped to add 300 MWto the country’s power generation capacity. Intratek was awardedthe contract in 2015, but Zimbabwe’s parliamentary energycommittee in June called for the cancelation of the project dueto what it said were irregularities and the failure of officials ofthe Zimbabwe Power Company and the Zimbabwe ElectricitySupply Authority to enforce the rules in force when awardingthe contract.

That said, it was reported later in June that the contractors for ZPChave completed and submitted the geo-technical survey report forthe project. The geo-technical survey, carried out by TailjetConsultancy at a cost of $656 000, forms part of pre-commencementworks, which ZPC had paid $5.1 million for in advance. Reportssay the completion and submission of the report sets the stage forthe start of phased construction of the plant. The solar project isto be implemented in modular phases, starting with 26.1 MW,which allows for expedited implementation, cost andquality optimization.

A number of applications were submitted in September by fourindependent power producers to the country’s Energy RegulatoryAuthority (Zera) for licenses to build new power plants. GombePower Solutions submitted an application to build a 100 MW solarPV plant in the province of Mashonaland West. Tugwi MukosiHydro Power Company, applied for a license to build a hydropowerdam of 15 MW, while Triangle Solar Systems is considering theestablishment of a 45 MW PV power plant. Food company Kefalos

Cheese applied for permission to establish a 0.6 MW power plantto power its own operations.

IBC SOLAR supplied and commissioned a 194-kilowatt peak PVsolar system with battery storage in Harare this past November.The flagship project was ordered by the Standard Association ofZimbabwe (SAZ), that will be using the PV system to provide anuninterrupted, environmentally friendly power supply to its centraladministration building.

The installed system allows SAZ to supply its own energy needsthrough solar power. The photovoltaic plant has a nominal capacityof 194 kWp and is connected to a battery storage unit with a usablecapacity of 200 kWh. Approximately 720 IBC PolySol 270 Wppolycrystalline solar modules will be producing around 300,000kWh of solar energy per year, which is calculated to meet 75% ofthe building’s energy needs. The additional battery storage unitwill ensure that the SAZ administrative building can access powereven in the event of a blackout or in times of low solar irradiation.The system will save 270 tons of CO2 annually, helping protectthe climate and the environment.

Off-Grid PowerSince 2012, home solar products have become a fast-growingbusiness model in Zimbabwe, providing off-grid citizens withpower on a pay-as-you-go model, a popular scheme in sub-SaharanAfrica. In 2015, the government launched a solar energy campaignwith the aim of cutting residential power usage by 40 percent.Installing solar water heaters became a successful component ofthat initiative, along with other useful products for the household.

Greenlight Planet’s partner, Zonful Energy, a pay as you go (PAYG)company in Zimbabwe distributed 10,000 Sun King solar homesystems over a span of four months. Zonful Energy, alongsideGreenlight Planet, distributed and financed Sun King Home 60 &Sun King Home 120 Plus products, which are solar home lightingsolutions for households that lack adequate access to the electricgrid. Zonful provides smart credit to enable low-income consumersto access these energy products and pay for them in installmentsusing a mobile money platform.

This partnership has brought solar and mobile technology to provideaffordable, clean and bright energy to off-grid villages in Zimbabwewith Greenlight Planet’s Sun King Home range. This product offerscomprehensive energy solutions with charging capabilities for fourhanging lamps, a USB port for mobile charging, portable radios,and a motion sensor security lamp to provide light and otherfundamental household electronics.

OutlookPositive developments out of Zimbabwe are many, and the countryis on the right track, but the authorities do need to focus andstreamline the process in continued consultation with developmentand technology partners. Passing the required regulations to enticeinvestors is paramount to success. Sub-Sahara Africa has becomean investor favorite for small to utility scale projects, but withoutthe regulatory framework in place, Zimbabwe is missing the REinvestment wave. With the vast amount of renewable energyresources at its disposal, time is of the essence.

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African Politics

Egypt Taking Over as Africa Union HeadEgypt is taking over as the head of the AfricanUnion in 2019 and as such is positioning andpromoting itself to become a cornerstone forintra-African trade. As 2018 comes to an endthe government is getting started on its dutiesfor 2019, hosting a high-level business forumin the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh thatwill be followed by an intra-African trade fairin Cairo.

In a speech to theforum, PresidentAbdel Fattah el-Sisi encouragedinvestors frominside and outsideAfrica to takeadvantage ofopportunities onthe continent as

countries, including his own, pursuedeconomic reform.

As chair of the African Union, “we will seekwith sincere effort to build on what has beenachieved over the past years and to completeour continent’s development agenda,” Sisi toldthe forum, which was attended by heads ofstate from other African nations.

While he is looking to kickstart projectswith his fellow African nations he did questionif African governments could enact changefast enough. Governments on the continentare well known for being bureaucratic andslow moving when it comes to gettingbusiness done.

Togo Becomes 20th

Member Nation of AFCTogo has become the 20th Member State ofAfrica Finance Corporation (AFC), Africa’sleading infrastructure development financeinstitution. Togo’s membership of AFC alsomakes it the 12th West African member ofAFC after Nigeria, Guinea Bissau, Ghana,Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, Guinea, Chad,Cape Verde, Benin and Côte d’Ivoire.

Togo has in recent years delivered one of thehighest growth rates across the continent,

averaging over 5% since the beginning of thecommodity downturn (2011), against acontinental average of less than 4% during thesame time period, as well as an impressivelylow inflation rate, projected to come in at just0.5% in 2018. As the World Bank notes, thishas been a result of Togo’s fiscal disciplineand prudent monetary policy.

As a consequence of the retrenchment of publiccapital spending however, the Togoleseeconomy grew 0.5% slower in 2017 (4.5%)than 2016, with the construction industry beingone of the main casualties.

To overcome this, the Togolese governmentlaunched in August 2018 the NationalDevelopment Plan (PND), which will seek toattract $5.4 billion in private sector investment,with the infrastructure sector as a keyinvestment priority. Projects currentlyearmarked include the Port of Lome, anAirport hub and Railway infrastructure,among others.

Togo’s milestone decision to join AFC willtherefore enhance its ability to access AFC’saward-winning capacity for infrastructuredevelopment, financing expertise tocomplement the PND’s objectives as well asthe AFC’s advisory services to modernize andbolster its economy.

Samaila Zubairu, President and CEO of AFCcommented on the announcement: “We arevery pleased to welcome the Togolese Republicas a Member State of AFC.

“Earlier this year, we saw the country outlineits very ambitious plan for modernizing itseconomy, and in particular its infrastructure,through the PND announced last August. AsAfrica’s leading investor in the sector, wetherefore stand ready to become Togo’s go topartner for infrastructure financing anddevelopment.”

US Reestablishes PermanentDiplomatic Presence in SomaliaOn December 2, for the first time since theclosure of the U.S. Embassy in Mogadishu onJanuary 5, 1991, the United States has

reestablished a permanent diplomatic presencein Somalia.

A statement released by the embassy read,“This historic event reflects Somalia’s progressin recent years and is another step forward informalizing U.S. diplomatic engagement inMogadishu since recognizing the FederalGovernment of Somalia in 2013. Our returndemonstrates the United States’ commitmentto further advance stability, democracy, andeconomic development that are in the interestof both nations. Ambassador DonaldYamamoto and his staff look forward toworking closely with the people and the FederalGovernment of Somalia to strengthen ouralready close bilateral relationship infurtherance of these shared goals.”

UN Monitoring UpcomingElections in SenegalThe Special Representative of the UnitedNations Secretary-General for West Africa andthe Sahel, Mohamed Ibn Chambas has saidthe United Nations was following “with keeninterest” the process leading to Senegal’spresidential election scheduled for February24, 2019.

“We are following it with interest and wecontinue to encourage the opposition and thegovernment to maintain dialogue to easetensions,” Chambas said. He also spoke on thefight against terrorism in the Sahel andupcoming elections in the West Africa region,including in Nigeria.

“We have supported the organization of apolitical dialogue regarding the presidentialelections. We are taking these kinds ofinitiatives in Senegal but also elsewhere in theworld to strengthen inclusiveness in theelectoral process,” Chambas added.

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi

Mohamed Ibn Chambas

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Tekeleza Prize Winners AnnouncedRunners up and winners of the Tekeleza Prize,the last stage of Ideas for Impact’s ClimateInformation Prize (CIP) were announced atthe end of November at a ceremony in Nairobi.The Ideas to Impact program, which is fundedby UK Aid delivered by the Department forInternational Development (DFID), runsinnovation prizes to stimulate solutions toclimate change adaptation and access to energy,and water, sanitation and hygiene.

It includes Frontier Technology Live streaming(FTL), which explores the use of frontiertechnologies like drones, 3D printers and blockchain live in DFID’s countries of operation totackle development challenges, from internetconnectivity to health.

Out of 40 applicants, 29 were selected toparticipate in the competition and implementtheir proposed initiatives. The initiatives rangefrom short message services and softwareapplications that relay climate informationthrough to face-to-face training. On assessingthe progress and impact these initiativesmade in helping target communities accessclimate information, nine applicants emergedas finalists. They were subjected to livejudging to determine the seven winners, towhom were awarded a total of over $500,000in cash prizes.

The runners-up were Weather and ClimateChange Solution for Smallholder Farmers byCosdep; Sustainable Organic Farming andDevelopment Initiative (SOFDI); andLandInfo Mobile App. All runners-up wereawarded $35,000.

There were four winners in the competitionwith Last Mile Connectivity through Agro-dealers Franchise Model, Village Youth Agentsand Mobile Technology by Farmers Pridetaking home the biggest prize of $200,000.Winning $75,000 was Climate SmartAgriculture by Ukulima Tech. SmartAg bySmartAg Ltd. was also awarded $75,000, Thelast winner was Akiporoo, which in Turkanalanguage means Smart Weather Community,taking a $50,000 prize.

MCC ApprovesEnergy Compact for SenegalThe Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC)has just approved a new Energy Compact forSenegal. This agreement will see $550 millionfor the electricity sector and $50 million forstimulating economic growth and progress.Funding can be started as soon as the compactis adopted by the US Congress.

Funding for the power sector will support threeprojects, including upgrading and strengtheningthe country’s electricity grid, increasing accessto energy for rural people, and buildingcapacity, according to a statement fromthe MCC.

“This Compact will help Senegal develop itselectricity infrastructure and strengthen itsenergy sector, transforming the lives of millionsof people across the country. Its impact willbe felt for the years to come,” said TulinaboMushingi, the US ambassador to Senegal.

Azuri and APA InsuranceIntroduce HospiCashOff-grid solar consumers can now opt in to anaffordable insurance cover for loss of incomeand funeral expenses thanks to Azuri andAPA partnership.

Azuri Technologies, a leading provider of pay-as-you-go solar power in conjunction withAPA Insurance, Kenya’s leading insurer,announced the launch of HospiCash, a low-cost micro-insurance product for Azuri solarpower customers across Kenya.

By adding the optional HospiCash service totheir pay-as-you-go home solar solution, Azuricustomers benefit from the peace of mind withincome cover when hospitalized, in addition,to cover for funeral expenses.

Azuri HospiCash customers who are unableto work due to being hospitalized can claimup to KES 1,000 per day. In addition, thepolicy also covers funeral expenses up to KES10,000 upon the death of the insured paid toa named beneficiary.

Togolese EntrepreneurWinner of BOAD AwardTogolese entrepreneur Yao Azoumah wasnamed the winner of Banque Ouest-Africainede Développement’s (BOAD) award forBest Innovative Project in the field ofrenewable energies.

Winning with his project “KYA-SoP electro-solar groups,” he is awarded, in addition to

networking with technical and financialpartners, an envelope of 30 million FCFA.Azoumah will also benefit, according tothe organizers, from the ByteblocsInternational Prize for Innovation andEntrepreneurship 2018.

The prize consists of an individualized supportof six months and a one-week course in theEntrepreneurship Center of the TechnicalUniversity of Denmark, an institution thatsupports start-ups until the maturation oftheir projects.

His company, KYA-SoP, created in 2015, offersa decentralized system of electricity supply,using standardized hybrid mobile cabinets.

AfDB Launches Africa Energy PortalAfDB, at the Africa Investment Forum broughttogether investors, policy makers andgovernment officials for a presentation of itsnew initiative on November 9, the AfricaEnergy Portal (AEP). The AEP portal, hostedat http://Africa-Energy-Portal.org, willconsolidate, validate, and disseminate energydata and insights across Africa’s energy valuechain, covering generation, transmission,distribution, regulation and policy.

The AEP is designed to address a lack ofinformation in the sector, by providing a one-stop-shop for accurate, reliable, relevant, andup-to-date information on energy in Africa.This will include statistics on investment flowsand deals, as well as the socio-economicoutcomes of power projects.

In addition to being an information repository,the AEP will also provide an interactiveplatform for knowledge-sharing among Africa’senergy sector stakeholders and experts. It willserve as a virtual space for engagement, andprogressive dialogue on pertinent issuesaffecting the development of the continent’senergy and power infrastructure.

The AEP will leverage the bank’s energy sectorand statistical expertise in order to consolidateand generate verified data and statistics onAfrica’s energy sector. The bank also aims tocollaborate with regional organizations, andin-country statistics agencies to develop datacollection and validation procedures to improvethe quality of publicly available informationon the continent’s energy sector.

Unity Bank Going SolarNigeria’s Unity Bank is going solar. Thecompany and Daystar Power are workingtogether to move the bank’s power supply at

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its 240 branches across the West African nationfrom diesel to solar-powered solutions.

The bank believes the switch will enhance thebanking experience of its retail customers.

Daystar Power belongs to the venture capitalcompany Sunray Ventures of the Germanfounders Christian Wessels and Jasper Grafvon Hardenberg. Daystar Power will provideUnity Bank with a combination of hybridbattery backed-up solar power solutions, whichwill reduce costs as well as carbon emissions.

Fronius Wins Two PrizesFronius International GmbH was recentlyhonored not only for the outstanding designof its products, but also for its pioneeringservices. The Fronius Ohmpilot, a cleverconsumption regulator that uses excess PVenergy to heat water, and the FroniusSOLH2UB, the first green hydrogen fillingstation to be operated at an Austriancompany, proved to be equally adept at winningthe plaudits.

“The Fronius Ohmpilot is not only a practicalhelper in the efficient use of solar energy –and thus an important building block for thevision of 24 hours of sun – but it is also a realdesign wonder,” explained Martin Hackl, thehead of solar energy at Fronius InternationalGmbH. The jury of the German Design Award2019 agreed.

Fronius was also awarded the Austrian NationalEnvironmental & Energy Technology Prize.In October, Fronius received the highest stateaward for pioneering achievements thatcontribute to sustainable environmental andclimate protection. Austria’s first filling stationfor green hydrogen on a commercialpremises – the Fronius SOLH2UB at the R&Dcenter in Thalheim near Wels (Upper Austria)

– won the prize in the “Research &Development” category.

Zonful Raises Funds from EAVZonful Energy has raised funds from EnergyAccess Ventures (EAV) for off-grid solar inZimbabwe. EAV targets start-up companieswhose main activity is the implementation oftechnologies and solutions in the energysector. The amount invested and the unitsacquired by the venture capitalist have notbeen disclosed.

The funds obtained by Zonful will serve tostrengthen its core team, diversify its productofferings and fund the distribution of solarpower to nearly 10 million off-grid peoplein Zimbabwe.

Several companies have joined the EAVportfolio in recent years. These include PayGoEnergy, a Kenyan company that develops andmarkets smart meters that monitor gasconsumption.

Fintech Port It Global, which provides point-of-sale payment services, and SunCulture,which designs and distributes solar poweredirrigation systems, are also part of the EAVbusiness network.

NGO Chief Convicted Guilty ofBribing Chadian & Ugandan OfficialsA federal jury in New York City convicted thehead of a non-governmental organization(NGO) based in Hong Kong and Virginia onseven counts for his participation in a multi-year, multi-million dollar scheme to bribe topofficials of Chad and Uganda in exchange forbusiness advantages for a Chinese oil and gascompany, announced Assistant AttorneyGeneral Brian A. Benczkowski of the JusticeDepartment’s Criminal Division and U.S.Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman of the SouthernDistrict of New York.

Chi Ping Patrick Ho, aka “Patrick C.P. Ho,”aka “He Zhiping,” 69, of Hong Kong, China,was found guilty after a one-week jury trial ofone count of conspiring to violate the ForeignCorrupt Practices Act (FCPA), four counts ofviolating the FCPA, one count of conspiringto commit international money laundering andone count of committing international moneylaundering.

Ho is scheduled to be sentenced on March 14,2019. “Patrick Ho paid millions of dollars in

bribes to the leaders of two African countriesto secure contracts for a Chineseconglomerate,” said Assistant Attorney GeneralBenczkowski. ”Patrick Ho now standsconvicted of scheming to pay millions in bribesto foreign leaders in Chad and Uganda, all aspart of his efforts to corruptly secure unfairbusiness advantages for a multibillion-dollarChinese energy company,” said U.S. AttorneyBerman. “As the jury’s verdict makes clear,Ho’s repeated attempts to corrupt foreignleaders were not business as usual, butcriminal efforts to undermine the fairnessof international markets and erode thepublic’s faith in its leaders.” For the full story,visit AE-Africa.com.

NECSA Board OustedSouth African Energy Minister Jeff Radebeannounced that the entire board of directors ofstate-run nuclear firm Necsa have been let goand the chief executive has been suspendedover problems with how it was governed.

Necsa is one of the world’s largest producersof medical radioisotopes and promotes researchand development in nuclear energy.

“The Necsa board failed to execute its statutorymandate in a satisfactory and prudent manner,”Radebe told a news conference. According toRadebe several of the board’s members hadshown “ineptitude and deliberate acts ofdefiance” which had resulted in setbacksincluding a halt in production of radioisotopesat Necsa subsidiary NTP.

South Africa currently has two nuclear reactorswith an installed capacity of around 1,800 MWat a power plant near Cape Town.

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Morocco Revising RE Targets UpwardKing Mohammed VI, Morocco’s ruler, hasordered the 2030 targets for renewable energiesbe revised upward. Up to this point, the countryhad planned to produce 52% of its electricityfrom renewable sources. But King MohammedVI said this was not enough and that the countrymust go further.

The King also orderedthe implementation ofan integrated programto equip all theprogrammed waterdesalination plantsw i t h r e n e w a b l eenergy productionunits to make themautonomous. For this,stations will have to

use the closest and most available renewableenergy sources from their location. It is alsoplanned, if necessary, that biomass plants areinstalled near these stations and the wasteproduced in major cities be used as feedstock.

MASEN, the national organization in chargeof the sub-sector, has achieved all the objectivesit has set for itself in 2018, notably with theinstallation of the entire Noor Ouarzazate solarcomplex, which with its 580 MW, is now thelargest in the world.

IRENA Plans Single RE Market in AfricaThe International Renewable Energy Agency(IRENA) plans to create a single renewableenergy market in Africa. The continentalinitiative would encourage lower electricitycosts and a reliable supply for Africanconsumers. The single energy market isincluded in the African Union’s NewPartnership for Africa’s Development(NEPAD) infrastructure development program.“We believe that a single renewable energymarket will create a much larger scale forinvestment in renewable energy production inAfrica,” said Adnan Amin, Chief ExecutiveOfficer global body, alongside the launch ofKenya’s national electrification strategy.

Adnan Amin noted that about 60% of theworld’s population without access to electricityservices lives in sub-Saharan Africa andthat renewable energies could play a centralrole in ensuring universal access to electricityin Africa.

Ethiopia Targeting Access for All by 2025Ethiopia is targeting energy access for all itscitizens by 2025. The country, which currently

has an electrification rate of 58%, intends toimplement important hydroelectric andgeothermal projects in order to achievethis goal.

Bizuneh Tolcha, the director of public relationsof the Ministry of Irrigation, Water and Energy,told Xinhua, “The ministry will need $1.5billion over the first five years of theimplementation of the universal electrificationprogram. The World Bank has already provided$375 million in loans to support thiselectrification program.”

Achieving this goal means that the countrywill need to increase power from the current4,280 MW to more than 17,300 MW by 2025,with help from new hydro, wind, geothermaland biomass projects.

One of those planned projects is theconstruction of the Grande Renaissancehydropower plant. The hydropower plant hasa projected capacity of 6,450 MW. The damis one of the major projects to increase thecountry’s electricity capacity. The $4.7 billionimplementation cost for the infrastructure isalready 68% complete.

Rwanda Signs DPO with World BankThe government of Rwanda signed aDevelopment Policy Credit Agreement (DPO)with the World Bank to support a fiscallysustainable expansion of electricity services.This DPO is the second in a list of three andwill focus mainly on controlling the impact oftaxation on the electricity sector.

The DPO will also improve operationalefficiency, affordable power supply andelectricity accounting. Its acquisition is partof the national transformation plan initiatedby the country to be implemented from 2017to 2024.

With this new funding, the authorities hope toconnect 154,000 new homes and businessesto the national grid for the new fiscal year.

Nigeria Commits to Vision 30:30:30 GoalsThe Nigerian government aims to produce30% of its energy from renewable sources by2030 to diversify its energy mix. The countrycurrently has 85% of its power coming fromthermal power plants operating mainly onnatural gas and 15% from hydropower.

“Let me be clear by saying that ourcommitment as a country to put in placerenewable and low carbon energy is clear and

firm. But that’s not all. It is a commitmentdriven by necessity that will rely on policiesand contracts,” said Babatunde Fashola,Minister for Power, Works and Housing.

As part of this plan the government signedpower purchase agreements with 14independent power producers who will buildabout 1,000 MW of solar power plants.

Fashola also stated that this goal was part ofVision 30:30:30 which is to have, by 2030, aninstalled capacity of 30 GW, of which30% renewable.

Power Africa Gets New PartnerThe Eastern and Southern African Trade andDevelopment Bank (TDB) and USAID’sPower Africa initiative signed a MoU that willfinance power projects in 22 African countries.The MoU was signed at African DevelopmentBank’s inaugural Africa Investment Forum,where emphasis on investment is at the coreof tens of transactions anticipated to take place.

At the signing, the TBA’s President and ChiefExecutive, Admassu Tadesse, said, “TDB isvery pleased to deepen its existing partnershipwith USAID in further support of the PowerAfrica Initiative, which resonates strongly withTDB’s strategy and mandate. We are proud tocount USAID among our growing number ofcooperating trade and development financepartners in the US.”

As a new entrant to the program thiscollaboration makes TDB the 18th developmentpartner of the Power Africa initiative. Thisformalizes an already existing relationshipbetween Power Africa and TBD, which hasbeen working together to finance the powersector and will now further strengthen thecommitment to powering Africa throughlocal institutions.

The Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator ofUSAID’s Africa Bureau, Ramsey Day, said,“we are excited to welcome TDB as our 18th

development partner. We applaud the bank’scommitment to increase its exposure in theenergy sector from its current 8% to 20% ofits portfolio, the equivalent of bringing$400 million new dollars towards powersector financing”.

At the plenary session, some of the key takeaway messages exemplified by this MoUsigning were to scale up, speed up, andsynergize the opportunities for investment atthe Africa Investment Forum.

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ConferencesView news items in their entirety at www.AE-Africa.com

Please check with organizers directly to confirm information as dates and venues are subject to change.

November 20186-8 Dakar, Senegal www.ametrade.org

5th Senegal International Mining Conference &Exhibition (SIM SENEGAL 2018)

14-15 Casablanca, Morocco www.africa-renewable-energy-forum.comAfrica Renewable Energy Forum

December 20186-8 Kigali, Rwanda www.expogr.comSolar Energy Expo 2018 Rwanda

13-14 Lagos, Nigeria www.future-energy-nigeria.comFuture Energy Nigeria

11-13 Nouakchott, Mauritania www.mauritanidesmr.com5th Edition of Mauritanides 2018

March 201926-27 Johannesburg, South Africa www.terrapinn.comPower & Electricity World 2019

21-22 United Arab Emirates www.proventusglobal.comMENA Power & Water 2018

25-26 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia www.renewableenergyksa.comSaudi Renewable Energy Summit 2018

11-12 Cape Town, South Africa www.sares-sa.comSouthern Africa Renewable Energy Forum

11-12 Cape Town, South Africa www.bies-sa.comBlack Industrialists Energy Summit

February 2019

27-28 Houston, TX www.wplgroup.com12th CO2 Utilization Summit

June 201911-14 Lisbon, Portugal www.africa-energy-forum.comAfrica Energy Forum

28-29 Tunis, Tunisia www.renewablenorthafrica.comRenewable Conference North Africa 2019 (RCNA 2019)

25-27 Miami, Florida www.poweringafrica-summit.comPowering Africa Summit

Vol. 11 Issue 6 - Petroleum Africa

Documents

Transcript of Vol. 11 Issue 6 - Petroleum Africa