Tag: Electricity

Burkina Faso secures US$69m from AfDB to finance access to electricity in peri-urban areas

Frank

BURKINA FASO – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a new €59.43 million (US$69.63m) loan to Burkina Faso to finance access to electricity for 218,400 households in peri-urban and rural areas. The financing granted by the African Development Bank (AfDB) is intended to accelerate access to electricity in Burkina Faso through two government-led projects. These are the Electrification and Development of Electricity Connections Project (Pedecel) which will be implemented between October 2021 and December 2025. The Yeleen project benefits from this new financing from the pan-African bank. The project…

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IRENA and IAEA to assist African Union develop the African Power Master Plan

Frank

AFRICA – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) have been selected as modelling partners for the development of the African Continental Power Systems Master Plan (CMP). The initiative is led by the African Union Development Agency (AUDA) with the technical and financial support of the European Union (EU) and is aimed at establishing a long-term continent-wide planning process. The two agencies’ modelling tools will be the official planning models utilised in this initiative. African energy ministers tasked the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD)…

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ADF extends US$2.5m in grants to support the regulatory environment in SADC and COMESA electricity markets

Frank

SOUTHERN AFRICA – The Board of the African Development Bank Group has approved grants of US$2.5 million to advance intra-regional harmonization of electricity regulations and drive cross-border power trading in the COMESA and SADC regional blocs, which cover 28 African countries. The grants, US$1,500,000 for COMESA and US$1,000,000 for SADC, will be sourced from the African Development Fund, the Bank Group’s concessional financing window. The projects will be implemented through the Regional Association of Energy Regulators for Eastern and Southern Africa (RAERESA) and the Regional Energy Regulators Association of Southern Africa (RERA) respectively.  …

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Mozambique to offload majority stake in US$2.4b Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower dam

Frank

MOZAMBIQUE – Mozambique has announced plans to sell a majority stake in the planned US$2.4 billion Mphanda Nkuwa hydropower, which is set to be one of the biggest in Southern Africa. The aim is to reach a financial close by 2024 on the 1,500MW facility and an associated transmission line that could increase the total project cost to as much as US$4.4 billion. The government will issue a request for proposals this year 2021 and will take up to four months to select the winner and another six weeks to…

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AfDB approves US$99m loan for second phase of Electricity and Green Growth Support Program

Frank

EGYPT – The African Development Bank (AfDB) through its Board of Directors, have approved an €83 million (US$99.07m) loan to finance the second phase of Egypt’s Electricity and Green Growth Support Program. The funding is part of the Bank’s budget support to the Egyptian government to strengthen its electricity infrastructure, which is expected to bolster the private sector and accelerate recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. The program seeks to enhance the power sector’s financial sustainability, governance and operations. It will also advance the provision of clean, reliable energy to drive…

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Benin secures US$200m funding from World Bank to improve access to electricity services

Frank

BENIN – The World Bank approved US$200 million in International Development Association (IDA), funding to help Benin improve access to electricity services for households, businesses, and basic public services. The Benin Electricity Access Scale-Up Project will carry out densification and extension works to increase access to grid electricity services for households, small and medium enterprises, and some basic public services. About 2,000 km of medium voltage lines and 4,000 km of low voltage lines will be constructed or rehabilitated and 80,000 kVA of transformers installed in 1,100 localities. At least…

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South Africa increases license-exemption cap on distributed projects to 100 MW in a bid to tackle power crisis

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that the license-exemption cap on self- or distributed-generation plants would be raised from 1 MW to 100 MW to help address the country’s electricity crisis, which has been weighing down economic growth and confidence for more than a decade. The increase would be facilitated by an amendment to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act “within the next 60 days or sooner”. It exceeds calls made by organized business and labor to increase the threshold to at least 50 MW, and allows the so-called embedded-generation…

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Senegal’s Karpowership secures US$60m from Mauritius Commercial Bank

Frank

SENEGAL – The Mauritius Commercial Bank Ltd, MCB, is facilitating Senegal’s endeavour to improve its national electrification rate through its US$60 million participation in the syndicated project finance facility of US$140 million to Karpowership. MCB was not only a co-mandated lead arranger but provided the highest loan commitment. The project finance facility is enabling Karpowership to operate its 235 MW Powership alongside the shores of Dakar since August 2019. The Powership is contributing to around 15% of Senegal’s electricity supply. According to Africa Energy Outlook 2019, Senegal’s electrification rate was…

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Eskom adds 800MW to the grid as Kusile Power Station comes online

Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Electricity public utility Eskom has added up to 800MW of supply to the national grid after unit 3 at the Kusile power station was brought online. The activation of unit 3 means Kusile, whose construction is years behind schedule due to labour disputes and design problems, is now producing up to 2.4GW of electricity from three of its six units. “Bringing the 800MW unit to commercial status means construction activity has come to an end on half the eMalahleni, Mpumalanga project,” Eskom said in a statement. “The…

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World Bank approves US$22.5m additional financing for ROGEP to increase electricity access

Frank

WEST AFRICA – The Executive Directors of the World Bank have approved an additional financing of US$22.5 million for the Regional Off-Grid Electrification Project (ROGEP) to be implemented in 19 countries. The funds, which come from the International Development Association (IDA), a subsidiary of the World Bank, and the Clean Technology Funds (CTF), are for the ROGEP, which will increase access to electricity in 19 countries in West and Central Africa. ROGEP, launched in 2019, is undergoing a new development. The West African Development Bank (BOAD), which is piloting the…

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