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African Wind Power Struggles to Gain Momentum

Few African countries are harnessing wind energy on a significant scale – but South Africa offers a potential model for the rest of the continent, writes Ben Payton Africa has a gaping hole in its energy supply. Six hundred million people, around half of the continent’s population, lack access to electricity. Without much faster progress, […]
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Gridworks And The Government Of Uganda Announce Pilot Project For Private Investment In The Country’s Electricity Transmission Sector

Each has been identified as a priority by Uganda’s national transmission utility (UETCL) in its latest Grid Development Plan. Gridworks will develop and finance the project – providing up to US$90m equity funding – with Siemens undertaking the upgrade work on the four substations. Investment in the transmission sector is critical to realise the Ugandan government’s development […]
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Making Just Energy Transition in South Africa Happen

A commitment to long-term decarbonisation in South Africa is set to reinvigorate investment opportunities in the country’s energy sector. Eskom Holdings Just Energy Transition General Manager Mandy Rambharos talks to Bill Lumley. What are the key challenges and opportunities for Just Energy transition in South Africa? With coal-fired utilities accounting for 88% of South Africa’s […]
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Africa Seeks more Far-Reaching Climate Policy and Finance

The COP26 climate change summit fell short of delivering fully on its promise in terms of support for sustainable energy and other climate change measures in Africa. Can COP27 in Egypt make up for the shortcomings of Glasgow? Many regions of Africa felt the health impacts of the Covid pandemic less strongly than other parts […]
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Going Private

IPPs across Africa are growing in size and scale, thanks to their ability to attract a more diverse array of financing. James Gavin reports. Over time, independent power projects (IPPs) have emerged as Africa’s fastest growing energy sector structures, spreading in popularity across borders and meeting with a surfeit of investment as private sector backers […]
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Kenya Seeks to Maximise Benefits from ‘Baseload’ Renewables

Kenya’s geothermal and hydropower resources have been major contributors to the country’s success in boosting electricity access rates, but can they play a major role in meeting surging energy demand in the future? Kenya has been one of Africa’s success stories in terms of progress towards the UN global Sustainable Development Goal of achieving universal […]
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Africa and Green Hydrogen: A Perfect Match?

Green hydrogen projects could prove vital in the fight to stem global warming, and African countries could be poised to play a pivotal role as hydrogen production and export hubs. Hydrogen is a versatile element that is in growing demand. It provides a feedstock for industries such as iron and steel, petrochemicals and ammonia, it […]
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African Energy Data

Africa’s electricity supply industry gaining momentum despite crises and delays. In common with other industries, Africa’s power sector has suffered major challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in delays, cancelled projects, and new ways of working. Problems remain, but there are indications that some momentum is returning. 2021 marked a low point for new capacity […]
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Offgrid Solar Sector Seeks to Rebuild Investor Confidence

There are signs of post-pandemic recovery for Africa’s offgrid solar industry. Now it needs to lure back the investors. Africa’s offgrid solar power industry is growing but is in urgent need of further support, as the sector struggles to shake off the negative impact of the Covid pandemic on providers of equipment and services, and […]
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Keeping the Funds Flowing into Africa’s Offgrid Projects

Innovative financing solutions are helping investment to keep flowing into African offgrid renewables projects despite the difficult operating environment. Fresh funding for offgrid solar projects in Africa has been more costly and harder to come by in the last two years than it was prior to the Covid pandemic, but that doesn’t mean investors are […]
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Staying Ahead of the Curve

South Africa is making huge strides in renewables. Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro heads up South Africa’s IPP Office. Here he talks Bill Lumley through some of the latest developments. South Africa has some of the lowest renewable energy tariffs in the world? What has made this possible? Through the competitive, independent and transparent bidding process under the […]
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Making Egypt a Green Hub

Yehia Zaki talks to Bill Lumley about the way the SCZONE is embracing renewables and its ambitions for becoming a hub for renewable energy products in Africa and the region. Eng. Yehia Zaki is the Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), an Egyptian Authority responsible for the management and the operation of 461 […]

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