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Energy in Africa

  • Mozambique’s energy resources with a high potential

    MAPUTO CITY, 2015/05/14 Opportunities for exploring natural gas and other energy resources will continue to appear in Mozambique and the growing interest in energy seems to still “have a lot to give,” according to the Economist Intelligence Unit. In its new statement on Mozambique, the EIU noted that the 12 new blocks for natural gas exploration that the authorities plan to auction off at the beginning of next year are adjacent to those in which “world class” discoveries were made estimated to total 130 trillion cubic feet. This round, it said, was an extra significant step in the development of the new and prolific Mozambican energy sector and the blocks on offer may contain new and larger resources.

  • Côte D’Ivoire powers ahead with energy restructuring

    CôTE D'IVOIRE, 2015/04/01 Côte D’Ivoire powers ahead with energy restructuring Cote d’Ivoire’s power sector has traditionally been one of the major in West Africa, with the country a major exporter of electricity, but it is presently looking to boost production through renewables to meet high domestic request. The West African country, which has seen robust headline increase following the end of a bout of post-electoral unrest in 2011, is seeing local request for electricity increase by roughly 10% per year. The bulk of the country’s existing 1600MW capacity comes from thermal plants, but as consumption inches up, the government is looking for additional sustainable means of keeping the lights on.

  • Either We Break the Eskom Monopoly, or It Breaks Us in South Africa

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2015/02/04 If anyone still has any doubts about the severity of our electricity crisis, two recent articles should act as a final wake up call. The initial reported that Cabinet had been briefed by Eskom on the risk of a nationwide blackout. This is what happens at the same time as the grid fails and everything shuts down indefinitely. In other words, at the same time as load-shedding wasn't enough to protect the grid from collapse. If this happens, we'd need to source a huge all of electricity elsewhere to "re-start" the grid. This is not available from any of our neighbours. To avoid this catastophe, it is inevitable that we will face heavy load-shedding for the foreseeable next.

  • The 11,488 solar systems from China were bought for 2.8 million dollars

    CHINA, 2015/01/06 The Ministry of Water, Irrigation & Energy (MoWIE), through its Rural Electrification Fund (REF), has procured 11,488 solar home systems (SHS) from the Chinese Company Cecep Oasis New Energy Company, which are expected to be delivered within three weeks. The IDA provided the financing, a total of 2.8 million dollars, for the purchase of the systems which will be distributed to 11, 488 households that are members of the 207 cooperatives in the regions. At different times before the Ministry had procured and distributed institutional solar systems, says YisehakSeboka, the Rural Electrification Fund (REF) Coordinator at the Ministry. The initial was in 2006 at the same time as 200 health posts received these systems.

  • In Blackout-Hit South Africa, Could Hydrogen Be the Answer?

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2015/01/05 At initial glance, the Cape Flats Nature Reserve building at the University of the Western Cape doesn't seem exceptional. The modest two-storey structure hosts office space and utility rooms for the six staff who care for the plants and animals living in the 30-hectare reserve. But the building is a major milestone in South Africa's struggle to relieve its dependence on fossil fuels. It runs on hydrogen, an infinitely renewable fuel that, at the same time as used to generate power, produces no emissions apart from water and heat. The building's electricity is supplied by a prototype hydrogen fuel cell (HFC) power generator that was launched in November by the university's Hydrogen South Africa (HySA) Systems Centre of Competence.

  • Mozambique: All District Capitals Electrified By End of Year

    MAPUTO CITY, 2014/12/14 The capitals of all of Mozambique's 128 districts will be electrified by 31 December, according to Energy Minister Salvador Namburete, cited in Friday's issue of the Maputo daily “Noticias”. He was speaking in Macossa, in the central province of Manica, on Thursday, during the ceremony at which this district capital was connected to the national grid. An identical ceremony took place before in the day in Nhacolo, capital of Tambara district. Namburete said that only four districts remain to be electrified - Massangena and Chicualacuala in Gaza province, Maringue in Sofala and Nipepe in Niassa. Work is under way in all four of these small towns, and it is expected that the electrification projects will be completed by the end of the year.

  • South Africa: Low Risk of Load Shedding - Eskom

    SOUTH AFRICA, 2014/12/14 Although the power system is expected to be tight over the next few days, the risk of load shedding is low due to increased plant availability, says Eskom. "The system is expected to be tight for the next few days. However, the risk of load shedding is low. This is due to the increase in plant availability as a number of units that were on maintenance have been returned to service since Monday," said Eskom in its system status bulletin on Thursday. The power utility called on South Africans to use electricity sparingly.

  • Kenya Power to Sell 30mw Power to Rwanda

    KENYA, 2014/12/11 Kenya Power has entered into an agreement to sell 30MW of power to Rwanda in July 2015. The sale will boost Rwanda's supply that is hampered by generation capacity shortage, MD and CEO Ben Chumo said on Tuesday. The 30MW will be transmitted through Uganda's infrastructure next it reinforces its transmission grids alongside Kenya. Kenya Power, Uganda Electricity Transmission Company Ltd (UETCL) and Rwanda Energy Group Limited (REG) have completed negotiations and established an interconnected transmission to facilitate the trade.

  • ZETDC Floats Tender for Smart Meters in Zimbabwe

    ZIMBABWE, 2014/12/06 THE Zimbabwe Electricity Transmission and Distribution Company has started selling bid documents to private companies for the supply of smart metering equipment estimated to cost around $100 million. Expectations are that the smart metering system will improve revenue generation amid reports that millions of dollars were being lost through theft and leakages on the prepaid meters. Managing director Mr Julian Chinembiri confirmed yesterday that the tender had been advertised and interested companies were in the process of buying tender papers.

  • Harnessing Water to Power Africa - Bigger Solutions for Bigger Problems

    AFRICA, 2014/12/06 Looking at the earth during a night flight across the continent Africa tells all the grim story of a darker and invisible continent; face it, it is not as illuminated as a lot of continents are on earth - mainly Europe, North America and parts of Asia. Save for the North-Eastern corner of Africa (Egypt) and the southern tip (Republic of South Africa) the rest of the continent, home to a total of 54 nations, is dark. What explains the stark difference in life between the illuminated and the darkened parts of the world may vary depending on who does the explanation; but the one simple and from presently on dominant difference lies in how much have nations in the non-illuminated continent done to harness their own resources to meet their energy needs, for providing energy is beyond illuminating the night. The irony is Africa\'s hunger for energy is left unfed not because the continent lacks the potential but because what is available as a potential is not translated into an actual capacity.
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