Namibia may launch second green-hydrogen bidding process in early 2022

The Namibian government may release a second request for proposal (RFP) early next year for the development of another large-scale green-hydrogen complex, having announced a preferred bidder for the first such project in early November. Presidential Economic Adviser James Mnyupe told delegates to the virtual Africa Green Hydrogen Forum on November 23 that Namibia may make an announcement on the new RFP at the World Economic Forum, scheduled to take place in Davos, Switzerland, from January 17 to 21.
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Minerals Council members could deliver up to 3 900 MW of supplementary electricity supply

Minerals Council South Africa member companies could deliver up to 3 900 MW of renewable energy projects worth an estimated R60-billion, which, if built, would relieve pressure on State-owned power utility Eskom and go a long way towards meeting the industry’s commitment to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Eskom CEO Andre De Ruyter told a Parliamentary Portfolio Committee last week that the utility needs an additional 4 000 MW to 6 000 MW of generating capacity to conduct an effective and sustainable reliability maintenance programme on its existing fleet of power stations without disrupting national electricity supply.
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South Africa graft ombudsman holds hearings in renewables probe

South Africa’s graft ombudsman will hold a week of hearings as part of an investigation into the awarding of contracts to independent renewable power producers. The probe was established in 2019 after a complaint by a nongovernmental organisation that alleged “improper conduct and maladministration” by Eskom Holdings and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy, the Public Prosecutor’s spokesperson Oupa Segalwe said in a post on Twitter.
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Eskom’s biggest creditor sees barriers to debt-for-equity swap

South Africa’s Government Employees Pension Fund (GEPF), the biggest investor in Eskom Holdings debt, said there were significant hurdles to a proposal that its bonds be converted to equity to help rescue the struggling power monopoly. The initiative, which has been backed by the country’s biggest labor unions, was first examined by the Public Investment Corporation (PIC), which manages most of the pension fund’s investments, but the GEPF has not been formally approached about a potential swap, its investment chief said.
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Total, Eni eye billion-dollar energy projects in Libya

France’s TotalEnergies and Italy’s SpA said they were ready to invest billions of dollars in Libya as the Opec nation emerges from a decade of conflict and civil war. “I want to contribute to Libya’s comeback,” TotalEnergies’ CEO Patrick Pouyanne said on Monday at an energy conference in the capital, Tripoli. “Some may see more boldness than wisdom in TotalEnergies’ decision to partner with Libya. I don’t. Where they see risks, I see the opportunities.”
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