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AfDB, AFD extend $300m in funding to Tanzania’s Kakono hydroelectric plant

The government of Tanzania, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the French Development Agency (AFD) have signed agreements for two development project loans worth $300-million to finance the construction of the 87.8 MW Kakono hydropower plant in Tanzania.

Located in the Kagera region, in the northern part of Tanzania, the hydroelectric project also received a grant of €36-million from the European Union (EU).

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Investment in expanding economic activity most important – BLSA

Business lobby organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says much of the investment commitments made during the South Africa Investment Conference are effectively replacement investments, such as companies building their own electricity plants because they can no longer rely on State-owned Eskom to produce it. “Such investments do not expand the capacity of the economy, but merely protect the existing capacity. Investment is not a good in and of itself. It is good for what it creates, including economic activity and to enable citizens to live better lives,” she states in her weekly newsletter.
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Colloquium fleshes out JET issues

As South Africa progresses on its just energy transition (JET) journey, there are several areas on which stakeholders have agreed, while others require further debate, consideration and acknowledgement. This was indicated by Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy, summing up a panel discussion during the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) National Colloquium on long-term electricity planning and the just transition, held on April 14.
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Small reprieve as Stage 5 and 4 loadshedding planned over weekend

Loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 5 on Saturday and Stage 4 on Sunday, Eskom said on Friday.  Eskom said due to lower weekend demand, loadshedding will be reduced to Stage 5 from 05:00 until 16:00 on Saturday.
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Bheki Nxumalo appointed Eskom generation head

State-owned power utility Eskom has appointed Bheki Nxumalo group executive for generation, with immediate effect. He will report directly to the Eskom Group acting CE Calib Cassim. Nxumalo’s career in the energy sector spans over 20 years from junior to senior management and executive levels. He is an all-round business leader comfortable in governance, people and technical aspects of the role, the utility said in a statement.
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LNG has multiple benefits as a transition fuel – CEO

Liquified natural gas (LNG) used in a generator enables individuals and enterprises to not only save costs but also reduce their carbon-emission contributions. Helium and natural gas producer Renergen CEO Stefano Marani says natural gas produces an inordinately smaller carbon footprint than that of diesel, oil or petrol.
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UPS systems necessary for businesses – company

Downtime can be costly for any business, especially for growing ones that need to be operational around the clock. Power management company Eaton’s uninterruptable power supply (UPS) systems are renowned for reliability, with a proven track record of providing UPS to critical systems. With Eaton UPS systems, businesses can be confident that their systems will remain up and running even during power outages.
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Pursuing a future with green hydrogen aircraft

While Western Cape drone developer FlyH2 Aerospace is making headway with the development of its long endurance, remotely piloted aircraft system hydrogen-electric aircraft, the Dragonfly V, it is establishing a new division, FlyH2 Energy, to develop fuel cells and water electrolysers for small-scale, green hydrogen production to power aircraft. The company hopes to collaborate with local institutions and companies to develop green hydrogen electrolysers and ground refuelling stations, says FlyH2 cofounder and lead designer Mark van Wyk.
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Consortium signs agreements for S Africa solar projects

Leading renewable energy company Mainstream and its consortium Ikamva will be advancing six solar photovoltaic (PV) projects in South Africa – with a combined capacity of 450 MW. This has been secured in Round 5 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) towards financial close now that key implementation and 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) are in place.
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Africa has ‘golden opportunity’ in battery commodities market

The battery commodities market is experiencing a golden age of growth and development, spurred by rapid technological advances and the growing demand for batteries to support cleaner mobility and the roll-out of variable renewables generators. Global battery demand is forecast to grow by some 1 615 GWh, or 384.5%, over the next eight years, according to statistics aggregator Statista. This anticipated upsurge in demand for lithium-ion and other batteries is largely attributed to the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), which are expected to progressively replace internal combustion engine passenger cars.
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