GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business has won a number of recent contracts for its digital power transformers.
Andre de Ruyter, CEO of Eskom of South Africa, said that the utility has an opportunity to emerge from years of crisis by shifting from coal-fired power generation to natural gas and renewables.
Ghana’s Bui Power Authority (BPA), the body responsible for managing the Bui hydropower dam, has announced plans to construct 8 solar PV power plants with a total capacity of 259 MW in the north of the country by 2022.
Ethiopia has announced that its Grand Renaissance Dam will start generating 700 MW next year, boosting the country’s installed power generating capacity by 14 per cent.
Grid connections across Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia have expanded in recent years to improve energy access, but increasing electrification is only part of the picture. Households and businesses connected to the grid often have an unreliable electricity supply, limiting the benefits. Problems are generally related to the capacity and quality of electricity systems, but a lack of financial resources makes it difficult for utilities to rectify them.
By Simon Trace, Programme Director of the Energy and Economic Growth (EEG) research programme, funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)
Wärtsilä and Gabon Power Company (GPC) have signed a Concession Agreement with the Government of Gabon for the development, supply, construction, operation and maintenance of a 120 MW gas-fired power plant.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted Turkey’s Karpowership three licences to generate power on floating gas ships at port.
South Africa’s Eskom has announced that it will shut down 8-12 GW of coal-fired power plants – around 30 per cent of its current installed capacity – over the next 10 years.
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) has signed a PPA with the Kano State Government of Nigeria to supply 20 MW of electricity to enhance operations of the state water board.
Joao Baptista Borges, Angola’s Minister of Energy and Water, has announced that the country will invest $600 million in 2022 to increase electricity capacity in the southern region.