25 Apr 2012
World Bank loans Kenya Power US$47m ... while 500 communities in Ghana to receive power ... as AECOM wins excellence award for Africa electrical interconnection project ... but Kenya Power’s escalating rates despite profits!
Engineering News: Kenya Power receives $47m World Bank loan for distribution projects
John Muchira of Engineering News reports that the World Bank granted Kenya Power a US$47m loan to improve its power distribution network. The country will construct new 132KV substations and transmission lines to connect the substations in certain regions.
According to Kenya Power MD, Joseph Njoroge, the new projects form part of the government’s Kenya Electricity Expansion Project and...
30 Apr 2012
Can Sub-Saharan Africa rely on off-grid renewable power?... The Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA) advances solar development…Botswana’s “critical” power infrastructure investment
Renewable Energy World: Rural Africa Looks Beyond the Grid
Piers Evans of Renewable Energy World discusses the different viewpoints on whether sub-Saharan Africa can rely on off-grid renewable power to meet its power needs. The article quotes from a number of reports and analysts to decipher the region’s off-grid potential. According to the article, the region is a “promising context for renewables” and could “dispense with polluting, grid-connected power plants...
24 Feb 2012
German politicians begin to negotiate subsidy cuts as utilities and customers buckle under escalating solar costs.
What happened
In Berlin, German politicians are debating on how to reduce rising costs of solar subsidies, according to Global Post.In 2011, the country installed a staggering 7.5GW of solar panels, double the Government’s target. Reuters explains that over the last two years, utilities have subsidized households who generate their own solar power. The unforseen growth of panel installations is costing utilities and customers dearly.
Economics Minister, Philipp Roesler, wants to...
30 Apr 2012
Due to delays on large hydropower projects and rising demand, Mozambique will have to wait until the end of the decade for a more reliable power supply.
What happened
Mozambique faces a limited power supply until 2020, due to escalating power demand and delays on major hydroelectric projects, reports Reuters. The proposed hydro projects include:
The1,245MW Cahora Bassa North
The 1,500MW Mphanda Nkuwa
Both are located along the Zambezi River.
Carlos Yum, director for business development for Mozambican utility Electricidad de Mocambique (EDM,) explains that the plants will be completed by around 2019. The two projects also rely on...
15 May 2012
Two Latin American utilities sign agreement with Ventyx … while Honduras hydropower plant receives partial credit guarantee … and Brazil receives over 52GW of new power projects.
Ventyx: Closes Multimillion Dollar Network Control Deals with Leading Utilities in Latin America
Ventyx reports that it has signed multimillion-dollar contracts with power utilities:
CDEC-SIC in Chile and
UTE in Uruguay.
Each utility will receive a complete control center solution. The Ventyx Network Manager™ SCADA/Energy Management System (EMS) solution will ensure the “secure, efficient and reliable management” of the electric networks.
Roberto Falco, Vice...
30 Apr 2012
Brazilian utility, Eletrobras, may help Mozambique realize plans for a 1,500MW hydroelectric dam project.
What happened
Brazilian utility, Eletrobras, plans to construct a 1,500MW hydroelectric dam and two transmission lines in northern Mozambique to the value of US$6bn, reports Bloomberg. Mozambique’s state-owned utility, Electricidade de Moçambique, will partner Eletrobras to build the two 1,500 km (932 m)“high-voltage” power lines. The Wall Street Journal reports that one of the transmission lines will export energy to South Africa. Jose da Costa,...
16 Jan 2012
Wind poised for growth in Brazil … ContourGlobal to invest in wind in Brazil … And grants for wind development in Brazil … And Mexico
Renewable Energy World.com: Wind Could Become Brazil's Second Power Generation Source in 2015
Wind could overtake natural gas thermal generation to become Brazil’s second power generation source behind hydro by 2015, contributor Ivan Castano wrote on Renewable Energy World.com. Under the government’s newly launched energy expansion plan, the installed wind power generation capacity should reach 11.5 GW by 2020, up from 1.5 GW now. Ricardo Baitelo, Greenpeace's renewable...
31 Jan 2012
South African municipalities neglect maintenance of public services; Ethiopia supplies renewable energy; Saudi Arabia turns to nuclear; 2012 Zayed Future Energy Prize awarded in Abu Dhabi.
SA Commercial Prop News: Municipalities continue to under-spend capital budgets
SA Commercial Prop News reports that South African municipalities utilized only 29.3% of their capital budgets in 2010/2011. This according to the National Treasury, which reported that under-spending stood at 17.1% in 2009/2010. The municipalities have neglected to maintain services such as electricity, refuse and roads repairs.
In Engerati’s South African Grid Snapshot, we report on the prolonged...
28 Feb 2012
Brazil tries to overcome 20 years of opposition and plans to build new dams on the Amazon.
What happened
Brazilian president, Dilma Rousseff, approved the construction of five new hydroelectric dams along the Tapajós River, in the Amazon basin, reports Merco Press. The Brazilian government insists that precautions will be taken to preserve the Amazon forest during construction. The construction system will use platforms similar to those used for offshore oil drilling. This will eliminate the need for urbanization and land links with highways. Access to the dams will be...
21 Mar 2012
With a government subsidy scheme on the cards, Brazil’s solar sector is set to soar.
What happened
Brazil’s government plans for a new incentive fund to boost solar energy growth, reports BNAmericas. The Ceará government confirms that the solar compensation scheme (FIES) is currently under construction.
The Brazilian MPX Energia S.A, a subsidiary of the EBX Group energy company, welcomes the proposed scheme, as it will help expand the company’s solar energy portfolio, writes BNAmericas. Markus Temke, MPX Operations Director, explains that Government...
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