Construction industry in East Africa opens $50m complexes

Constructions industry in Rwanda is on an upward trajectory after the country’s president Paul Kagame opened complexes worth $50m in the capital Kigali. The president challenged contractors to ensure they provide durable and quality structures.   Kagame congratulated local investors like Bertin Makuza whose 15-storey constructed building was inaugurated.  In his speech, Makuza said that construction of his building cost $42 million out of which $22m was from his.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Wind power plant in Kenya to be constructed

 Construction of a US$44M wind power plant in Kenya is set to begin in Meru county. The project is spearheaded by Maralal Energy Limited.   Maralal Energy which is a privately-owned Kenyan firm disclosed that the money will be used to construct the wind farm whose electricity will be included in the national grid.   Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) and Bluesea Energy are also currently undertaking projects that will together have a 500MW.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Construction of power projects in Tanzania set to start

 Construction of power projects in Tanzania is set to begin after 4 companies in the country were announced beneficiaries of US president Barrack Obama’s Power Africa initiative. The companies will eventually help in the expansion of renewable energy solution which targets rural areas.   The grants to construct the power projects in Tanzania which have been awarded by General Electric Africa in conjunction with the US African Development Foundation (USADF) and the US.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Nigeria: NERC, SON Sign Agreement On Safe, Reliable Electricity Usage

Abuja — The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has signed a fresh agreement with the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) to ensure strict adherence to safety and reliability standards in the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of electricity in Nigeria. NERC and SON signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to ensure that electricity generation and usage in the country is done within the strict adherence to safety standards and zero or.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Turkey to construct 370MW power plant in Ghana

Turkey is set to construct 370MW power plant in Ghana after the country signed a 5years Power Purchasing Agreement (PPA) with Aksa Enerji, a Turkish based company. However, the power plant is expected to be up and running by end of June next year. According to Aksa Enerji, the constructed plant will not only provide power, but also increase the operational profitability significantly. Although the parliament of Ghana approved the agreement, the credit letters, operation and.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Zimbabwe: Batoka Power Plant to Generate 2 400mw

Feasibility studies on the construction of the $3 billion Batoka Hydro Power plant on the Zambezi River by Zimbabwe and Zambia have shown that the project will generate 2 400 megawatts, up from the previously projected 1 600MW. Energy and Power Development Minister Dr Samuel Undenge said in an interview last Thursday that the two countries will share the power equally.   Speaking to The Herald on the sidelines of the commissioning of a rural electrification project in Gutu,.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Kenya: Ngong Power Plant to Be Commissioned

 Kengen will soon commission its expanded Ngong wind power plant to scale up contribution from renewable sources. The wind farm, which was put up in three phases near Nairobi, has been generating 5.5MW to the national grid. Speaking in Naivasha yesterday, Kengen CEO Albert Mugo did not give the exact date of the launch. He said wind generation constitutes one per cent of total generation. The Ngong phase II project, which started in 2009, was financed by Spain.   The.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Zuma Upbeat On Economy, Electricity Supply

Despite slow growth globally, local economic growth is expected to increase to at least 3% over the next three years, President Jacob Zuma said on Tuesday. "[This is] because we expect the electricity constraints to ease," he told reporters at the Union Buildings in Pretoria. It was estimated that the electricity shortage was costing the economy one percentage point in economic growth. "South Africa continues to be confronted by the challenge of electricity supply..... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

Liberia: Hydrochina International to Invest in Energy Sector

 Authorities of the Liberia Electricity Corporation (LEC) received a delegation from the HYDROCHINA INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING CO., LTD., on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 as a follow up to a MOU signed between the LEC represented by its Chairman of the Board of Directors and the HYDROCHINA INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING CO., LTD., on July 3, 2015 in the China. The meeting was centered on the HYDROCHINA's possible investment in Liberia's energy sector. HYDROCHINA INTERNATIONAL, one of.... Read more »

Posted on : Tuesday , 18th August 2015

4 Tanzanian firms lined up for US power grant

 Four Tanzanian companies are among 11 beneficiaries in Africa of one-million-US-dollar grant from the US President Baraka Obama’s Power Africa initiative to expand their renewable energy solutions to rural communities.   Power Africa said in a statement that the beneficiaries in Tanzania include the Benedictine Sisters of St. Gertrud Convent in the Njombe Region who plan to connect villagers to low-cost, sustainable electricity produced by the sisters’ 317 KW.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 17th August 2015

Private capital will end Africa power cuts by 2025, says survey

 Power cuts in 15 Sub-Saharan African countries could become an “exception” rather than a norm in 10 years time, with private capital expected to play an increasingly bigger role, according to a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) released yesterday.   The survey found that 96 per cent of the officials interviewed from Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Kenya, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Uganda, Swaziland, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 17th August 2015

Zarara Oil And Gas To Drill Well In Block L4 In Q2 2016

 Zarara Oil and Gas plans to drill a well in Block L4 in 2016 after postponing its earlier planned date in 2015 according to a company representative who spoke to OilNews Kenya.   With the postponement the company will be banking on the hope that the Ministry of Energy will be extending their license that expires this year.   The delay could have arisen from the difficulty in raising money in the wake of the global oil prices dip that has seen either lenders seek.... Read more »

Posted on : Monday , 17th August 2015