Solar Power Plant in Africa to Supply Europe

WASHINGTON - By 2018, a large solar power plant in the Tunisian part of the Sahara desert may start sending power to energy-hungry Western Europe. The company running the plant says once it is fully operational it will generate almost twice as much electricity as an average nuclear plant and supply two million homes in Europe. According to the European Commission’s Institute for Energy, just 0.3 percent of the Saharan Desert's intense solar energy can provide Europe with all.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Electrifying Keyna: How One African Country is Approaching Renewable Energy Development

Kenya has taken some major steps to boost its renewable energy production recently, according to reports. However, confusion about projects and the government’s ambiguous energy policy is overshadowing excitement. Kenya’s renewable energy ambitions have attracted growing attention in recent months. There has been a strong uptick in interest in the country’s wind energy potential in particular. Last year, Kenya’s Ministry of Energy and Petroleum said in an.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Kenya: Korir Plans to Build 400m Tartan Track At Suwerwo

 CHERANGANY MP Wesley Korir is to build an eight-lane 400m tartan track at Suwerwo village in his Trans Nzoia County. The track will be built in collaboration withTranscend Talent and Sports Academy to incorporate sports and education for athletes. Korir announced the plans on Tuesday at his Biribiriet home village while celebrating the fifth year since the inception of the Kenya Kids Foundation and launch of the sports academy. "Already the plans to construct the Academy.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Savannah Cement to build second milling plant in Kenya

Kenyan cement manufacturer Savannah Cement has confirmed plans to invest more than US$198.3mn in the installation of its second milling plant near Kitengela town in Kajiado County to meet the growing demand in the East African nation The high-efficiency milling plant would feature the advanced Roller Press Technology, which allows for eco-friendly, dust and related emissions-free cement production. Savannah Cement managing director Ronald Ndegwa said that the plans are also at an.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Organic Agriculture-Uganda's Future

Uganda must capitalise on its potential in organic agriculture; improve product quality and packaging to capture a larger share of the American export market. Meg Jaquay, the vice-president of the American Chamber of Commerce, Uganda, told New Vision in an interview recently that increasing use of non-organic crops, coupled with low quality agricultural products and poor packaging are partly responsible for the country’s failure to fully benefit from the African.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Agriculture is Africa's hope to unify its diversified economy

 VENTURES AFRICA – Falling crude oil prices have put several economies across Africa at risk. And has once again shown how critical the agricultural sector is to any economy, particularly that of Africa. Oil-dependent economies like Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy, are increasingly appreciating the importance of the agricultural sector; the West African country is transforming its Agric sector to ensure it becomes another important foreign exchange earner for the.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Africa:International investors find private equity investment effective

 Fundraising by Africa-focused private equity has rebounded after the global financial crisis, buoyed by support from the international development finance institutions. Now, the industry hopes to unlock billions of dollars held in African pension funds to dramatically increase the resources available for investment.   Some international investors have found private equity an effective way to gain exposure to Africa's fast-growing economies without having to use the.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

A new era of investment in Africa

 A scale weighing China's outward direct investments across the globe currently tilts heavily toward Asia, at a whopping 70 percent of total volume by 2013, most of which was poured into Hong Kong. Africa, on the other hand, received less than 5 percent of China's total ODI, at $3.37 billion. But with massive infrastructure projects being planned throughout Africa, such as new railway networks in East Africa and regional air routes at the heart of the continent, many experts,.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Africa woos Chinese investors

 Poised to make sweeping economic reforms at a major development conference in March, Egyptian leaders played up their existing cooperative ties with China during a recent visit to Beijing. At the Egyptian embassy in Beijing early this month, a delegation that included Egypt's ministers of transportation, international cooperation, industry and trade as well as electricity and energy said investment opportunities in their country are on the rise for Chinese investors. Naglaa.... Read more »

Posted on : Thursday , 8th January 2015

Sonnedix launches solar project JV

International PV developer, Sonnedix, is joining forces with institutional investor, JP Morgan Asset Management, in a new joint venture to pursue emerging solar project opportunities worldwide. The JV, Sonnedix Power Holdings, will hold 17 already built PV projects totalling 117MW in France, Italy, Spain, Thailand and Puerto Rico.   It also has a portfolio of 18 projects representing over 600MW of projects in pre-construction stages in Japan, Puerto Rico, Chile, UK and South.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 7th January 2015

Rwanda to construct a 21 million litre petroleum storage facility in the next four months

Rwanda is planning to construct a new petroleum storage facility that will have capacity to store 21 million liters – a move that will help boost the overall national reserve that currently stands at 30 million litres. The new facility will also aid in the country’s transportation and importation sectors in the industry. It will be located in Gasabo District, Kigali, and it is anticipated to be complete in the next four months. The petroleum storage facility project is.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 7th January 2015

Soitec to scale back US CPV operations after 150MW project falters

CPV producer Soitec said a 150MW CPV power plant previously announced would be scrapped as the customer, San Diego Gas & Electric was said to have encountered a “major roadblock” in developing the project.  Soitec said in a statement: “Certain of the administrative conditions pertaining to the transaction could not be fulfilled timely. Soitec will therefore not receive the expected CPV systems order from the designated EPC contractor which was anticipated.... Read more »

Posted on : Wednesday , 7th January 2015