Power Africa Brief

Guinea: AfDB Approves $66m Funding for Electricity Access in 6 Cities

African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved $66.39million funding for electricity access in six towns and surrounding areas in Guinea.

Of the US$66.39million, about US$13.54million is being provided by the African Development Fund (ADF), the concessional lending arm of the AfDB Group, while the bulk of the funding, $52.85 million, is coming from the African Transition Facility, an autonomous entity within the AfDB Group dedicated to supporting fragile and conflict-affected states.

Guinea is currently undergoing a transition phase following the military putsch that overthrew former president Alpha Conde on 5 September 2021. The transitional body, the National Rallying Committee for Development (CNRD), headed by Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya, is implementing the Guinea Electricity Access Improvement Project (PAAEG) for which the AfDB has just approved financing.

Amea Power to Build 30mwp Solar PV Plan in Djibouti

UAE-based independent power producer (IPP) Amea Power has signed agreements to build a 30mwp solar PV plant in Djibouti under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement.

Amea Power will develop its project in partnership with the Sovereign Wealth Fund of Djibouti (SDF). The electricity produced will be sold to the state-owned company Électricité de Djibouti (EDD) under a power purchase agreement (PPA).

Currently, Djibouti has an installed capacity of 126mw according to Power Africa. But only 57mw are reliably available to serve a population estimated by the World Bank at 988,000 and its main industries.

Recently, however, the government has decided to exploit Djibouti’s renewable energy potential, relying on IPPs.

This is the case of the French company Engie, which is building the 30mwp Grand Bara solar park in a desert area south of Djibouti. The country’s first wind farm is being built by Siemens Gamesa on behalf of Djibouti Wind Company, a special purpose vehicle owned by Africa Finance Corporation (AFC).

In addition to electricity production, this East African country wants to exploit the natural heat of its subsoil for various uses, particularly in the industrial and agricultural sectors.

Actis confirms sale of renewable energy producer Lekela Power

UK investment company Actis has confirmed the sale of Lekela Power. The renewable energy producer is a joint venture established in 2015 with Mainstream Renewable Power to develop a portfolio of clean energy plants in Africa.

The Amsterdam-based renewable energy producer in the Netherlands is at the centre of a transaction that will result in a change of shareholders. Its current shareholders, British investment company Actis and independent power producer (IPP)

“The acquisition of Lekela is a key milestone for Infinity, as it not only becomes the largest acquisition of its kind in the continent’s history, but also signifies the continued growth and expansion of Infinity’s efforts to create a sustainable supply of clean, green energy,” said Nayer Fouad, Infinity’s co-founder, president and CEO.

Will the Egyptian company make the new acquisition as part of the partnership signed with UAE-based Masdar in 2020? The two renewable energy producers have already worked together to acquire the Infinity 50 plant in Egypt’s Benban solar complex.