Page 12 - AfrElec Week 14 2021
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AfrElec                                      NEWS IN BRIEF                                            AfrElec








                                                                                Finspång in 2005.
                                                                                SIEMENS


                                                                                POLICY
                                                                                Kenya orders review

                                                                                of power purchase

                                                                                agreements as losses
       change did not stop because of Covid-19, and   Managing Director for Africa
       neither should the urgent task of preparing                              mount
       humanity to live with the multiple effects of a   As Managing Director for Africa, Haakansson
       warming planet.”                    will be based in Morocco, and is responsible   Kenya’s President Uhuru Kenyatta has set up
         African Development Bank President   for supporting Siemens Energy’s business   a team to review power purchase agreements
       Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina said: “With our   across the continent, as well as developing   signed over the years by the state power
       partners, we intend to mobilize $25bn   opportunities to meet the challenges of the   distributor, which has been making losses in
       in financing for the success of the Africa   energy transition, while improving access   the recent past, Reuters reported..
       Adaptation Acceleration Programme. It is   to stable, affordable, and sustainable energy.   Energy consumers in the East African
       time for developed countries to meet their   As part of driving the energy transition,   nation often complain of high electricity
       promise of providing $100bn annually for   improving availability of sustainable energy   charges, with some of the costs being
       climate finance. And a greater share of this   is the foundation for long-term economic   attributed to idle capacity charges to
       should go to climate adaptation. So far, more   prosperity.              compensate power generators for electricity
       than $20 trillion have gone into Covid-19   ‘I am very pleased that Nadja will lead our   generated but ultimately not used.
       stimulus packages in developed countries. The   Africa region with her ability to forge strategic   The review team will carry out its work
       International Monetary Fund’s plan to issue   partnerships in an important and growing   over six months, the president said in a legal
       $650bn of new Special Drawing Rights (SDRs)  market. Our primary goal at Siemens Energy   notice seen by Reuters on Wednesday, and no
       to boost global reserves and liquidity will be   is to energize society. More than 500mn   new contracts will be entered into during that
       enormously helpful to support green growth   people in Africa lacked access to electricity,   period.
       and climate financing for economic recovery. I  making it an important region where we can   Kenya Power, the distributor, swung into a
       applaud the leadership of the US government   leverage our innovative technologies and   pretax loss of 7.04bn shillings ($64.44mn) for
       and US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen,   improve lives for generations to come. Nadja   its financial year to the end of last June.
       especially, on this big push.”      and her team will be instrumental to achieve   Out of the 87.5bn shillings cost of sales
         Speaking on behalf of US President Joseph   this,’ said Christian Bruch, CEO Siemens   incurred during the period, 47.5bn shillings,
       R. Biden, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen   Energy.                   or 54%, was capacity charges paid to power
       said: “The United States remains a committed   Since October 2019, Nadja Haakansson has  producers, officials said.
       development partner for Africa and a huge   been the Vice President for Energy Services,   Under the typical power purchase
       supporter of the African Development Bank.   Region Africa and Managing Director   agreement, a power producer gets paid for any
       Africa contributed the least to climate change   Morocco and Ivory Coast at Siemens Energy.  electricity produced, even if it is impossible
       but is suffering the worst of its effects. I   ‘Reliable access to energy is key to   for Kenya Power to sell it to consumers due to
       congratulate the African Development Bank   the societal, industrial and economic   excess capacity and other reasons.
       and the Global Center for Adaptation for   development of Africa and I am dedicated   Kenya Power buys most of its electricity
       developing the Africa Adaptation Acceleration  to making an impact here, in collaboration   from state-controlled Kenya Electricity
       Programme. We support the programme…   with our customers, partners, and talented   Generating Company.
       to help ensure that together, we can avoid the   teams of Siemens Energy in Africa’, said   It has also contracted numerous
       worst effects of climate change.”   Haakansson. ‘The development of the African   independent power producers, which
         The Africa Adaptation Acceleration   energy infrastructure must ensure long term   normally require power purchase agreements
       Programme, as launched by the African   prosperity for society while also advancing   before securing financing to set up generation
       Development Bank and the Global Center   local skills and developing people and talents,   plants.
       on Adaptation, revolves around several   in the countries where we are present.’
       transformative initiatives:            From January 2017 - October 2019, Nadja
       AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK            was the Vice President and Country Division
                                           Lead for Power Generation Services in   POLICY
                                           Thailand and Myanmar. During Nadja’s time
       APPOINTMENTS                        in this role, Thailand’s energy infrastructure   Senegal Aims for Universal
                                           underwent rapid development, with over
       Siemens Energy appoints             70 units of the Siemens Energy SGT800 gas   Electricity Access by 2025
                                           turbine deployed in the country. Prior to this,
       Nadja Haakansson as                 Nadja held different roles across a variety of   The government of Senegal aims to provide all
                                           geographies and business units at Siemens,
                                                                                citizens with access to affordable and reliable
                                           starting her career with the company in   electricity by the year 2025.


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