Page 14 - AfrElec Week 07 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

METERING these Nigerians spend more than N1.6 Trillion government will soon start the procurement
on fossil fuel generators yearly. The Federal of an additional 11,800 megawatts of power
Egypt launches meter Government of Nigeria however expects from renewable energy, natural gas, battery
renewable energy to fill a substantial portion
storage and coal – a policy unveiled in
reading app of the electricity poverty gap in the country. September.
Meanwhile, the government will ease
In Africa, Power is Inaccessible,
Egypt’s Ministry of Electricity has launched Unaffordable, and Unreliable for most people. licensing requirements for distributed
its “Unified Readings Programme” via Google This traps people in poverty; students find generation in the next three months, a move
Play on Thursday, an application that will it difficult to read after dark, clinics cannot that could unlock up to 5GW of additional
allow users to monitor their home electricity refrigerate vaccines and businesses have capacity and help to reduce the impact of load
meter and ensure the regular issuance of bills. shorter operating hours. shedding.
Subscribers of the Canal Company for Today, more than 25 African countries face SAPVIA said in a statement: “Increased
Electricity Distribution and Upper Egypt an energy crisis. The African continent is well deployment of distributed generation will
Electricity Production companies, which endowed with energy release the pressure on Eskom’s already
serves the Red Sea, South and North Sinai, The project is to be presented by constrained supply and provide the much-
Sharqiya, Ismailia, Suez, Port Said, Qena, Greenplinth Africa, consultants & strategic needed additional capacity to the grid. No one
Luxor, Sohag and Aswan governorates, will be partners on February 25 via a web chat. could disagree with the need for increased
able to use the application. GREENPLINTH AFRICA capacity as our economy is hamstrung by the
The application will be gradually expanded ongoing blight of load shedding.”
to offer the same services to the rest of Egypt.
Ministry spokesperson Ayman Hamza said SOL AR
that the electricity sector will digitise all of its
electricity services by the end of 2021. South Africa aims for2.6GW ESKOM
Work toward this goal began last year,
and is aimed at increasing public access to of solar Eskom confirms plans to
information about their usage, including
statistics and services, while allowing them to South Africa’s government will issue a spin off transmission
easily submit inquiries and complaints to the request for proposals in the coming weeks for
ministry. 2.6GW of additional solar and wind capacity, Eskom aims to complete the legal separation
Hamza emphasised that these steps come it has been announced by President Cyril of its transmission unit by the end of
within the framework of the ministry’s efforts Ramaphosa. 2021, CEO Andre de Ruyter said, with the
to eliminate billing complaints, and to ensure Speaking at the annual state of the nation generation and distribution units following in
the accuracy of electricity bills. address, Ramaphosa said this will be followed 2022, Reuters reported.
He added that Egypt’s electricity companies by another renewables bid window in August President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a
currently are able to investigate complaints 2021 to help alleviate significant electricity plan to divide the cash-strapped utility into
received through hotline 121. supply shortfalls in the country as coal-fired three units in 2019, but the process has stalled
plants retire. and nationwide blackouts have continued,
Citing figures from state utility Eskom, damaging the already fragile economy.
Ramaphosa said that without additional The plan to split the company, which
SOL AR capacity, there will be an electricity supply supplies over 90% of South Africa’s electricity
shortfall of between 4GW and 6GW over the but is straining against the burden of heavy
B&S Power Holding, next five years. debts and failing coal-fired plants, is designed
The proposals have been welcomed by
to smooth the firm’s access to capital markets.
SunnyFred Global to build the South African Photovoltaic Industry and 485bn rand ($34bn), and is likely to
Eskom has debt net debt of between 460bn
Association (SAPVIA), which is looking
200MW Solar-PV project in for a quick turnaround for the upcoming record another “substantial loss” in 2021, de
Ruyter said in a live address on YouTube.
procurement round and called on the
Nigeria country’s Energy Ministry to “rapidly rollout” new structure and increased reliance on
Eskom is pinning its turnaround on the
the objectives put forward by the president.
B&S Power Holding, a Singapore based “We commend President Ramaphosa renewable energy.
renewable energy corporation, and Sunnyfred for the strategic approach he has taken in
Global, a Nigerian investment entity, are to his address. It is entirely appropriate that
build West Africa’s largest solar photovoltaic he identified energy generation capacity as
farm in Nigeria - The Ashama 200MW solar one of the four priority interventions of the
PV Farm. recovery plan for South Africa,” said Niveshen
The Solar Photovoltaic Project is located on Govender, COO of SAPVIA.
about 304 hectares of Land in Ashama Village, “We must however shift the focus from
Aniocha South of Delta State in Nigeria. hope to implementation with urgency. Urgent
According to the World Bank, over 80mn action is needed most on the topic of energy
Nigerians are without access to electricity and and electricity security if we are to achieve
millions more suffer from poor service despite anything close to the kind of economic growth
efforts by the Federal Government to provide which the president alluded to in his speech.”
electricity in the country. Also about 60mn of Ramaphosa also revealed that the

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