Page 10 - AfrElec Week 37

AfrElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrElec
NUCLEAR
Egypt aims to develop nuclear power
Egyptian Electricity and Energy Minister Mohamed Shaker said that Egypt is seeking to develop its peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Addressing the 63rd conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Shaker said that the UN agency appreciates Egypt’s efforts to develop its infrastructure to benefit from nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.
Within this regard, Egypt has applied to host the agency’s 2021 conference in Sharm El-Sheikh, Shaker said.
The minister underlined the importance of banning nuclear proliferation in the Middle East and subjecting all countries without exception to nuclear inspection.
Egypt is planning to build its first nuclear power plant in Matrouh governorate on
the Mediterranean coast, 250km west of Alexandria.
Construction on the plant is expected
to start in 2020.The Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation will develop the Dabaa nuclear power plant, which will be owned and operated by the Nuclear Power Plant Authority of Egypt.
According to the project design, the nuclear plant will have four VVER-1200 reactor units.
RENEWABLES
Sahel leaders support Desert to Power initiative
At the G5 Sahel summit in Ouagadougou, regional leaders have voiced support for the Desert to Power initiative. The heads of state said they will seek to attract private sector support for the mega project.
Speaking to journalists at the event, Bourkina Faso PM Burkinabé and G5 Sahel president Roch Marc Christian Kaboré said “the African Development Bank [AfDB]
is our bank and the private sector must be involved in this important initiative for our countries. I have no doubt that with [the] technical leadership of the AfDB we will
be able to mobilize the necessary funds. Access to electricity is key for the economic development, prosperity and security of the G5 Sahel countries.”
The grand initiative would span 11 countries: Burkina Faso, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan,
Djibouti, Senegal and Chad. In their summit statement, the heads of government said
the new push for the 10 GW plan would
not only involve a commitment to install solar panels. The leaders said funds would
be needed to strengthen grid infrastructure, develop decentralized power networks, revitalize utilities and to improve the business environment to attract overseas investment.
The positive economic effects of electrification have been the subject of numerous studies. Last year, off-grid solar association Gogla released a report assessing the financial performance of 2,300 households in sub-Saharan Africa after receiving access
to electricity through a solar array. A reported 58% of the households worked more or had established new enterprises. Some 36% of
the households said they had seen average income rise by $35 per month – around 50% of the average monthly GDP of sub-Saharan household income.
The leaders of the nations involved in
the Desert to Power plan also pledged to improve legal and institutional frameworks so disadvantaged rural communities could be the first to benefit from the solar capacity.
Nigeria inaugurates 98.8KW solar hybrid grid
The Federal Government of Nigeria has inaugurated 98.8KW solar hybrid mini grid power plant at Kare-Dadin Kowa, in Kebbi State.
The Rural Electrification Agency who performed the inauguration said that the
power plant is part of the government’s commitment to providing equitable access to electricity across regions in Nigeria.
The newly inaugurated solar hybrid mini grid system would provide clean energy to 483 residential buildings, 82 commercial buildings and serve over 3,000 inhabitants of Kare- Dadin Kowa. A total of 565 high grid solar panels have been installed to power homes, businesses, places of worship, schools and health centres among others.
“Kare-Dadin Kowa community is the second of twelve communities earmarked
to benefit from REF grants. This is due to following and attaining legal, regulatory and procurement compliance and no objection from the Federal Government,” said Rural Electrification Fund (REF) Executive Director Dr. Sanusi Ohiare.
Ohiare said the REF provides access
to electricity to maximize the economic, social and environmental benefits of rural electrification grants, to promote off-grid electrification, and to stimulate innovative approaches to rural electrification.
REF projects are administered using
a Public Private Partnership (PPP)
model. The first call of the REF will energise 12 communities and deploy 19,000 Solar Home Systems (SHS).
Kare-Dadin Kowa is a small
riverine community in Argungun
Local Government Area of Kebbi State, which is said to have a total population of about 3,180 people, whose major vocations are agriculture and fishing.
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Week 37 18•September•2019