Page 13 - AfrElec Week 23 2021

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

($2.12mn) to fund its concessions over the
next two years.
The company has already received funding
from Itochu Europe PLC, a subsidiary of
Itochu Corporation, a Japanese-based trading
company. The new fundraising will finance
the deployment of its off-grid solar systems in
Uganda and Sierra Leone, where the company
has already electrified several villages. A few
weeks ago, Winch announced the launch of
Winch Energy IPP Holdings (WIPP).
This is a financing vehicle set up by
Winch Energy in partnership with NEoT
Off-grid Africa, a platform developed by
Électricité de France (EDF), the Japanese firm
Mitsubishi and Meridiam, a French company
specialising in the development, financing
and management of infrastructure projects.
The new facility provides Winch with $16mn
to finance 49 solar mini-grids in Uganda and
ENERGY TRANSITION electricity is South Africa’s most urgent need. Sierra Leone.
About four to six gigawatts of power is needed The electricity provider’s partners also
GE talks up gas and in the near term to ease current electricity include Saudi Arabia’s Al Gihaz Holding and
constraints and the country aims to add about
Total Eren, the renewable energy subsidiary
renewables in energy 20GW of additional power with renewables of French oil company Total. To date, Winch
and gas in the long term.
has a pipeline of green mini-grid projects that
transition and replacing it with new, high efficiency could provide 485,000 connections, enough to
“Retiring aging coal-fired capacity
provide electricity access to 4.6mn people in
GE released a paper sharing their position combined cycle gas power technology would West and East Africa.
on South Africa’s energy transition and the almost immediately bring down power sector
role they believe gas power and renewables emissions and total energy-related carbon
will play in accelerating the country’s energy emissions,” said Nosizwe Dlengezele, GE Gas
transition. Power’s chief commercial officer, sub-Saharan POLICY
As South Africa is addressing climate Africa. “Case in point, GE’s HA gas turbine
change as an urgent priority with strong portfolio offers record levels of more than Ghana’s electricity supply
commitments on policy and regulation, 64% combined cycle efficiency, fuel flexibility,
GE shared its position that the accelerated and the capability to transition from gas to mix has improved, but
and strategic deployment of both renewable low-carbon fuels such as hydrogen, and this
energy and gas power can make substantial positions the HA gas turbine as an ideal fit for reliability and cost is still a
progress in combating climate change in the South Africa.”
near-term, while securing a path to a lower- GE challenge
carbon emitting world in the future.
In the newly published position paper, Ghana has made significant progress over
titled Accelerating South Africa’s energy MINI- GRIDS the past 10 years in increasing electricity
transition with gas power and renewables, GE generation and access. This has supported
said neither power source will be sufficient Winch to raise $2.12m for higher levels of economic growth .
alone, but when deployed in tandem can However, beneath these improvements lies
provide decarbonisation at the pace and scale electrification via green inefficiencies, including extraordinarily high
needed to achieve substantial climate goals. distribution losses. Electricity is also quite
“A combination of renewables and gas mini-grids expensive in Ghana. If not addressed, these
power will be the fastest and most cost- issues could derail Ghana’s development
effective pathway to decarbonisation for Solar mini-grid provider Winch Energy has agenda.
South Africa,” said Elisee Sezan, CEO for launched a crowdfunding event with the aim As countries transition their economies
GE’s Gas Power business in sub-Saharan of raising $2.12m for rural electrification to ones that use less carbon, they need to
Africa. “Reliable gas technology solutions in Africa. The UK company has a solid build balanced energy systems. These must be
and renewable energy sources will make reputation for its electrification projects in anchored on high energy security, universal
investments economically sound for East and West Africa. access at affordable prices and low emissions.
immediate emissions reductions and we Winch Energy wants to accelerate the Ghana began reforming its energy sector in
believe that gas will not just be a backup fuel deployment of its electricity access solutions the mid-1990s to encourage competition and
but will be the new baseload capacity for the in sub-Saharan Africa. The solar mini-grid efficiency. Independent power producers were
coal repurposing national programme.” provider has just launched a crowdfunding introduced to increase thermal generation
Affordable, reliable, and sustainable campaign. The aim is to raise £1.5mn capacity using crude oil and natural gas.

Week 23 10•June•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13