Page 14 - AfrElec Week 19

AfrElec
NEWS IN BRIEF
AfrElec
System (ISO 14001:2015), and Occupational Health & Safety (ISO 45001:2018).
Axxela is a Helios Investment Partners LLP portfolio company, and a designated natural gas shipper on the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP). Axxela is also the pioneering
private sector-led developer of natural gas distribution in Nigeria, delivering at peak
80 mcf per day to over 180 industrial and commercial customers via a vast network of gas infrastructure. With over 280 km in gas pipeline infrastructure built, Axxela provides unique energy solutions primarily through its subsidiaries: Gaslink Nigeria Ltd, Gas Network Services Ltd, Central Horizon Gas Company Ltd, and Transit Gas Nigeria Ltd. AXXELA
NUCLEAR
South Africa’s Eskom to fix
design flaws at Medupi,
Kusile coal plants
South African state utility Eskom plans
to correct design defects throughout its mammoth Medupi and Kusile coal-fired power stations, it said on Monday, after completing modifications on one of the plants’ units, Reuters reported.
Medupi and Kusile, which will be among the largest coal power stations in the world when complete, have been beset by delays and faults that have hobbled their electricity output.
They are a major reason why Eskom is choking under around 450bn rand ($24.5bn) of debt and has implemented nationwide power cuts that helped push the economy into recession before the COVID-19 crisis.
Eskom said in a statement that modifications at Medupi Unit 3 had gone smoothly, with the unit reaching its full generation capacity of around 800 megawatts (MW) after returning to service.
It said it would start making similar design changes, which are partly aimed at solving boiler problems, on Medupi’s other five units over the remainder of the year.
When the work on Medupi is complete, Eskom will fix flaws at its sister plant Kusile, Eskom spokesman Sikonathi Mantshantsha said, adding that Eskom was sharing the cost of the design modifications equally with contractors for now.
Once it has been established whose fault the design errors were, either Eskom or the contractors will refund the other party for the amount they have paid, he added.
RENEWABLES
MIGA grants $116mn
in guarantees for 4 SA
renewable projects
The Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), a subsidiary of the World Bank Group, has issued guarantees amounting to $116mn to support four renewable power projects in South Africa.
The future plants, with a combined installed capacity of 288MW, will be built and developed by the energy company BioTherm Energy, a subsidiary of Actis.
Guarantees for $46.9mn will go to the Aggeneys and Konkoonsies II photovoltaic power plants in the Northern Cape, while $68.9mn will go to the Golden Valley and Excelsior wind farms in the Eastern and Western Capes.
These guarantees cover the construction, ownership and operation of the four projects.
They allow BioTherm Energy, the holder of these projects, to realise its investment while being protected against the risks of transfer, inconvertibility, expropriation, breach of contract, civil unrest and war, for a period of 15 years.
“We are pleased to continue to work
with experienced investors and promote investment across Africa despite the tense global environment,” said Executive Vice President of MIGA, Hiroshi Matano.
He added that MIGA’s support will help “increase renewable energy capacity to meet demand, facilitate the diversification of South Africa’s energy mix and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”
BioTherm Energy has about 400 MW of wind and solar projects under construction in Africa
GEOTHERMAL
AfDB approves additional $3.2mn funding for geothermal project in Djibouti
The African Development Bank has approved an additional $3.22mn in loan funding for the geothermal project at Lake Assal in Djibouti to allow for work on well number 2 and additional tests for a feasibility study for commercial exploitation.
The bank said this week that its Board
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Week 19 14•May•2020