Page 9 - AfrElec Week 37

AfrElec GAS-FIRED GENERATION AfrElec

Islamic State and other extremist groups have The DFC’s board has also agreed to provide a
led an insurgency in gas-rich northern Mozam- $200mn loan to Mozambique’s Central Termica
bique over the past three years, and attacks have de Temane to build a 420-MW gas-fired power
increased in frequency and ferocity in recent plant, the lender said last week. The funds will
months. This has posed a threat to the region’s also cover construction of a 25-km pipeline to
multi-billion dollar LNG projects. connect the facility with the grid.
In late June, workers from a private construc- The plant will supply electricity to Mozam-
tion firm hired at the 13.1mn tpy Mozambique bique’s major demand centres via a 560-km
LNG project led by France’s Total were ambushed cable, which obtained financing last year and
and killed by gunmen. And in August, militants is due to go into operation by 2023. Mozam-
seized control Mocimboa de Praia, the main port bique wants to utilise more of its gas resources to
of entry for the project’s equipment and other diversify its energy mix, which currently consists
supplies. Total later that month formed a security mostly of coal and hydropower. Using gas will
pact with the Mozambique government to help also lower energy costs for users, the government
protect its $20bn venture. has said.™
POLICY

Nigeria aims for 25,000 MW by 2025

POLAND THE Nigerian government has secured $6.15bn in development or due to be launched, includ-
to fund major power sector infrastructure pro- ing the construction of a $29mn, 330-kV,
jects in a bid to expand its production output to 62-km-long transmission line, which will be
25,000 MW by 2025. built between Birnin and Kebbi. Other projects
The 25,000-MW target is set out in the include the $200mn Lagos-Ogun Transmission
government’s road map, and is to be achieved Infrastructure Project, the $170mn Abuja Trans-
through a range of programmes that have mission Ring Scheme and the $274mn Northern
attracted foreign investment, Africa Oil & Power Corridor Transmission project.
reported. The NEP is a government-led initiative that
Siemens has been chosen to manage many is private-sector driven and seeks to provide
of the projects in a bid to improve management electricity access to households and small and
and minimise corruption, as well as providing medium enterprises (SMEs) in off-grid com-
technical know-how and generation and trans- munities across the country through renewable
mission equipment. power sources.
The government has established innovative The NEP is being implemented by the Rural
financing and co-operation models under the Electrification Agency in collaboration with the
Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). World Bank, the African Development Bank
These include the President Power Initiative (AfDB) and other partners.
(PPI), the Transmission Rehabilitation and Nigeria wants to develop a data driven off-
Expansion Programme (TREP) and the Nige- grid model that could be replicated in other
ria Electrification Project (NEP) infrastructure sub-Saharan African countries. The NEP’s elec-
construction. trification target is to provide power to 250,000
The PPI was launched in July 2019 after an SMEs, 1mn households and 44 universities by
agreement between the Nigerian government focusing on solar hybrid mini grids and stan-
and Siemens. dalone solar systems.
The project aims to upgrade existing equip- To develop the NEP, the Nigerian govern-
ment such as power substations, as well as install ment was granted a $350mn facility by the World
distribution lines and transformers on the coun- Bank. The NEP comprises three components:
try’s power grid. Siemens plans to upgrade Nige- solar hybrid mini-grids for rural economic
ria’s transmission capacity to 7,000 MW during development; standalone solar systems for
the first phase of the project. homes, farms and enterprises and power systems
The TREP aims to upgrade the existing for public universities and teaching hospitals.
installations as well as add more transmission The NEP reached its first milestone in
infrastructure such as power lines and electric December 2019 when a solar hybrid mini-grid
transmission corridors, among others. power plant was commissioned in the Rokota
The French Development Agency (AFD), community, in Niger State. The 64-kW solar
the Japanese International Cooperation Agency hybrid plant, which features 360 kWh of battery
(JICA) and the European Union are all provid- storage, can distribute a stable supply of power to
ing support. A number of projects are currently 326 households in a 10-km radius.™

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