Page 13 - AfrElec Week 12 2023

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

Nigeria’s national grid China International Energy EBRD to provide $80mn

achieves stable power plans to invest $5.1bn in equity bridge loan to Egypt

generation green hydrogen project in Green Hydrogen for 100-MW

Nigeria’s national grid has maintained a stable Egypt electrolyser facility
power generation above 4,000 MW since the
beginning of the year, the Federal Ministry of China International Energy Group (CIEG) The European Bank for Reconstruction and
Power has revealed. plans to break ground in May on a green Development (EBRD) is providing up to
Thanks to the deployment of new hydrogen project in Egypt. The company $80mn for an equity bridge loan to Egypt
transformers, substations and other plans to invest $5.1bn in the project, which Green Hydrogen, the developer and operator
accessories to boost supply, the national is expected to be implemented in two phases of Egypt’s first green hydrogen production
grid’s electricity generation has significantly consisting of a solar park and a wind farm, facility. The loan will support funding the
improved and has stayed above the 4,000- along with a facility for electrolysing water procurement and construction of a 100-MW
MW mark for several months. This is a vast and synthesising ammonia. When both electrolyser facility together with the related
improvement on the recurrent grid collapses phases are complete, it will be able to produce facilities and civil works needed for the
experienced in 2022. 140,000 tonnes per year (tpy) of green completion of the project
In recent months, the Transmission hydrogen. The plant targets the export of The electrolyser facility, which will be powered
Company of Nigeria, an agency of the Federal ammonia to European markets. by renewable energy, will produce green
Government, has announced the distribution Since 2009, CIEG, a state-owned enterprise hydrogen that will substitute some of the grey
of transformers and other equipment to based in Beijing, has carried out around hydrogen produced from gas consumption
power stations nationwide, particularly to 10 energy projects in Egypt, including a used by the Egyptian Fertilizer Co. (EFC). The
areas experiencing major power supply 700-MW solar project in Kom Ombo. It is green hydrogen will be used by EFC as input
interruptions. currently working on a 330-km electrical to produce green ammonia, which will be
In 2022, Nigeria’s power grid collapsed at least interconnection with Saudi Arabia. exported to the international markets.
seven times. Egypt Green Hydrogen is a joint venture
However, despite the grid’s recent stability, between Norway’s Scatec; Fertiglobe, the
power generation has continued to fluctuate Gesto Energy completes largest nitrogen fertiliser producer in the
due to a range of issues, including limitations MENA; Orascom Construction, one of the
of gas availability, difficulties in managing assessment of geothermal largest global contractors operating in the
water resources and instances of gas pipeline MENA region and the Sovereign Fund of
vandalism. potential of southern Egypt.

Algeria’s Sonelgaz launches Morocco Africa Data Centres to
Portugal’s renewable energy-focused firm
tender to produce 2GW of Gesto Energy announced it completed run on solar energy after
the evaluation process of the geothermal
renewable energy potential of Morocco’s southern region clinching 12-MW deal
to generate power and presented its
Sonelgaz, Algeria’s state-owned power utility, assessment to Morocco’s National Office of Africa Data Centres (ADC), a unit of Cassava
has announced a tender to award contracts Hydrocarbons and Mines (ONHYM), the Technologies, has engaged renewable energy
that aim to produce 2GW of solar capacity in company said in a statement on Tuesday, developer Distributed Power Africa (DPA)
a bid to support the North African country’s March 14. to supply 12MW to power its South African
dependence on renewable energies. Gesto tackled the Moroccan southern region facility.
Winners will be awarded deals to construct after winning a tender in 2019. Following a Under the 20-year power purchase agreement,
15 solar parks in 11 different provinces, with few years of study, Gesto finally delivered its DPA will supply the energy to ADCs’ facilities
a production capacity of 80MW- 220MW diagnosis for the direct use and generation of partly from a solar farm that it is developing
each, industry news portal Renewables Now electricity. near Bloemfontein, central South Africa, to
reported on March 13. Proposals must be The project was divided into four phases. The deliver the first 12MW required for the ADC
submitted before May 29, 2023. first two phases focus on data collection about data centres.
Algeria’s renewable energy aims to meet the water and rock samples and the measurement ADC chief executive Tesh Durvasula said the
increased power demand, diversify energy of porosity and permeability in water wells. agreement will ensure smoother operations in
sources and support its ambitions to export The other two phases concentrate on analysis, a country known for an unreliable grid.
electricity. The country seeks to increase the geothermal resource utilisation and the “While data centres are the foundation of the
country’s green power capacity to 15GW by presentation of an action plan for developing digital transformation process in Africa, they
2035. the project. require reliable, cost-effective and preferably
In December 2021, Algeria launched a 1GW The project’s geothermal exploration potential green power to operate,” he said.
tender targeting the production of 50MW- stretches over an area of 140,000 square km “Our partnership with DPA will also help in
300MW of renewable energies. and will generate power for direct and indirect reducing our reliance on the strained South
Despite its promising renewable resources, uses. African national grid, enabling us to play
renewable energy has played a small role in Morocco aims to more than double its our part in alleviating the current energy
Algeria’s energy mix. This is mainly because of renewable energy production to 12 GW – challenges facing the country.”
the increased dependency on hydrocarbons. representing 52% of total power capacity – by DPA chief executive Norman Moyo said its
Algerian oil and gas exports generate 95% of 2030, from a current level of 5 GW, or 40% of customers are “looking for cost-effective and
the country’s hard currency revenues. capacity. efficient ways of meeting their green targets

Week 12 22•March•2023 www. NEWSBASE .com P13