Page 13 - AfrElec Week 25

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

New Kenya Cooperative Creameries finalised from two 5MW solar PV grid connected Centragrid’s Nyabira solar plant was built
the preliminary phase of a tender this week to utility plants commissioned in 2015 and 2016. by China’s Sinohydro and generates 2.5MW
purchase electricity from a solar facility that The projects are underpinned by a 25-year but it plans to build nine more units of
will be built at its new KCC Sotik Factory. power purchasing agreement. 2.5MW each, with work due to start in the
Kenya’s largest dairy producer will buy The equity consideration of N$88,6 million next three months.
power from a project featuring both ground- was paid from the proceeds of Anirep’s listing Centragrid says it will spend $30 million,
mounted and rooftop PV arrays. The selected on the Namibian Stock Exchange. raised locally and offshore, to scale its plant
developer will finance, own and operate the Anirep managing director Iyaloo Nangolo to 25MW, but Utedzi is concerned that
plant and will sell all of its output to New said the finalisation of the two transactions Zimbabwe’s foreign currency shortages could
Kenya Cooperative Creameries under a power provides a sustainable platform from which dampen interest in the sector.
purchase agreement. they will expand the existing 10MW solar PV
“The financial proposal will be quoted in capacity.
payments per kWh as well as any other cost,” She said the deal will enable Anirep to
the company said. “Average consumption provide a bridge for capital markets to fund WIND
from the grid was 1,428,016 kWh in 2017 and renewable energy projects.
945,206 kWh in 2018.” Nangolo added that Anirep “is well Tanzania’s first wind farm
The company currently covers around 69% placed to raise such additional capital and
of its energy needs with electricity from utility project finance as will be required for solar completed
Kenya Power and Lighting Co. (KPLC). It PV capacity expansion, by unlocking a
generates the remaining percentage internally higher investment allocation by institutional Tanzania’s first-ever wind farm, the Mwenga
with a 500 KVA standby generator. investors to infrastructure investments, based project has officially been completed after
New Kenya Cooperative Creameries on our sustainable long-term cash flows”. being under construction from April in 2018.
operates 22 milk-cooling plants and The 2.4MW project that was developed by
processing factories. It has a daily milk intake Enercon, a German manufacturer, required a
of around 350,000 kilogrammes. It collects Zimbabwe’s Centragrid to $1.2 that was granted but the United Kingdom
milk from five main collection areas. Government-funded Renewable Performance
scale up solar output Platform and is expected to be connected to
the already present grid network that provides
Namibia’s Anirep acquires Zimbabwean solar power company electricity across the country.
The wind farm that is found in the
Centragrid plans to increase generation
HopSol Power Generation capacity to 25MW by October 2021, helping Iringa region of Tanzania consists of three
the country chip away at a huge electricity
turbines that will provide additional power
THE capital-for-energy mobiliser, Alpha deficit that has hurt mines and kept to the area’s grid that also receives electricity
Namibia Industries Renewable Power Limited households in the dark for hours. from the existing 4MW hydropower plant
(Anirep) has acquired a majority shareholding The southern African country currently that is owned by Rift Valley Corporation, a
in HopSol Power Generation, the company produces about 1,000MW of electricity, half of corporation that deals with the development
announced on the Namibian Stock Exchange peak demand, resulting in rolling power cuts of renewable energies.
on Tuesday. after a devastating drought reduced dam levels The hydropower plant has been providing
The deal was finalised last Friday with at its hydropower plant while ageing thermal electricity to the area for eight years and has
Anirep acquiring 70% shares in HopSol Power stations break down regularly. enabled the country to provide electricity to
Generation (Pty) Ltd. This is in addition to the “If we fail to solve these things, we will nearly 5,000 homes. The additional power
80% shares the company acquired in HopSol continue to import power from neighbouring from the wind farm is expected to increase
Africa (Pty) Ltd in April. countries. When you import power, you’re that number to 6,500 homes and business
According to the statement, HopSol Power also exporting jobs,” Centragrid founder once operational.
Generation has an arrangement to produce Victor Utedzi told Reuters on a solar farm in
10MW as an independent power producer, Nyabira, 35km west of the capital, Harare.

Week 25 25•June•2020 www. NEWSBASE .com P13