Page 8 - AfrElec Week 47 2021

AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec

Kalahari GeoEnergy gains licence

for Malawi geothermal prospect

MALAWI ZAMBIA’S Kalahari GeoEnergy has been from the Shire River in Southern Region and
granted a Reconnaissance Licence for the Chi- diesel generation,” Banda said.
weta geothermal prospect in northern Malawi, “This is particularly pertinent given increased
the company announced on November 18. uranium exploration and mining around Liv-
Kalahari will now verify earlier exploration ingstonia, some 12 km to northwest of Chiweta.
results and assess the feasibility of commercial Direct applications of thermal energy are likely
power generation and direct applications. to lead to greater food security, social uplift, and
The Chiweta geothermal prospect is located climate adaption.”
in a branch of the East African Rift System, one Goescientific investigations had previously
of the hottest geothermal zones in the world, by been done at the site in 2017 by Italy’s ELC-Elec-
the western shoreline of Lake Malawi. troconsult with World Bank funding. Based on
Noting Kalahari’s experience with a simi- resource modelling, Chiweta had a likely value
lar geological setting in Zambia, its Bweengwa of 13.5 MWe and a highly probable value of 10.5
geothermal prospect, company director Moses MWe.
Banda said he is confident Chiweta will prove a Malawi has major electricity-generating dif-
good power resource. ficulties due to limited conventional fossil fuel
“Even at a modest scale, sustainable base- resources and an over-reliance hydroelectricity,
load power generation would have an impact on with consequent severe shortages during the dry
power availability and reliability in the North- season.™
ern Region, which largely relies on hydro power

Germany to open Angola energy

office with initial focus on

ANGOLA GERMANY will open an energy office dedi- Angola’s state-run oil and gas operator
cated to hydrogen in Angola, as part of planned Sonangol has signed an MoU with Germany’s
bilateral cooperation in the energy sector that Gauff & Company Engineering to build a green
will later include renewables such solar and hydrogen facility, as announced on November
wind, Ver Angola reported on Monday (Novem- 15 at Africa Energy Week.
ber 22). Paulo Guedes, Songangol’s Director of
German ambassador Stefan Traumann, Renewables, who spoke at Africa Energy Week,
whose previous diplomatic postings include said that key stakeholders, location, costs and
a stint as general consul in Nigeria, made the market opportunities had yet to be identified,
announcement after delivering his credentials to The Energy Year reported earlier.
Angolan President Joao Lourenco late last week. Sonangol has developed a portfolio of solar
“[We] plan to open a hydrogen office here in energy developments, including projects with
Angola to cooperate in this area with the govern- Eni and TotalEnergies, with the aim of produc-
ment. I am very optimistic that we will be able to ing 385 MW of solar power by 2027.™
do many things in this area,” he said.

P8 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 47 25•November•2021