India’s Sterling & Wilson to Build 170MW Solar Plant in Morocco’s Sahara. Largest Global Solar EPC company, Sterling & Wilson signed a deal with the consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power to build a 170MW photovoltaic (PV) facility in Morocco’s southern provinces, the Sahara.
The agreement, signed during a ceremony at The UN Climate Summit (COP22) in Marrakech, is part of the Noor PV I program that consists of three projects: NOOR Ouarzazate IV, with a capacity of around 70 MW, NOOR Laayoune, 80 MW, and NOOR Boujdour, 20 MW which all make up a total capacity of 170 MW, the company said in a statement. The project is conducive to Morocco’s goal of bringing the share of renewables in electricity production to 52% by 2030. The company adds that Noor PV I will be ready in 12 months. Once completed, the plant is expected to be operational for 20 years. Nigeria: Malaysian Bionas to build $2.5bn bio-fuel factory in Kaduna State - Ecofin Agency. (Ecofin Agency) - Malaysian firm Bionas plans to build plant where it will produce bio-fuel from Jatropha plant, in Zaria, Kaduna State.
“Jatropha plant could produce aviation fuel and sell at the same price with fossil fuel. Every Nigerian would cultivate the crop, sell the seedlings for export. Our Nigerian partners are ready for the takeoff of the project,” said Zurina Amnan, CEO Bionas. It added that Jatropha plantations could soon be developed and equipments might be installed in about two months. The company also intends to train 200,000 Nigerians to work on the project. Koyo Corporation to establish power equipment assembly plant in Tanzania - Ecofin Agency. Toshiba Corporation To Invest In Uganda’s Geothermal Power. Uganda has rich geothermal potential, equivalent to 500 megawatts Japan’s Toshiba Corporation has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Uganda’s Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development (MEMD) on a comprehensive partnership in geothermal power.
The agreement will see the parties collaborate in power generation projects, including personnel development, according to statement released Sunday by the energy ministry. The parties signed the MOU during the Tokyo International Conference on African Development 2016 (“TICAD VI”), that ends today in Nairobi, Kenya. Toshiba will collaborate in the development and supply of major equipment for a geothermal power plant, create operation and management guidelines, and cooperate in personnel development, the statement said. “We are very confident that the Government of Uganda and Toshiba will create a strong Public-Private-Partnership to develop the Geothermal Energy resources.” Access to build Uganda solar plant. South Africa turns on Saudi-built solar to cut coal reliance. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South Africa and Saudi Arabian ACWA Power launched a $328 million solar power plant in the Northern Cape province on Monday, as Africa's most industrialised country rushes to expand its power supply and cut its coal reliance.
The Bokpoort Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) Project, developed by a consortium led by ACWA Power, is set to provide 1,300 megawatts per hour, powering more than 200,000 homes, a statement from media firm OLB said. Construction of the plant began in 2013, following a successful bid by ACWA Power, as part of South Africa's plan to expand the use of renewable energy. "It is aimed at providing energy security and diversified energy. It instils confidence that major green projects are going to be built in South Africa," said the Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) deputy director general Yunus Hoosen. Toshiba signs first MoU with TGDC for geothermal power generation. Tanzania has vast reserves of untapped geothermal energy, which Toshiba hopes to capitalise on.
(Image source: Simon/Pixabay) TDGC is the only organisation in Tanzania with geothermal exploitation rights, said Toshiba in a statement. The company’s business ranges from geothermal resource development to power plant construction. Through TDGC’s expertise, Toshiba is expected to develop and provide major equipment, create guidelines for plant operation and management, as well as handle personnel training. Dubai-Based Company Set To Launch Africa’s Largest Solar Plant. Access Infra Africa, a Dubai-based company, will launch what it says will be “Africa’s largest privately owned solar plant” in Uganda this year.
This is part of plans to develop electricity projects based on renewable energy in 17 African countries. An International Energy Agency (IEA) report estimates that 620 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, about two thirds of the population, lack access to electricity. They also predict that demand would rise by 80%. The company has committed to spending $500m in the next three years on power generation plants in Egypt, Ghana, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and Mozambique according to Reda el-Chaar, executive chairman of Access Power MEA, the majority owner of Access Infra Africa.
Untitled. Sub-Sahara Green Energy Gets A $250M Boost With Japan, Standard Bank Loan Deal. Standard Bank, Rosebank Photo: Architect&Builder Green energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa will be the beneficiaries of a US$250-million loan agreement between Standard Bank and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Standard Bank announced today.
The credit line will be co-financed by Mizuho Bank, Ltd, with Japan Bank providing a partial guarantee for the co-financed portion. The funding will be used by Standard Bank to lend to green energy projects in sub-Saharan Africa, according to a prepared statement by Standard Bank. Ben Kruger, CEO Standard Bank Group, signed the deal with Akira Ishikawa, Japan Bank chief representative, London, at Standard Bank’s new green building in Rosebank, Johannesburg. The green building industry in South Africa has grown tremendously over the last few years, according to Jarrod Lewin with the Green Building Council of South Africa.
“The green building movement is about 7 years old,” Lewin said in a CNBC Africa interview. Israel’s Energiya Global to solar power 8 percent of Rwanda. Yosef Abramowitz, an Israeli-American solar energy pioneer and cofounder of Arava Power Company in Israel, has begun making inroads into solar-powering Africa.
Today, Abramowitz and his companies Gigawatt Global and Energiya Global announced that they have secured $23 million in financing and about $710,000 in grants for an 8.5-megawatt solar energy plant in Rwanda. The deal was announced in Jerusalem at a press briefing. An international consortium of investors has connected to underwrite and then build what is being hailed as East Africa’s first utility-scale solar field. Abramowitz is the president of Gigawatt Global Coöperatief and is currently the CEO of Energiya Global, Gigawatt’s Israeli affiliate that provided seed money and strategic guidance for the African project. Saudi Arabia's AKWA Wins $2 Billion Solar Power Deal in Morocco.
Rabat – A consortium led by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power International has reportedly won a $2 billion contract to build two solar power plants in the southern Moroccan city of Ourzazate.
The two plants totaling 350 megawatts are the second phase of the 500MW Ouarzazate project, which aims at producing 2 gigawatts of solar energy by 2020, Reuters said quoting a statement by the Moroccan Solar Energy Agency (MASEN). ACWA Power is already building a 160MW plant in the first phase of the project. ACWA’s consortium, which includes Spain’s Sener, had priced its offer at 1.36 dirhams ($0.15) per kilowatt (KW) for the first 200 MW plant with parabolic mirror technology, while it priced the plant with solar power tower technology at 1.42 dirhams per KW.
Praj Industries bags ethanol plant contract in Uganda. Samsung’s Digital Village debuts in South Africa. Samsung's Digital Villages are powered by the Sun Using solar power to promote healthcare and education is the concept behind Samsung’s Digital Villages, a project recently launched in South Africa as the kick-off a larger plan that includes units in Ethiopia and Gabon by the end of 2013.
The Digital Village is also designed to help local traders develop their business with a sustainable and low-cost alternative to fossil fuels. One of Digital Villages' components is called Tele-Medical Center to provide healthcare to inhabitants of remote villages who lack access to this type of service. The center covers basic operations such as diagnosis and prescription. As it is connected to a database and a server, patient data can be shared and managed online. La société malaisienne Asia Pacific Wing va construire deux barrages hydroélectriques au Cameroun.
Masdar builds solar plant in Mauritania. Abu Dhabi: Masdar’s latest renewable energy project, a 15-megawatt solar installation in Mauritania, underscores the company’s ongoing commitment to the United Nations’ Year of Sustainable Energy For All - a global initiative announced by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon during the 2012 World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi. Sustainable Energy For All was created to mobilise actions in support of three key objectives: universal access to modern energy services; double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency; and double the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
The launch of the Year of Sustainable Energy for All further reinforced the shared vision of the Abu Dhabi leadership and the United Nations Secretary General to encourage the widespread adoption of renewable energy and improve energy access. Alternative Energy Africa. 50 MW SA solar project part of Saudi group’s diversification drive. By: Terence Creamer Saudi Arabian power and water group ACWA Power International has confirmed that the 50 MW Bokpoort concentrated solar power (CSP) project, which is proposed for the Northern Cape, will be its first investment in Africa. The development, which has an estimated project cost of R4.5-billion, was selected along with 18 other preferred bids during the second-window evaluation under government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme (REIPPP), which took place between March 5 and May 21.
ACWA Power has a portfolio comprising 12 000 MW of power generation capacity, as well as desalination plants able to process 2.3-million cubic metres a day. Its portfolio currently spans Saudi Arabia, Oman and Jordan, while it has a project under development in Turkey. ACWA CE Paddy Padmanathan describes the Bokpoort project as a milestone for the group’s geographical and technological diversification.