Friday, 15 July

Dear <<First Name>>

Supporting small island states’ sustainable development and resilience to climate change through the scaling up of renewable energy projects has become an increasing focus for Camco.

Since 2018, we have had a leading role in setting up the Credit Risk Abatement Facility (CRAF), which aims to incentivise financial institutions to support SMEs looking to develop renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in the Caribbean. More recently we have been turning our attention to the Pacific as well.

This coming Wednesday I will be co-hosting an informational webinar on how to find and realise renewable energy opportunities in the “Blue Pacific”, alongside Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand.

Countries in the Blue Pacific have an abundance of untapped energy sources in the wind, sunshine, tidal and other renewable energy resources. Renewables have the potential to tap into this and transform the energy landscape, reducing the dependence on the expensive and polluting diesel that has to be imported.

As renewables become increasingly competitive on price, it is crucial for decision makers to have all the information about what solutions are available, what could be suitable for them, what opportunities exist to finance projects and how to take advantage of them. Wednesday’s webinar aims to deliver exactly that.

The webinar runs from 1pm to 3pm NZST and is free to attend. If you’re keen to find out more and to register, please click here.

Cheers

Geoff

Managing Director, Camco Clean Energy

West Africa

Senegal: Tysilio to install containerised solar system in a community agricultural estate (Afrik21)
- The 32kWp solar-powered system will help replace polluting diesel generators and will contain a battery capable of providing 60kWh of power.

East Africa

Djibouti-Ethiopia: Electricity connection between countries to be expanded (ESI)
- The AfDB has approved two grants totalling USD83.6 million for a second interconnection project, which will see the construction of almost 300km of interconnector lines and 170km of transmission lines.

Kenya: Country’s energy regulator has developed new mini-grid regulations (Energy Mix Report)
- The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) wants the proposed regulations to spur investment and increase electrification in underserved areas. It is now seeking consensus from the industry.

Southern Africa

Malawi: Insurance agency is to provide liquidity cover for Salima solar project (ESI)
- African Trade Insurance, through its Regional Liquidity Support Facility, will provide insurance cover of USD4.4 million in the case of delayed payment by ESCOM.

South Africa: Trina Solar expands into the country with new distribution facility (Engineering News)
- The new facility is part of the company's commitment to further increase its presence in Africa to cater to the rapidly growing demand for solar energy to meet residential, commercial and industrial needs.

Africa - general

General: AfDB approves USD6 million grant to kickstart the Desert to Power initiative (ESI)
- The grant will enable the launch of the initial phase with funding going to members of the West African Power Pool (WAPP), allowing them to conduct pre-feasibility studies for the construction of the Sahel Transmission Backbone.

General: BlackRock secures USD250 million in capital raise for renewable projects in emerging markets (PV-Tech)
- The financing vehicle, called the Climate Finance Partnership, will finance projects across Asia, Latin America and Africa and will focus on areas such as grid-connected and/or distributed clean energy plants, energy efficiency, transmission or energy storage solutions and electrified transport.

General: The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa’s annual report shows successful year (Engineering News)
- Fund manager AfDB approved seven high-impact projects worth USD54 million in 2020 and secured commitments worth USD90 million from existing and new donors.

Rest of World

General: EU unveils plans for new green deal with ‘make-or-break decade’ warning (The Guardian)
- The EU executive has unveiled sweeping proposals that include tighter curbs on industrial pollution, higher renewable energy targets, and the goal of planting 3bn trees. The measures are intended to ensure the EU cuts greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with the levels in 1990.

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