Friday, 09 September

Dear <<First Name>>

I am sure most readers will have heard the sad news already that Queen Elizabeth II died yesterday. Although she was 96 and there had been a number of recent reports about her deteriorating health, her death still comes as a shock – she had after all sat on the throne for longer than most of us have been alive.

The British monarchy, like all monarchies, has been a divisive and emotive topic throughout its history and some of the media headlines in recent years have certainly done little to win it any favours. But there can be no denying the Queen’s remarkable commitment to her role throughout her 70-year reign.

In the turbulent times we live in, she was a very steady presence that brought comfort to millions. World leaders would do well to learn from her stability and dedication as they look to COP27 and beyond.

Elizabeth II is succeeded by her son Charles, who has been a lifelong and very vocal champion of environmentalism and sustainability, often courting controversy for his outspokenness. He will now have to become more politically neutral as king, but I hope he is able to find ways to put his new powers to good use and further the causes he so clearly believes in.

Cheers 

Geoff Sinclair

Managing Director, Camco Clean Energy

West Africa

Ghana: Government set to launch country’s first electric rail system in Kumasi (Construction Review Online)
- The transport system, which was developed by the Ministry of Railway Development and the Czech Republic, will be comprised of carriages that ride on tramway tracks on a public urban roadway. 

Nigeria: D-8 member countries pledge support for country’s energy transition plan (ESI Africa)
- The partnership was publicised when a Nigerian delegation visited the Republic of Turkey to sign a partnership with Turkish energy firm, Energy Exchange Istanbul (EXIST). 

East Africa

Kenya: KenGen partners with Japan's Toshiba Energy Systems and Solutions Corporation (Afrik 21)
- The partnership aims to exploit potential geothermal energy sources by exploratory activities across several counties located along the Rift Valley.

Rwanda: Construction of the Bwishyura plant commences (Construction Review Online)
- The project will comprise of an offshore gas extraction facility, onshore gas processing and a compressed natural gas plant, creating between 600 and 800 construction-related jobs and 400 post-construction jobs. 

Southern Africa

Botswana: Scatec signs PPA with Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) (Afrik 21)
- Scatec is the sole shareholder in the 50MWp solar PV project and will also be the appointed EPC company, asset manager and O&M contractor.

Malawi: Government partners with Scatec and Electricité de France on hydroelectric project (Afrik 21)
- The 350MW Mpatamanga project will provide electricity to at least 2 million Malawian households while offsetting 520,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year. 

South Africa: Sasol and Itochu to produce and export green hydrogen and ammonia (Construction Review Online)
- The products will be exported to the international market from Boegoebaai, a port located about 60km north of Port Nolloth in the local municipality of Richtersveld in the Northern Cape. 

Africa - other

Egypt: KarmSolar seeks to raise USD80 million to finance expansion (Afrik21)
- The company specialises in the production and distribution of solar energy, including solar PV plants for commercial and industrial users.

Mauritania: Chariot partners with Total Eren to implement green hydrogen project (Afrik 21)
- Project Nour will involve the construction of solar and wind farms in the Mauritanian desert with a total capacity of 10GW, the electricity from which will be converted into green hydrogen through electrolysis. 

Pacific

Australia: Parliament passes climate bill (Pina)
- The bill calls for a 43% greenhouse gas reduction target by 2030 and net-zero by 2050. It is hoped that the passing of this bill will provide certainty for investors and increase accountability for future governments. 

General: Pacific Climate Change Centre trains Pacific officials on access to climate resilience (Pina)
- The training involves participants from 10 Pacific countries, with an emphasis on project planning, execution, and monitoring and evaluation within the context of climate change. 

Rest of the world

Global: The Global Alliance for Industry Decarbonization launches (ESI Africa)
- The coalition consists of the International Renewable Energy Agency, Siemens Energy and 13 other companies across various industry sectors, with an aim to accelerate net-zero ambitions and the decarbonisation of industrial value chains. 

Europe: Aquila Clean Energy EMEA achieves financial close on EUR1 billion facility (European Commission)
- The financing will support the development and construction of the developer’s pipeline in Spain and Portugal, which consists of more than 50 projects of predominately solar PV and onshore wind assets, with a total electricity generation capacity of 2.6GW.  

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