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Friday, 16 December


Dear <<First Name>>

The nuclear energy world was sent into a spin this week when it was revealed that US physicists had made a major breakthrough in nuclear fusion, for the first time producing more energy from an experiment than was put in.   

Nuclear fusion has long been seen as the holy grail of clean energy generation and if it was ever to work on an industrial scale could provide a near limitless supply of emission-free power and with very little radioactive waste. Its impact on the world and the way we live cannot be overstated.   

And now for the but. And it’s a very big but. 

Scientists have been working on nuclear fusion for more than half a century, and although the latest development represents a huge leap forward for the technology, it is almost certain to take several more decades before we see nuclear fusion deliver power on a meaningful scale, if ever. 

It would be very convenient for the world’s biggest polluters to now point to the breakthrough as an excuse for taking the pedal off climate action, arguing that climate salvation is just around the corner. 

But this would be a grave and short-sighted mistake, since not only is there every chance that we will never harness nuclear fusion’s power, but also that even if we do, the technology will do nothing to support the hundreds of millions of people who continue to live off-grid. 

Far better is for the world to continue to do everything it can to shift to a clean and sustainable energy pathway, and not to lose sight of the fact that for at least the near to medium-future small scale distributed energy generation remains the most viable solution for providing energy access to off-grid communities.  Sure, the scientists can continue in their gallant pursuit of nuclear fusion, but don’t let that ever distract us from today’s real job in hand.

Cheers 

Geoff Sinclair

Managing Director, Camco 

Story of the week

IMF Executive Board approves USD319 million arrangement under the new Resilience and Sustainability Facility, alongside a new policy coordination instrument.

West Africa

Ghana: Energy efficiency ecosystem formed to foster collaboration (ESI Africa)
- Mission Efficiency is creating a Mission Efficiency Community of Practice in Ghana to promote coordination and cooperation among energy efficiency stakeholders in the country.

Nigeria: Country unveils large-scale hydropower venture (Leadership)
- Minister of Power Abubakar Aliyu claims that once completed the 1,650MW Makurdi Hydro Power Plant will both address the country's energy shortfall and mitigate flooding

East Africa

Ethiopia: USD10 million from SEFA for geothermal drilling (Afrik21)
- The Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) is providing a repayable grant to Tulu Moye Geothermal Operations to fund the drilling of geothermal wells at the Tulu Moye site in the Ethiopian part of the Rift Valley.

Kenya: Germany to help country hit renewables target (ABC)
- The German government will provide Kenya with EUR112 million to help the East African nation close the gap to 100% renewable energy and produce hydrogen.

Rwanda: IMF approves USD319 million arrangement (IMF)
- The IMF Executive Board has approved an arrangement for the country under the newly established Resilience and Sustainability Facility, which aims to support the country's ambitious agenda to build resilience to climate change and help to catalyse further financing.

Uganda: Country to nationalise electricity utility (ESI Africa)
- The government of Uganda is to form the Uganda National Electricity Company Ltd after contracts with Eskom and Umeme come to their conclusion.

Southern Africa

Energy storage: Eskom's first battery storage system project begins construction (ESI Africa)
- The project has officially begun construction and, once completed, will have a capacity of 8MW, equivalent to 32MWh of distributed electricity.

South Africa: Gold mine gets 10MW solar PV plant (CleanTechnica)
- Pan Africa Resources has announced that the plant has become the first embedded project over 1MW to receive full grid code compliance from Eskom.

Zimbabwe: 30MWp solar project to provide mine with clean energy (Afrik21)
- Total Eren and Chariot sign new project in the country that will involve the construction of a solar PV power plant to supply the Karo platinum mine.

Africa - other

DRC: Thirty-three hydropower sites to unlock 150MW of electricity (ESI Africa)
- A sustainable hydropower provider has partnered with a US energy investor and developer to launch MyHydro, a pan-Africa power investor bringing much-needed electricity to DRC in the form of renewable and fish-safe hydropower.

Policy: AfDB rolls out policy toolbox (AfDB)
- The bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Development Centre have teamed up to roll out a new policy toolbox for a just low-carbon transition in the continent.

SDGs: New report shows need for greater action to hit targets (AfDB)
- The African Union Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank and the Development Programme have jointly released a status report on the SDGs during the African Economic Conference 2022.

Morocco: Country secures adaptation and mitigation funding (ESI Africa)
- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, Green Climate Fund and European Union will partner on a finance package of up to EUR25 million to Banque Centrale Populaire to support a green transition in the country.

Tunisia: 10MW solar PV plant commissioned (ESI Africa)
- The Tataouine plant was successfully connected to the national grid this week and is expected to save around 211,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent over its lifetime.

Pacific

Climate: Climate change single greatest threat to Pacific security, says Samoan Prime Minister (Pina)
- Fiame Naomi Mata’afa made her comments while addressing the 10th Summit of the OACPS Head of State and Government on Friday in Angola’s capital, Luanda.

Climate: Pacific teams up with indigenous North Americans in global fight against climate change (Pina)
- The Pacific Islands is joining forces with Inuit Circumpolar Council Canada in an initiative that brings together vulnerable communities and states to call for climate action at the International Maritime Organisation.

Rest of the world

Clean energy: Global government spending on energy transition rises, says IEA (IEA)
- The IEA’s Government Energy Spending Tracker shows funding for clean energy has increased by over USD500 billion since March in response to the global energy crisis, alongside efforts to keep energy bills affordable.

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