Friday, 7 August

Dear <<First Name>> ,

This week celebrates a milestone in the global transition to clean energy: the first decline in global coal capacity on record. Over the past 20 years, coal capacity has grown by 25GW every six months on average. But in the first half of 2020, it shrank by 2.9GW. Although this was driven by plants being decommissioned across Europe, the message of a green recovery is being heard and acted upon across the globe. 

I am heartened that green development in sub-Saharan Africa continues to be a focus of international interest. This week alone, we have seen bilateral aid from Japan to fund solar-powered water boreholes in The Gambia, private investment from Toshiba’s roll-out of innovative modular geothermal systems, and requests for a public-private partnership in battery storage to support South Africa’s grid.

Whilst international investment can be an important catalyst for growth, we believe in the development of local renewable capacity to ensure that this growth is sustainable. In this challenging time, Camco remains focussed on supporting our REPP investee companies as they continue to provide essential energy to local communities.

Cheers

Geoff

Managing Director, Camco Clean Energy

West Africa

Gambia: JICA grants US$15 million for solar power rural water supply (Energy Mix Report)
- The grant will be used to finance 20 boreholes powered by solar energy, expected to provide drinking water to over 50,000 people in rural areas.

Guinea: AfDB report assesses ways to improve green mini-grid market (ESI)
- A more conducive regulatory environment could facilitate a wider roll-out of mini-grids.

Nigeria: USTDA grant will support Konexa feasibility study (ESI)
- The study, to be completed by a US company, will support the development of 2.5MW of solar PV and 30MW of hydropower in the service area.

East Africa

Kenya: The 90MW Baharini wind project stalls (Energy Mix Report)
- Failure to meet conditions related to land has led local authorities to invalidate the project.

Kenya: Advisors invited to help develop guidelines for transmission lines (ESI)
- Kenya Electricity transmission Company is seeking technical assistance for public-private partnerships in transmission lines.

Southern Africa

South Africa: Eskom invites tenders for energy storage system (Afrik21)
- Tender involves the construction and maintenance of a 80MW/320MWh system.

South Africa: Sasol invites bids for two 10MW solar PV plants (PV-Magazine)
- PV plants will provide power to Sasol operations under long-term PPAs in a move to reduce dependency on Eskom.

South Africa: Eskom and SIU sue former executives to recover funds (ESI)
- Eskom is seeking R3.8 billion from former executives and board members that was lost to corruption.

Zambia: Construction begins on 240MW Busanga hydropower plant despite opposition (Construction Review)
- Move follows complaints by NGOs and locals demanding better compensation for resettlement.

Africa - general

General: WRI stresses the missing links between electricity access and development priorities in sub-Saharan Africa (WRI)
- New working paper proposes a framework to strengthen the bond between these goals.

General: Trade pact could boost Africa's income by US$450 billion (ESI)
- The African Continental Free Trade Area will help boost growth and reduce poverty by removing barriers to trade.

East Africa: Toshiba ESS introduces small scale geothermal plants (Energy Mix Report)
- New modular 'geoportable' systems can produce up to 1-20MW, and multiple MOUs have now been signed.

Mini-grids: The World Bank’s 2019 mini-grid report provides important insights for African developers (ESI)
- Research highlights the key factors that are driving the distributed energy revolution in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rest of World

Wind: China predicted to overtake the UK in global offshore wind installations (The Guardian)
- The Global Wind Energy Council estimates that the global offshore wind capacity could reach 234GW by 2030, with China contributing 52GW.

General: The global coal fleet shrank for the first time ever in 2020 (Carbon Brief)
- Coal fleet declined by 2.9GW in the first half of 2020, driven by a record number of retirements across Europe.

Currencies