1 September 2010 - Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) is hosting a regional meeting in Nairobi aimed at building power generation capacity and sustainability.

The four day 12th annual East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC) is being held at Safari Park Hotel.

Spintelligent, the event organiser, said the meetings objective is to determine the best way to secure electricity generation and continued economic growth.

18 August 2010 - Hydropower which is one of the cleanest sources of energy remains untapped by most of the continent, says the Department of Energy.

Speaking at the 3rd annual Hydropower Africa Conference on Tuesday, department's Director-General Nelisiwe Magubane said according to experts the potential for hydropower is in excess of a hundred thousand megawatts.

The South African Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters will open the third annual Hydropower African conference and exhibition this coming Tuesday in Johannesburg.  In her opening address, the minister will share her thoughts on “working together to unlock Africa’s hydropower potential to promote sustainable development, regional integration, water and energy security, and poverty eradication in Africa.”

Some of the world’s top hydropower experts will discuss the future of hydropower electricity generation in Africa, particularly funding and financing projects, as well as hear updates on some of the most exciting hydro developments on the continent, including DRC’s Inga and Ingula in KwaZulu-Natal.  

 

The Ingula pumped-storage scheme is a one-in-a-million large-scale challenge that does not come around very often, says project manager Colin Logan, of GIBB, which is part of the consortium with SSI and Knight Piesold that is constructing the Kwazulu-Natal-based hydropower scheme for South Africa’s power utility Eskom.  The consortium, operating as Braamhoek Consultants Joint Venture (BCJV), recently signed an extension of its contract with Eskom to December 2013.  

The key to unlocking finance for your infrastructure

Historically one of government’s roles has been to fund and manage infrastructure assets for the good of the population. Today this role is increasingly being questioned - both in terms of the cost to taxpayers and as to whether government can deliver as efficiently as a private company competing for the privilege. The question now is – what form of funding is best for my project – private, public or a combination of both?

The World Cup’s enormous stimulation of the South African economy will continue long after the tournament as many crucial public services as well as private companies that have been running at maximum capacity will need urgent maintenance.  Huge business opportunities are in the offing as power utilities, municipalities, mines and the petrochemical sector will be looking to outsource much-needed maintenance contracts to ensure sustained reliability.  

The 7th annual West African Power Industry Convention is right around the corner.  Dakar, Senegal sets the stage for this year’s edition of the most influential power forum in West Africa.  The WAPIC Conference Committee is now actively calling to all industry experts and power professionals working in the regional market to share your ideas and experiences with us. 

Africa has 100GW capacity says expert

Investment in small hydropower projects in Africa will increase if tariff and non tariff barriers are removed which will boost investor confidence says Leonard Kassana, a well-known international hydropower consultant with the Investment Climate Facility for Africa (ICF) at the Ministry of Infrastructure in Rwanda.  Following a feasibility study for small hydropower projects (SHPs) with the Greening the Tea Industry in East Africa Project in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Malawi, Mr Kassana says:  “feed-in tariffs should be attractive for developers and business licenses and environmental impact assessment (EIA) authorizations should be streamlined”.