16 March 2010 - As hydro-powered electricity becomes more unreliable in Kenya, authorities in the East African nation have stated that investment is needed for alternative energy projects.

Sh80 billion is required to produce 600MW of geothermal power over the next three years, and in order to achieve this, 100 wells across will see drilling in order to reach this capacity.

16 March 2010 - The South African government’s commitment to "put an end to the chapter" of independent power producers (IPPs) struggling to conclude power purchase agreements (PPAs) was reaffirmed by Public Enterprises Deputy Minister Enoch Godongwana this week.

According to Godongwana, the South African government cannot leave that issue to Eskom any longer.  He admitted that the government had made a mistake in 1998 by proposing the introduction of IPPs, without much follow up. "We didn't take the whistle from Eskom. Eskom remained a player and a referee ... We want to settle that matter as soon as possible," said Godongwana.

15 March 2010 - Senior Angolan cabinet members will head up the contingent of high-level dignitaries and experts addressing prospective investors in May during the iPAD Angola and Power Industry Forum events in Luanda.  Angola’s Energy minister, H.E. Emanuela Afonso Vieira Lopes, and the Secretary of State for Industry, Kiala Gabriel, will highlight investment opportunities and partnerships in Angola’s industrial and power sectors.

The iPAD (Infrastructure Partnerships for African Development) events are well-known and respected high-level investment forums on the continent.

Says Piera Abbott, conference director for iPAD Angola:  “We are thrilled that, once again, we have such high-level support and participation from the Angolan government, which emphasises their commitment to making Angola an investment-friendly destination for the power and infrastructure sectors.”

Following the very successful first iPAD Angola conference and product showcase last year, this year’s event takes place from 4-5 May 2010, and again provides a networking platform for participants to investigate opportunities in key infrastructure verticals, including investment & financing, mining, oil & gas, transport, construction, water, ICT & telecoms.

Highlights include:

12 March 2010 - A 70% stake in Kenya's Lake Turkana Wind Power (LTWP) will be offloaded to South Africa's Industrial Development Corporation and London-based energy firm Aldwych International.

LTWP is building a 300 MW wind farm in Kenya, with the first 50 MW feeding into the national grid by the end of June 2011.

"The structure we are looking at is that by the time we reach financial close and we move into construction phase, the shareholding of Lake Turkana Wind Power will be 51% Aldwych, 19% for IDC South Africa and a 30% by KP&P, the original owners," said LTWP's Carlo Van Wageningen.

10 March 2010 - The Pebble Bed Modular Reactor Company (PBMR) is to begin large scale restructuring which could see up to 75% of the 800 strong workforce lose their jobs.

Tom Ferreira, PBMR spokesperson, said that the staff were expected to be absorbed by institutions like Eskom and the Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa), as well as private engineering companies.

10 March 2010 - Siemens Energy Southern Africa, a supplier to Eskom's coal-fired plants and pumped storage schemes, aimed to expand its renewable energy unit into its biggest division, chief executive Dion Govender said this week.

Govender said Siemens Energy was currently involved in the development of about 16 renewable energy projects in South Africa.

9 March 2010 - Agreements between the government of France and the North African governments of Algeria, Libya and Tunisia have been signed during the past 2 years to establish frameworks for France to provide these North African governments with the expertise necessary to allow them to add nuclear power to their national energy matrices.

Egypt has had such an agreement with France for some time now - although it was dormant for a number of years, it has more recently been reactivated.

5 March 2010 - According to Obiageli Ezekwesili, vice president at the World Bank, the next developmental leap for Africa will be in the power sector.   Just as new technology and legal reform transformed the African telecoms market, Ezekwesili believes that a similar transformation could make a difference to Africa’s power sector.