Washington DC, United States --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 03 February 2012 - The government of the United States is sending an energy trade mission to Mozambique, Tanzania, Nigeria and Ghana to look at potential investment projects with the aim of enhancing the countries' ability to generate electric power.

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 03 February 2012 - More than a billion people in the world still lack access to electricity, while another one billion have unreliable access, hampering efforts to improve health and livelihoods, and to conserve the environment.

Kampala, Uganda --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 03 February 2012 - The government of Uganda has been forced to slash ministry and other departmental budgets as it scrambles to avert a crisis in the face of private power generators threatening to plunge the country into darkness over hundreds of billions of shillings in unpaid arrears.

Tsumkwe, Namibia --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 03 February 2012 - The Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN) has called on the government of Namibia to incorporate renewable energy into the mainstream of the country’s energy supply.

Making the appeal here, DRFN associate, Mary Seely said this process should be spearheaded by large utilities and electricity distributors, rather than small non-governmental organisations.

Cape Town, South Africa --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 02 February 2012 - Unlocking South Africa's junior mining sector ‒ which could include consolidation among producers ‒ is considered a key factor in helping South African national power utility Eskom Holdings to fill a 40Mt shortfall in domestic coal supply forecast for 2018.

Johannesburg, South Africa --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 02 February 2012 - The Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) has clarified the details of its arbitration award handed down against South African national power utility Eskom Holdings on 23 December 2011.

In a statement here welcoming the arbitration decision and clarification, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) explained that Eskom had taken its dispute with the NUM on the unilateral implementation of a 7% wage increase to the CCMA for compulsory arbitration. The arbitrator had ruled that Eskom must increase its wage increment by an additional 1.1% retrospective from July 2011, and by 8.1% in 2012. The utility was also ordered to increase its housing allowance by R500 to R2,000 a month.

Beijing, China --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 02 February 2012 - Growing urbanisation and the resultant environmental threats it generates has led the government of China to invest nearly US$50 billion annually on the development of its renewable energy sector since 2009.

China's five-year investment in environmental protection is on track to reach US$454 billion. By 2015, its environmental protection industry is expected to top US$317 billion.

Johannesburg, South Africa --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 02 February 2012 - Eskom Holdings is investigating the cause of slow performance on its prepaid online vending system, the South African national power utility has confirmed.

The system is used by prepaid customers to purchase electricity tokens.