February 07, 2025

Cameroon invites bids for its 500 MW hydro project

February 07, 2025

Cameroon is seeking contractors for its 500 MW Kikot-Mbébé hydropower project, its second such project developed through a public-private partnership. The partners are France’s multinational electric utility company EDF and the Government of Cameroon through the Kikot-Mbébé Hydro Power Company.

  • Cameroon signed its first major hydropower PPP in 2018 for the 420 MW Nachtigal hydropower dam. Construction is ongoing and expected to be completed by the end of 2025, making it currently the largest ongoing public-private partnership project in Sub-Saharan Africa's energy sector.

  • The Kikot-Mbébé hydropower project will be built over four years at a cost of $1 billion, with financial support anticipated from partners such as the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and other development agencies. The project is part of Cameroon's broader vision of providing low-cost, renewable electricity generation, as outlined in its National Development Strategy 2020-2030.

  • Our take: Hybridisation of hydro and other intermittent renewables brings much-needed grid stability… Read more (2 min)

Canadian bioenergy firm Nopal has launched its first African renewable energy project in Namibia. The Nopal Carbon Farming project will utilise cacti to generate biogas. The first phase will cover 500 hectares at an investment cost of approximately $4m. The company targets to expand to 17,500 hectares by 2028.

  • Nicole Maske (pictured first on the right above), the Namibian managing partner of Nopal Carbon Farming, confirmed that around 5 MW of energy would be generated per 800 hectares of the project.

  • The total investment of the project is expected to exceed $108m as bioenergy production expands. Namibia has approximately 81% of its land area classified as desert or semi-desert and this will be suitable for the cactus plant.

  • Our take: This is huge news for Namibia and a unique approach to utilising available resources and conditions to solve problems… Read more (2 min)

East Africa's leading electricity producer, Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen), has reported a net profit of $41 million, a 79% growth in profit after tax for the six months ending December 2024. This comes as the company plans to expand its generation targeting more commercial & industrial customers in Kenya.

  • The company has a portfolio of installed generation capacity of 1,785 MW, of which over 93% is drawn from green sources, namely hydro (826 MW), geothermal (754 MW), wind (25.5 MW) and thermal (179.5 MW).

  • KenGen plans to expand its renewable energy portfolio under its 2034 Good-to-Great (G2G) Transformation Strategy, a 10-year blueprint supporting Kenya’s green energy transition. It plans to add 194.4 MW of geothermal, hydro, and solar projects between 2025 and 2027. The company also plans to add 100 MWh of battery energy storage during this period

  • Our take: KenGen's continued profitability puts it in a better position as it plans to enter the captive power market… Read more (2 min)

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Panelists pose for a photo at the East Africa Energy Cooperation Summit in Arusha, Tanzania

Events

📅 Addis Ababa hosts 5th Solar Africa 2025 (Feb 18)

📅 Cape Town hosts Africa Green Economy Summit (Feb 19)

📅 Johannesburg hosts Solar & Storage LIVE Africa (Mar 25)

Jobs

👔 Lexo Energy seeks station supervisor interns (Kenya)

👔 Fichtner seeks  a photovoltaic consultant (Kenya)

👔 African Clean Energy Developments seeks a project development manager (SA)

Various 

🔋 TotalEnergies Uganda invites contractors for a solar PV project

🔋 SAPP celebrates 30 years of regional power cooperation

🔋 Oil giants TotalEnergies, Equinor reduce low-carbon investments

🔋 Israel and Ethiopia sign energy cooperation agreement

Seen on LinkedIn 

Joseph Nganga, Mission 300 Special Envoy says, “Africa is not just responding to the global climate, energy and development agenda, we are shaping it. We must remember who we are: innovators, builders, and problem-solvers. It's time to rekindle our greatness and build a self-sustaining Africa for ourselves, our children, and the world.”

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