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Nigeria: Senate Orders Oil Exploration in the North

The Senate yesterday urged President Umaru Musa Yar'adua to direct the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), to resume exploration of crude oil on the Nigerian side of the Chad Basin and the Benue Trough. Moving a motion on behalf of 54 other senators, Senator Bala Mohammed told the apex lawmaking body that huge volumes of hydrocarbons have been discovered in Niger and Chad Republics due to persistent exploration activities on their side of the river basins. The Senate, therefore, called on the Federal Government to facilitate the financing of oil exploration in the region as well as in the Anambra basin.

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Zimbabwe: Zambesi Gas Fails to Raise Funds, Opts for Coal Mining

Zambesi Gas Zimbabwe has failed to raise US$ 40 million to set up a gas plant in the Entuba area of Hwange and has instead opted to start with coal mining. Coal production is expected to begin in the next few weeks, Zambesi Gas chairman Mr Edward Raradza said on Wednesday in an interview. He said revenues generated from coal operations would then be re-invested in setting up a gas plant.

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South Africa: Eskom Looks Into Regional Power Options to Boost Local Capacity

 South Africa will consider regional electricity options to meet the target of adding an extra 40,000 MW of electricity to its national grid by 2025, State-owned power utility Eskom Chief Officer for Networks and Customer Service Erica Johnson while speaking at an electricity conference said that there were possibilities of importing coal-generated power from Botswana and Mozambique, natural-gas-generated power from Namibia and Mozambique, as well as base load hydropower from the Democratic Republic of Congo.

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Kenya: State to Reintroduce Petrol Blending

Blending of petrol with ethanol made from sugarcane will be reintroduced in Kenya. This is meant to cushion consumers from effects of escalating petroleum products prices. Energy Permanent Secretary, Mr Patrick Nyoike, said the high cost of crude oil had now made it attractive for Kenya to reintroduce blending of petrol with ethanol in order to reduce expenditure of foreign reserves on importation of fossil fuel. Kenya first introduced ethanol-petrol blending in 1983 which was terminated in 1993 since, due to the low oil prices then, ethanol was not cost competitive.

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Kenya: Refinery to Increase Fuel Processing Charges in October

Consumers should brace for more fuel hikes in coming months following an increase in local refinery costs. Kenya’s sole refinery will adjust its charges by about 10 percent to US$2.35 per barrel (159 litres) from October. This will be the second increase in two years after another one was effected in 2006 by the Kenya Petroleum Refineries Limited, raising the processing cost from US$1.70 to US$2.15 per barrel.

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South Africa: Johannesburg to Turn Gas into Power

The City of Johannesburg has embarked on a project to turn waste gas from its various landfill sites into energy, according to a senior official in the municipality. The methane gas-to-energy project presents the municipality with a source of energy from an unused and cheap resource and comes at a time when municipalities need additional capacity as power utility Eskom struggles to keep up with demand for electricity.

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Nigeria: AFC Moves to Boost Power Supply to 6,000 MW in 18 Months

Following the recent approval of Accelerated Expansion of Electricity Infrastructure by the Federal Executive Council, the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) has launched the bankable due diligence for up to US $2.8 billion private sector managed and financed Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) structured arrangement to help Nigeria double its current power supply to 6000MW in 18 months.

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East Africa: Kampala-Kigali Oil Pipeline Set to Cut Down Transportation Costs

Rwandan President Paul Kagame during a recent press briefing declared that the Kampala-Kigali oil pipeline deal signed recently will reduce the current high costs of oil transportation in the country. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed last month between the two countries will see the extension of the 600km oil pipeline from Kampala to Kigali. The pipeline is also expected to be extended to Bujumbura, Burundi and Eastern Congo once it finally gets to Kigali. Once the oil gets to Kigali, beneficiaries will be paying according to their consumption and this will reduce the cost of importing fuel from Kenya to Kigali using road tankers.

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South Africa: Higher Power Prices to Stimulate Private Sector Participation

South African Minister for Minerals and Energy, Mrs. Buyelwa Sonjica, while speaking at the tenth yearly power and electricity conference in Johannesburg said that one of the envisaged outcomes of an electricity tariff increase would be the stimulation of private sector participation in the country's power generation industry. In defence of the tariff hike, the Minister said that the current low tariffs paid to electricity producers in the country were deterring private sector investment in power generation projects.

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Namibia: The Electricity Control Board and NamPower announce Stiff Power Hikes

The Electricity Control Board (ECB) and NamPower jointly announced new power tariff increases in the country. The power hikes come at a time when the region is grappling with a power crisis sparked by diminishing electricity supply in South Africa which is a major electricity supplier to Namibia. Tariffs might increase by a whopping 63 per cent by June. However, during a week-long survey conducted by the ECB, Namibians voted overwhelmingly in favour of higher tariffs against load shedding when they were asked to vote between the two options.

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Kenya: Consumers Weigh Options Ahead of Higher Power Rates 

The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) recently announced that it had embarked on a process that may see the cost of electricity go up by 60% beginning July this year. This has left consumers bracing for higher electricity charges though they are already experiencing a marked rise in their electricity bills due to the continued escalation of global oil prices. Apart from adding on to the burden of inflation at the household level, costly power is expected to further increase the cost of production for manufacturing industries.

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Uganda: Government Promises Lower Power Tariffs

The Commissioner in charge of Energy Resources Eng. Paul Mubiru has disclosed that the Government is planning to reduce power tariffs next year. The Government is currently in the process of installing heavy-fuel oil plants to replace the expensive diesel thermal plants and it is envisaged that this will make the cost of power cheaper. In addition to the fuel plants, the Bujagali hydro-power plant whose work is already in progress and the Karuma hydropower plant whose work will start this year are projects that should ensure that the electricity prices come down.

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Mozambique: Eskom Signs Deal for Additional Mozambique Power

Mozambique’s Cahora Bassa hydroelectric power station will soon start exporting additional power to Africa’s biggest power utility, Eskom. Eskom confirmed that it can now import up to 1, 500 MW from Mozambique after it signed a five-year agreement with Cahora Bassa station for an additional 250 MW. The power will come from the power station’s fifth generator, from which the Mozambican electricity utility will also receive 50 MW of additional capacity.

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South Africa: Eskom Wants Power Prices Doubled

South Africa's state power company Eskom has said that electricity prices need to double in the next two years if is to deal with the current power crisis. The submission to the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) came a week after Eskom resumed its programme of planned power cuts. The price rises would fund necessary infrastructure upgrades. Eskom plans to spend £22bn) increasing its generating capacity in the next five years.
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Zimbabwe: ZESA and Eskom in Talks

South Africa power utility, Eskom has begun negotiations with ZESA Holdings for the refurbishment of its three small thermal power stations — Harare, Bulawayo and Munyati. ZESA Chief Executive Engineer Ben Rafemoyo announced that the national power utility had looked into Eskom’s proposal whereby Eskom, through its investment vehicle Bay Harbour has proposed to inject between US $15 million and US $25 million to recapitalise Hwange Colliery Company Limited. This would ensure increased coal production at the mine thereby guaranteeing uninterrupted coal supplies at the rehabilitated thermal stations. In turn, half of the power generated from the three stations would be exported to South Africa and the remainder would be for local consumption.

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Kenya: Power Suppliers Eye Thermal Sources to Bridge Energy Gap

Public and independent power providers are gearing their energy towards thermal sources to avert rationing in the wake of depleted power reserve margins in the country. A three-year consistent boom in the economy has seen Kenya deplete its power reserves to just 3% and emergency power is immediately needed to help avert possible rationing. The peak demand is projected to grow to 1,153 MW by June against an effective generation capacity of 1,185 MW, leaving a reserve capacity margin of only 3% according to a report made by the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC).

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Southern Africa: Multi –million Power Line Commissioned

A multi –million dollar Victoria Falls – Katima Mulilo power line has been commissioned by Namibian President Hifikepunye Pohamba and his Zambian counterpart, Levy Mwanawasa. Zambian Power Utility Zesco and Nampower constructed the 220 kilovolt line from Victoria falls to the Zambezi power station at Katima Mulilio. Speaking at the occasion, President Pohamba noted that the Victoria Falls/Katima Mulilo transmission line would further unlock the potential of increased trade and commerce between the two countries. Moreover it would become a vital route through which the two countries can import and export power.

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South Africa: Sasol Weighs Up More Power Generation Schemes to Prioritise Fuel Security

South African energy cluster head, Dr Benny Mokaba said that, in addition to approving funds for the installation of gas turbines at Secunda, the group is seriously investigating various other power efficiency and generation options. The company will be submitting a bid for Eskom's ‘Pilot National Cogeneration Programme', tenders which closes at the end of May.

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Uganda: Work on US$ 32 Million Power Project Starts

Electro-Maxx has started constructing the US$ 32m power project in Tororo. The 10 MW heavy-fuel thermal plant is expected to generate initial power by June at cheaper tariffs. Electro-Maxx signed a power purchase agreement with the Uganda Electricity Transmission Company to build, own and operate the plant for three years.

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Zambia Ends Oil Financing Talks with Standard Bank

Zambia has ended talks with a unit of the South African Standard Bank after failing to agree on the conditions for a US $ 1.2 billion oil financing deal, Energy Minister Kenneth Konga declared. Konga said that the negotiations with Stanbic Bank Zambia Limited, a subsidiary of South Africa's Standard Bank, had ended and the Government would soon start talks with another bank to finance the purchase of 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil for use in the mineral-rich Southern African country.

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Last updated on: 09 May 2008 AFREPREN/FWD © 2007