Posted by sociolingo on April 22, 2008
Source: BBC NEWS
A group of villagers gather at the local bicycle repair shop at Njiapanda, a dusty roadside hamlet on the rift valley in Singida region in central Tanzania, to marvel at magazine pictures of massive electricity-generating wind turbines.
They have never seen anything like this before and are clearly impressed.
They will soon find out exactly what the turbines are like. In a matter of months, 24 of these 100m-plus-high power generators will be erected next to their homes, as part of the first commercial wind farm in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Posted in AFRICA, AFRICAN COUNTRIES, AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, African power generation, African renewable energy, ENVIRONMENT, Tanzania | No Comments »
Posted by sociolingo on April 22, 2008
Source: BBC NEWS
A plan to build the largest and most powerful hydroelectric dam in the world is being discussed in London.
Financiers and African politicians will look at how to finance the $80bn (£40bn) cost of the Grand Inga project.
The plant in the Democratic Republic of Congo would generate twice as much energy as China’s Three Gorges dam.
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Posted in AFRICA, AFRICAN COUNTRIES, AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, African power generation, African renewable energy, Democratic Republic of Congo, ENVIRONMENT | No Comments »
Posted by sociolingo on March 22, 2008
Source: BBC NEWS
Mozambique is to increase power supplies to South Africa to help it cope with severe electricity shortages.
More than 75% of the power generated from Mozambique’s huge Cahora Bassa Dam is already sold to South Africa.
A senior official from the company that runs the dam told the BBC that this will be increased next month thanks to a recent refurbishment of the facility.
The move follows news that electricity prices in South Africa are set to rise by more than 50% to ease the crisis.
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Posted in AFRICA, AFRICAN COUNTRIES, African power generation, Mozambique, South Africa | 2 Comments »
Posted by sociolingo on March 20, 2008
Source: APA
South Africa pulls out of Namibia’s power plant deal
APA-Windhoek (Namibia) South African power utility Eskom has pulled out of negotiations to purchase 400 megawatts from a planned gas to power plant in Namibia, an official from Tullow Oil, the principal developer of the Kudu gas project, said.
Reports from South Africa said on Wednesday that the negotiations on the use of gas from the Kudu gas fields offshore Namibia had been grounded.
Tullow Oil, a United Kingdom listed oil and gas company, which is developing the Kudu offshore gas field in Namibia, is now in talks with Namibia to build a separate power station supplying Namibia alone, South Africa\’s “Business Report” said on Wednesday.
Progress on the 800 megawatt Kudu-gas-to power project has previously been bogged down by failure amongst the parties to reach a gas and electricity sales agreement.
Kevin Stallbom, Tullow business unit manager on the Kudu project, said that negotiations had stalled because of incompatible positions on foreign currency exposure, the price for gas and the schedule of supply.
Namibia, which does not have permanent power supply, had pinned its hopes of electricity supply self-sufficiency on the planned Kudu power plant.
Stallbom was quoted as saying that Tullow would try to reach a deal on the project which would “only be viable if NamPower (Namibia utility) is able to establish a market for 800 megawatts output.”
Namibia only consumes about 500 megawatts during peak periods.
Stallbom said that the other option would be to shut down the gas-to-power project and focus on an alternative gas export plan with similar local power generation adequate for Namibia\’s own needs.
Margaret van de Merwe, NamPower\’s Kudu project co-ordinator refused to comment on the future of the envisaged power plant.
LR/pm/APA 2008-03-20 
Posted in AFRICA, AFRICAN COUNTRIES, AFRICAN ENVIRONMENT, African power generation, ENVIRONMENT, Namibia, South Africa | 1 Comment »
