Mali

The African Development Fund has approved $302.9 million of financing for a 225 kV electricity interconnection project linking Mauritania and Mali. The project is part of the Desert to Power initiative, which facilitates the development of solar plants in the region.

Philippe de Donato and Jacques Pironon, researchers at a French laboratory, are actively searching for white hydrogen in collaboration with gas company Française De l’Énergie. Pironon told pv magazine that they plan to continue exploration next year to confirm their thesis that deeper digging yields more hydrogen.

Dutch gas supplier Gasunie says several market participants have reserved capacity in the first salt cavern for large-scale hydrogen storage near the Dutch city of Groningen. According to current planning, the first cavern will be operational by 2028.

Private Infrastructure Development Group recently made a non-binding commitment in Brussels to a provide funds for a project that aims to bring 10 GW of solar to Africa’s Sahel region.

The Green Climate Fund has announced it will provide US$150 million in funding to the Desert to Power initiative – a project led by the African Development Bank and spanning several countries that aims to build 10 GW of PV generation capacity in various projects across the Sahel region to the south of the Sahara Desert.

A report commissioned by EU lender the EIB has dismissed the role solar mini-grids can play in achieving universal electrification by 2030 and signaled distribution to individual households should be the way forward, including sales to the residents of UN refugee camps in East Africa.

The €50 million project is planned to begin commercial operations in 2023.

Politicians across the continent will have to decide between their heavily-indebted state utilities or embracing the energy transition, according to one energy analyst.

The solar-plus-storage facility will reduce heavy fuel oil consumption by 13.1 million liters per year.

A 50 MW project is being planned by French company Legendre Energie and a 33 MW facility is under development by Scatec.