Infrastructure news from around the continent

KENYA

Geothermal utility seeks $1.95 billion

In a bid to almost double its power output from renewable fuel, Kenya Electricity Generating Co (KenGen) plans to raise US$1.95 billion (R26.8 million) to build new and upgrade existing plants.

KenGen, Africa’s geothermal pioneer, plans to add 651 MW from underground steam in the next five years.

President Uhuru Kenyatta is pushing investors to tap Kenya’s vast geothermal resources with a goal to switch completely to renewable energy to generate electricity for the nation’s grid, from about 90% currently. Last month, at US President Joe Biden’s climate summit, Kenyatta said that there are “huge investment opportunities” in his country’s steam power, given just a fraction of the resource is being used.

The state-owned company plans to build four new 140 MW steam-powered plants, including a project to be delivered as a publicprivate partnership. Steam wells have already been drilled at two of the planned facilities. The company also plans to upgrade some projects to add 66 MW and deliver another 25 MW from wellheads and mobile generating plants at the Eburru field.

GHANA

Tema port expansion projects

AECOM is on track to complete its work on the Tema Port Expansion Project on behalf of Meridian Port Services (MPS). According to Craig Thackray, director: MEA Ports & Marine, AECOM, the project team has managed to deliver the port facilities ahead of the programme, within budget and with a great safety record. “We are now operationalising the fourth berth and have just completed supervising the marine works for our client. The ship-to-shore crane infrastructure is already in place and the port is fully operational at present.”

Located about 30 km from the capital city, Accra, the Port of Tema accounts for 70% of Ghana’s containerised volume. The containerised volume represents less than half of the port tonnage, which includes general cargo, bagged commodities, dry and liquid bulk cargo. The container terminal (Terminal 2) has been operated by MPS since 2007. Building on its success in operating Terminal 2, MPS and Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority extended the concession to include the Tema Port Expansion Project.

The Tema Port Expansion Project (Terminal 3) is adjacent to the existing Tema Port and has been designed to provide enough draft and modern container-handling equipment to accept and service the largest container vessels operating on global trade routes. It can accommodate vessels with a capacity of 22 000 TEUs – a marked increase from the 5 000 TEUs at Terminal 2. The new terminal will significantly increase Ghana’s container-handling capacity to around 3.7 million TEUs a year, from 800 000 TEUs at Terminal 1 and 2.

As Ghana is a seismically active zone, special attention had to be paid to the design of the marine and land infrastructure. This needed to address liquefaction of marine sediments and the reclamation materials, and the structural stability of the breakwater, quay wall and buildings. Solutions included the removal of liquefaction-prone materials, consolidation of marginal foundation materials, and detailed analysis and structural design of major elements.

The first major milestone was the handover of a portion of the project works. This was the first commercial operation for two container berths (700 m), to the operator in June 2019. The second milestone, commercial operations for three container berths (1 000 m), was achieved in April 2020. The marine works for the fourth berth were completed significantly ahead of schedule during June 2020.

NIGERIA

6 million to receive improved WASH services

The World Bank has just granted a US$700 million (R9.63 billion) loan to Nigeria. The International Development Association loan will finance access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for 6 million people, mainly in rural areas and small towns.

With an estimated population of 201 million, the provision of clean water, sanitation and hygiene is a real challenge in Nigeria. According to the World Bank, about 60 million Nigerians live without access to basic drinking water services, 80 million without access to improved sanitation facilities, and 167 million without access to a basic hand-washing facility. In rural areas, 39% of households are without water services, while only half have access to improved sanitation facilities and almost a third (29%) still practise open defecation.

The Federal Government of Nigeria plans to build and rehabilitate water points and drinking water systems for rural communities and small towns; build and rehabilitate sanitation facilities; and build hand-washing stations. The Nigerian authorities are also planning to build small-scale faecal sludge disposal and/or treatment facilities.

TANZANIA

Funding secured for Malagarasi Hydropower Plant

The Tanzanian government has just approved a further US$140 million (R1.93 billion) in funding for the construction of the 50 MW Malagarasi hydroelectric power station. The funds are provided by the African Development Bank and the Africa Growing Together Fund. The Malagarasi Hydropower Plant Project is being implemented in the Uvinza and Kigoma District Councils, Kigoma Region, western Tanzania. The project involves the construction of a run-of-river power plant. The plant will harness the Igamba Falls on the Malagarasi River. It will include a gravity overflow weir of about 600 m in length that diverts flows to the waterway. The waterway system includes a culvert, approximately 1 km long, which leads the discharges to short penstocks, through an external force main and then to the 50 MW power plant built on the right bank of the river.

There will be construction of about 53 km of 132 kV overhead transmission line between the Malagarasi Hydropower Plant and the 400/132/33 kV Kidahwe substation in Kigoma. The plant will require a total investment of $144.14 million (R1.98 billion). The Tanzanian government will be contributing $4.14 million (R56.93 million).

MOZAMBIQUE

Consortium acquires 30% stake in Rompco from Sasol

Reatile Group and African Infrastructure Investment Managers have teamed up to buy a 30% stake in the Rompco pipeline in Mozambique for up to R5.14 billion from Sasol South Africa (SSA).

Rompco is a joint venture between SSA (50%), Companhia Mocambiçana de Gasoduto (25%) and the South African Gas Development Company (25%). The joint venture owns the 865 km gas transmission pipeline from Mozambique to South Africa.

SSA intends on retaining a 20% shareholding in Rompco. Sasol’s agreements to transport gas to Secunda are unaffected and the existing tariffs, approved by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, will be unaffected.