Africa Investment Exchange: Power and Renewables
Enabling power project development in Africa
September to December 2020 – online
The 7th AIX: Power & Renewables was a series of monthly meetings held in a virtual environment between September to December 2020, with live streaming, fringe events, an online exhibition and networking opportunities.
Further details on each monthly meeting are listed below:
22 September 2020
Multiconsult presentation
11h00 - 11h30
Ryan Anderson, Head of Section Renewable Energy Advisory Services at Multiconsult will be sharing his insights on a recent report: "What role can Africa’s reservoir hydropower play in enabling variable renewables: The case of 900 MW of solar in Zambia.” at the first AIX Power & Renewables meeting on 22 September.
Grid strategies
12h00 to 13h30 BST
Grid strategies
Examining key institutional themes for grid operations.
- Governance model: unbundling vs vertical integration
- Tariff structure: cost reflectiveness and funding models
- Privatisation: lessons learned from various experiences across the continent
- Grid upgrades: perspectives from the private sector, C&I customers and transmission operators
- Balancing the grid: how best to respond to new challenges and opportunities in maintaining grid stability
Storage strategies
14h00 to 15h30 BST
Storage strategies
- Examining the solar-plus-storage model and opportunities for investment
- Recent tenders and best practices from around the world and African case studies
- Understanding the technologies, costs and applications for storage
- Who is financing storage? What are their conditions, restrictions and main concerns?
Satellite sessions
Satellite sessions
We plan to run several grid and storage focused roundtables in partnership with speakers and sponsors, including:
- Best practices in renewable energy sources integration
- What are the different peaking options?
- Energy management and peak shaving – including time- shift of renewables
- Synergies between storage, conventional power and emergency power solutions
27 October 2020
Tanzania Roundtable
11h00 GMT – 26 October
Tanzania Roundtable
Mark Gammons, Head of Business Development for Tanzania at Globeleq is hosting a pre-conference roundtable meeting focusing on Tanzania’s power industry.
- The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is committed to driving Tanzania to a higher level of development and industrialisation, fuelled by growth in the power sector.
- The Government-championed 2,100 MW Nyerere Hydropower Project is well underway and many are interested to see how it progresses.
- The TANESCO renewables tenders, including the 2x100MW Large Wind Power projects and the 3x50MW Large Solar Power projects are poised to proceed with very low tariffs.
- With the election happening on 28 October those connected to the power sector are watching carefully to see what direction Tanzania will go in the next six months to set the path for the next five years.
East African perspective
12h00 to 13h30 GMT
East African perspective
- Impact of Covid-19
- Does East Africa have enough power?
- What future for thermal generation?
- Update for IPPs
- Outlook for competitive procurements
Strategies for regional integration
14h00 to 15h30 GMT
Strategies for regional integration
How realistic are plans for East African energy industries to become more integrated via electricity interconnections, pipelines and shared policy?
- View across the East African Community region
- Analysis of key projects to assess progress, including Eastern Africa Power Pool prospects
- Questions of trust and national interest - thorny issues
- What is required to create a bankable regional market
- The impact of international support for interconnections
Satellite sessions
Satellite sessions
Access to fringe events (country focuses, workshops, interviews, speaker Q&As, and roundtables) co-hosted by our speakers and partners. Topics may include:
- Outlook for Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda
- C&I and geothermal update
17 November 2020
JinkoSolar presentation
Presentation: "Long term reliability as a key solar plant investment strategy" given by Titus Koech, Technical Services – MEA at JinkoSolar
Solar investment strategies
12h00 to 13h30 GMT
Solar investment strategies
- Latest solar trends including floating PV
- Future relationship between solar and public utilities
- What is the true cost of solar?
- Factors impacting on solar pricing
- The role of development finance in the solar market
13h30 Online networking
Distribution models
14h00 to 15h30
Distribution models
Who is actually making distribution pay in Sub-Saharan Africa? And how?
Satellite sessions
Satellite sessions
Access to fringe events (country focuses, workshops, interviews, speaker Q&As, and roundtables) co-hosted by our speakers and partners.
15 December 2020
Multiconsult presentation: small hydro IPPs in Uganda
Optimising investment and avoiding costly mistakes in small hydro: the case of 14 small hydro IPPs in Uganda
Both, technical and environmental issues will be presented in this session, which will also provide a unique opportunity to review a large renewable energy portfolio outside of South Africa.
Competitive tenders
12h00 to 13h30 GMT
Competitive tenders
Perspective on tendering and other forms of contract award. Are new models needed, or just refinements of the existing system?
13h30 Online networking
New approaches to financing IPPs
14h00 to 15h30
New approaches to financing IPPs
A look at some of the recently financed projects using construction finance and bridging loans. Maximising access to both Western and Islamic financing.
Satellite sessions
Satellite sessions
Access to fringe events (country focuses, workshops, interviews, speaker Q&As, and roundtables) co-hosted by our speakers and partners. Topics may include:
Community engagement; navigating land rights; communicating with governments; environmental standards; finding local partners; and accessing financing from DFIs, commercial banks, export credit agencies, China and India.