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AIX: Power & Renewables 2023

RSA House, London, 1-2 November 2023

Africa Investment Exchange: Power & Renewables

ENABLING POWER PROJECT DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

1-2 November 2023, RSA House, London

AIX was set up in 2014 to establish an enduring dialogue for investors and energy industry professionals, with the aim of stimulating business engagement and long- term partnerships.

To mark the anniversary, in addition to our usual day one evening reception we held an AIX: dinner on 31 October providing participants with another opportunity to network in an amicable setting.

View the latest programme

Alongside our usual lively mix of panel discussions, held, as ever under the Chatham House Rule, our 2023 programme also included an afternoon of roundtables focused on Matching finance and projects.

They proved to be a useful addition to the AIX format, which is known for its robust debate and knowledge-led approach.

Africa’s evolving power network also assumes a greater significance in this year’s programme with sessions focusing on linking power markets, the future of wheeling, financing decentralised energy and a data-led discussion on the growth potential of the C&I sector.

Contact Lauren Slater for more details.

Participating organisations (to date):

Utilities, regulators and officials
Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG)  –  Electricity Control Board (ECB), Namibia  –  Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), Uganda  –  Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA) Kenya –  Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) – Masen – National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) – UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ)  –  UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO)

Project development
Africa Greenco  –  Anergi  –  Buffalo Energy  –  Camco  – Clarke Energy  – Chariot Energy  –  EDF  –  Emesco  –  Engie  –  Fluence  –  Fortescue Future Industries  –  Glencore  –  Globeleq –  Gridworks –  Husk Power Systems  –  InfraCo Africa  –  Janus Continental Group  –  Hanas  –  Lekela Power –  Milele Energy  –  Shell  –  Solarcentury Africa  –  TotalEnergies  –  Vivo Energy –  Yellow Door Energy  –  Wärtsilä

Finance and investment
Actis  –  Africa Finance Corporation (AFC)  –  Africa50   –  ARCH Emerging Market Partners –  Blue Capital Management Partners  –  BlueOrchard Finance  –   British International Investment (BII)  –  Climate Fund Managers  –  Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners  –  Cygnum Capital Group  – FinnFund  –  GIZ  –  Glencore  –  Greenmax Capital Group  –  GuarantCo  –  International Finance Corporation (IFC)  –  Mauritius Commercial Bank  –  Naimon Capital  –  Nedbank  –  NEoT Capital  –  Norfund  –   Power Africa  –  Renewable Energy Performance Platform (REPP)  –  responsAbility  –  Standard Bank  –  SunFunder  –  Trine  –  United Bank for Africa  –  US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC)

Professional services
Addleshaw Goddard  –  Africa Practice  –  African Energy  –  African School of Regulation (ASR)  –  Alliant Insurance Services  –  Alton  –  Ardonagh Specialty  –  Clifford Chance  –  Climate Policy Initiative  –   Cresco  –  DNC Engineering Services  –  Economic Consulting Associates (ECA)  –  Energy for Growth Hub  –  Energy Exemplar  –  Energy Transitions Commission  –  FutureEnergy  –  GET.invest  –  GET.transform  –  GOGLA  –  Green Hydrogen Organisation –  Greencrowd Energy  –  Herbert Smith Freehills  –  International PtX Hub  –  Kuungana Advisory  –  KOKO Networks  –  Marsh  –  Multiconsult  –  Odyssey Energy  –  Overseas Development Institute (ODI)  –  Pinsent Masons  –  Power Futures Lab  –  QEII Leadership Academy  –  SLR Consulting  –  Tetratech  –  The Open University  –  Think Tank RDC Strategy  –   Tony Blair Institute for Global Change  –  University of Cape Town

Key themes to be discussed at the Africa Investment Exchange: Power & Renewables 2023 meeting:

  • The state of the industry: delivering change in the power sector
    Government leadership and positive policy moves. What support is required from international partners.
  • Opening up traditional markets
    Strategies for private sector and utilities to co-exist.
  • Developing the grid
    The future of wheeling, build-out of the transmission network, managing variability and innovative ancillary services.
  • African IPPs: an endangered species?
    New entrants to the market as well as ‘traditional’ developers and financiers share their experience in financing greenfield developments across the continent.
  • What next for African C&I?
    Examining integrated business models including analysis of ‘hybrid C&I’: Solar + gas + diesel + BESS + CNG + LPG.
  • Is it all about mini-grids?
    Focusing on recent procurement programmes and portfolio funding models.
  • Linking power markets
    Prospects for a fully interconnected transmission grid in Africa with well-functioning power pools.
  • Critical minerals and power supply
    New mining developments coming on stream and alternative energy solutions helping mining operations reduce their carbon footprint.

Finance and private development focused themes:

  • New scramble for renewable energy finance
    Blended finance and other solutions to fund the flow of big-ticket GH2 deals, P2X products, desalination plants and large-scale RE projects required to meet SDG7.
  • Mobilising private finance
    Issuing bonds, leveraging private credit, using risk transfer products and other options available for DFIs to scale-up investment in clean energy.
  • Carbon markets revisited
    To what extent is the AIX community thinking about accessing current and/or future carbon markets?
  • Engaging local capital
    Local currency guarantees and other mechanisms unlocking domestic sources of capital

Roundtable discussions:

  • Matching finance and projects
    There is plenty of money available but never the right sort, is a common theme at past AIX meetings. Led by experts, the roundtable discussions will focus on equity, debt, guarantee and grant finance available for the industry.

“AIX is by far my favourite annual event and I would be delighted to participate again next year”
Cathy Oxby – Chief Commercial Officer, Africa GreenCo

Other feedback from AIX: Power & Renewables 2022

  • "Probably the highest quality, content rich conference around."
  • "I really appreciate this conference: that it is smaller, more academic & practical (vs the larger conferences where many participants are focused on selling their ideas, attracting capital). "
  • "The event was excellent. The sessions were informative with a good mix of public and private sector participants which is crucial for a constructive discussion. The breaks were sufficiently long to allow for some networking and the number of participants was large enough for there to be interesting networking, while small enough that one felt one could speak to anyone. The sessions pretty much ran on time which was also great. Overall, an excellent event."
  • "Superb event bringing together industry leaders, excellent discussions. Unlike other similar events, I came away with new insights, feeling that I had learnt something."
  • "Excellent event always."
  • "Its one of my favourite events as the attendees and topics are always interesting."
  • "It was my first attendance. I really liked the event and would not change anything."

Royal Society of Arts (RSA House)
8 John Adam Street
London, WC2N 6EZ

The Venue
Conveniently located in central London within easy walking distance of Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, and the South Bank, RSA House was designed by Robert Adam in the early 1770s, and is the historic home of the Royal Society of Arts. A famous centre for Enlightenment thinking, the building has been the intellectual and social home of some of the greatest thinkers and social activists of the past 200 years. Today it is also recognised as one of the most exclusive and sought after locations for executive meetings in London.

London – access to international funds
The world’s leading global financial centre, home to a large number of internationally significant banks, businesses, and stock exchanges, and barometer for international investor appetite in Africa’s growth industries.

London is an ideal destination which provides African industries access to a large international audience as well as the opportunity to capitalise on the city’s financial expertise.