Renewable news from East Africa.
Kenyan project among Ashden Awards winners
Renowned for identifying and championing ideas and initiatives that deliver sustainable energy in the UK and internationally, the annual Ashden Awards have been announced with two African projects from Zambia and Kenya among the winners.
Sistema.bio from Kenya won the Ashden Award for Clean Cooking, in association with the Clean Cooking Alliance. Sistema.bio this year has created an innovative, affordable biogas system that turns animal waste into the cleanest of cooking fuels and produces a planet-friendly super fertiliser – boosting productivity while lowering carbon emissions. Ashden CEO, Harriet Lamb, said: “The outstanding organisations that make up our 2019 roster can give us all hope: we have the solutions to the climate emergency, solutions that are working already and just need scaling even further. In particular, financial innovation and commitment must be an integral part of ensuring these solutions are sustainable – and that is just what our 2019 winner is showcasing. Others should come and steal their model and their ideas with pride!”
https://www.kbc.co.ke/kenyan-project-among-ashden-awards-winners/
Gridworks invests in Pan-African solar company
DC-backed Gridworks has committed $7.5 million (ZAR106.7 million) to Mettle Solar Investments, a pan-African commercial and industrial solar company.
In a media statement, Gridworks, the new company launched in June by CDC Group to invest in electricity networks across Africa, announced its first investment.
Mettle Solar is a commercial and industrial solar platform company that provides a variety of affordable renewable energy solutions to commercial and industrial customers.
Welcoming the announcement, Francois Verloren van Themaat, CEO of Mettle Solar Investments, said: “We are very excited to have CDC through Gridworks, as a major investor in our business.
"This investment will allow Mettle to offer its renewable energy products to clients in additional jurisdictions across the African continent and will give a big boost to our ongoing efforts to make renewable energy more accessible and affordable to everyone.”
The investment will enable Mettle to expand its provision of cleaner and cheaper sources of electricity for businesses across Africa.
Kenyan court blocks major Chinese-backed coal plant in historic Lamu
There was rejoicing in court yesterday when Kenya’s environmental tribunal blocked a long-planned $2bn coal-fired power plant in Lamu, which was to be majority financed and built by China. Judge Mohammed Balala “set aside” an earlier decision granting a licence to the developer, Amu Power, which aimed to build East Africa’s first coal station near the Lamu archipelago, an historic coastal area and tourism destination that includes a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Environmental and conservation campaigners have opposed the plant, saying it would pollute the air, destroy surface habitats, and hurt tourism and livelihoods in the region.
Speaking in Kenya’s National Environment Tribunal yesterday, Judge Balala ruled that Amu Power had submitted an incomplete environmental impact assessment, which ignored provisions of Kenya’s Climate Change Act, and had failed to provide an engineering plan for the project, local media reported. He also said Amu Power had failed adequately to consult the public about its plans, which have been in train for about six years.
http://www.globalconstructionreview.com/news/kenyan-court-blocks-major-chinese-backed-coal-plan/
2 July 2019
