Renewable news from East Africa...
African Experts Trained On Geothermal Exploration
The Geothermal Development Cooperation (GDC) has trained 20 geologists from four African countries on collection of geosciences data and information in a move aimed at unlocking the continent’s unexploited green energy and natural resources valued at billions of shillings.
The event dubbed The Geothermal Leapfrog Software training that was held at the Geothermal Centre of Excellence in Naivasha attracted participants from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.
GDC Chief Executive Johnson Ole Nchoe said the training focused on strengthening the mechanism for gathering, disseminating and archiving critical geological data required by investors and policy makers.
Access to Geoscience data, he stated is essential for scientific investigation, managing geological hazards, land use evaluation and classification, civil engineering projects, formulating government resource policy and efficient exploitation of natural resources
Within the framework of Energy, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Goal, the governments of most African countries are keen and committed to explore and further develop geothermal energy as one of the alternative renewable energy resources in their respective countries.
http://www.kenyanews.go.ke/african-experts-trained-on-geothermal-exploration/
African ministers lobby UK for control of climate aid
Ministers from Uganda and the Gambia met the UK’s development secretary to ask for more say over how climate finance is spent.
While grateful for international support, the African politicians said has a message for secretary Rory Stewart that administrative costs charged by international agencies, such as the UN Development Programme, were unacceptably high.
Gambian environment minister Lamin Dibba told Climate Home News: “We would want to see more countries not only pledge [new money], but commit the resources and make them accessible. Sometimes it takes one or two years to follow a particular project.”
Germany and Norway have committed to doubling their contributions to the UN’s Green Climate Fund (GCF) as it seeks new finance this year. The UK has not yet announced a new contribution.
The UN typically charges 12 to 20% of funds for climate projects, while the World Bank Trust takes up 5% administrative fees added to management costs, the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) told CHN.
Poorer countries have long argued money for climate projects is not a donation, but an obligation on the part of the wealthy nations that are overwhelmingly responsible for global warming.
“I know the developed world has its problems – they also have to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in their own countries,” Ugandan minister water and environment Sam Cheptoris said. “But because we are poor: it is difficult to cope with the consequences [of climate change]. We are prepared to play our part. There should be some sort of partnership with the developed world.
https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/07/03/african-ministers-lobby-uk-control-climate-aid/
Kenya to build 30MW solar park in Mwale Medical and Technology City
Kenya is set to construct a 30MW solar park in Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC), a new green city in western Kenya under construction.
bMCX Environmental Energy Corp, a US company specializing in renewable energy production announced that it will build the solar plant which will require an overall investment of US $100m.
The MCX Environmental Energy project is also part of the United States Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Power Africa initiative, launched by the Obama administration and continued under the Trump administration, to provide access to electricity for un-served populations in sub-Saharan Africa.
The solar project will have a capacity of 30MW, expandable to 50MW. It will benefit from the generosity of the newly created US $60bn International Development Finance Corporation (IDFC) group, funded by the U.S. government, whose goal is to enable the U.S. private sector to compete with Chinese investment, which is growing in Africa and elsewhere in the world.
9 July 2019
