The African Energy Chamber (AEC), representing industry stakeholders, welcomed the development, emphasizing the importance of stronger intergovernmental and institutional linkages. Increased coordination between Petrosen and NNPC is expected to facilitate knowledge transfer, enhance institutional frameworks and accelerate project execution across upstream, refining and gas commercialization segments. Senegal Nigeria energy ties also aligns with ongoing efforts to operationalize the Africa Energy Bank, with Senegal already contributing capital and positioning itself within the financing structure for future energy projects.

“This is exactly the kind of collaboration Africa needs. When countries like Senegal and Nigeria work together – sharing knowledge, building infrastructure, strengthening NOCs and improving policies – we create an environment where investment can thrive and where Africa can take control of its energy future. Strong partnerships between African nations will be the foundation of energy security, industrialization and economic growth across the continent,” states NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman, AEC.

Momentum around Senegal Nigeria energy ties comes as both countries scale their oil and gas ambitions. Senegal continues to build on recent production milestones, including operations at the Sangomar oilfield and the Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) LNG project. Output at Sangomar has stabilized at approximately 100,000 bpd, while GTA has recorded 24 LNG cargo exports between February 2025 and February 2026, alongside 1.6 million barrels of condensate marketed internationally. The country is also advancing the Yakaar-Teranga offshore project and pursuing a $100 million onshore exploration campaign aimed at unlocking new reserves through seismic acquisition and exploratory drilling.

Nigeria, Africa’s largest oil producer, is simultaneously targeting production levels of around 2 million bpd while expanding its refining and gas sectors. A 2025 licensing round offering 50 frontier and one deepwater block is expected to attract $10 billion in investment, complemented by renewed engagement with international oil companies including Chevron, ExxonMobil and Shell. The NNPC is targeting $30 billion in upstream investments by 2030.

On the downstream side, plans are underway to expand the Dangote Refinery’s capacity to 1.4 million bpd, while recent gas flare commercialization initiatives are set to unlock $2 billion in investments. The growing alignment between Senegal and Nigeria reflects a wider continental shift toward cooperative frameworks aimed at strengthening energy security, infrastructure development and long-term market integration.

According to the solar tender announcement, independent power producers interested in participating in the project have until October 14 to submit their offers. Once completed, the project will represent the country’s first solar-plus-storage installation of this scale, combining photovoltaic generation with large-capacity battery storage to support grid stability and renewable power integration.

Tunisia has already seen progress in the development of large solar installations. In December, Dubai-headquartered developer Amea Power commissioned a 120 MW solar project in Tunisia, the country’s largest to date. Dubai-headquartered developer Amea Power has commissioned a 120 MW solar project in Tunisia, the country’s largest to date.

Industry data highlights the steady expansion of solar generation across the country. The Africa Solar Industry Association’s (AFSIA) project database states Tunisia has 728.8 MW of operational solar capacity. With Amea Power’s plant now online, the country will be moving closer towards the 1 GW benchmark. Earlier in the year, the Tunisian government also approved additional renewable projects, granting licenses in March for four new utility-scale developments with a combined capacity of 500 MW. These projects were selected as part of a broader 1.7 GW renewable energy tender designed to expand Tunisia’s renewable power portfolio.

Libya is on the precipice of accelerated growth, backed by rising investor confidence, new licensing opportunities and strengthening global ties

Libya is entering a new phase of energy development, defined by renewed investor confidence, stronger international partnerships and a clear focus on moving projects from ambition to execution. This momentum was on full display at the 2026 edition of the Libya Energy & Economic Summit (LEES), where high-level engagements with the United States, France, Italy and the United Kingdom underscored growing global appetite to invest in and partner with Libya across upstream, gas and power priorities. Through a series of targeted roundtable discussions, LEES 2026 delivered a clear message to international investors: Libya is open for business.

U.S.–Libya: Strategic Priority and Expanding Commercial Footprint

Libya was described as a “high priority” for the current U.S. administration during the U.S.–Libya Roundtable, with officials pointing to rising American investment, a growing presence of U.S. energy companies and the strategic importance of Libya’s upstream revival. Convened by the American Chamber of Commerce, the session highlighted opportunities linked to Libya’s ongoing licensing round and the National Oil Corporation’s multi-billion-dollar development program, with U.S. operators and service providers signaling continued commitment to production growth, technology deployment and workforce development.

France–Libya: Project Momentum and Institutional Cooperation

The France–Libya Roundtable, sponsored by Business France, highlighted both project-level progress and deeper institutional alignment. TotalEnergies confirmed it is targeting end-2026 final investment decisions for the North Gialo 6J oil development and the 500 MW Sadada solar project, reinforcing France’s dual focus on hydrocarbons and renewables in Libya. In parallel, the Libyan Council for Oil, Gas and Renewable Energy and Business France signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen collaboration between French and Libyan companies, with a potential joint venture under consideration to support energy investment and project development.

Italy–Libya: From Hydrocarbons to Power Generation

Long-standing Italy-Libya energy ties were reinforced during the Italy-Libya Roundtable, where participants called for expanded cooperation across oil, gas and power generation. Italy was positioned as a natural partner for Libya’s next phase of growth, combining operating experience, engineering capacity and geographic proximity. Discussions highlighted ongoing gas developments, flaring-reduction initiatives and growing interest in electricity generation and infrastructure rehabilitation.

U.K.–Libya: Second Licensing Round Anchors Upstream Strategy

The U.K.–Libya Roundtable, convened by the Libya British Business Council, centered on Libya’s plans to launch a second upstream licensing round, positioning licensing continuity as a cornerstone of the country’s strategy to sustain production and attract long-term investment. Libya’s Minister of Oil and Gas, Dr. Khalifa Abdulsadek, said strong global interest in the current licensing round – launched in 2025, with results expected shortly – has reinforced confidence in maintaining a regular, structured approach to acreage offerings. He also highlighted parallel initiatives targeting marginal fields, unconventional resources and underexplored acreage.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital & Power.

SOURCE
Energy Capital & Power

The 25-year agreement includes the delivery of a fully integrated solar-plus-storage facility expected to generate around 6 TWh of electricity annually, along with two additional standalone battery energy storage projects. Once completed, the combined development will represent the largest solar and battery installation in Africa and Scatec’s single largest investment to date.

Scatec will serve as lead developer for the project, taking responsibility for engineering, procurement and construction, as well as asset management and operations and maintenance services.

The company said it plans to bring in additional equity partners and will disclose capital expenditure estimates and financing details once the project reaches financial close, which is expected in the second half of the year.

“By integrating advanced solar and battery technologies, we are providing Egypt with sustainable, around-the-clock power and grid stabilising services, supporting both the country’s energy transition and the region’s long-term economic development,” commented Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.

Scatec’s investment portfolio in Egypt was valued at $3.6 billion as of last September. Its local project pipeline includes the 1.1 GW Obelisk solar plant combined with 200 MWh of battery storage, which began construction last May, and a separate 1 GW solar project with 200 MWh of battery capacity for Egypt Aluminium Company following a PPA signed last March.

The company’s broader Egyptian portfolio also includes the country’s first green hydrogen and ammonia production facility in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, a 900 MW wind farm, and an additional green ammonia project. The Scatec Egypt solar-plus-storage PPA further strengthens the company’s position in the country’s renewable energy sector.

Egypt’s operational solar capacity currently totals about 3.3 GW, according to data from the Africa Solar Industry Association, with roughly 1.8 GW concentrated at the Benban solar complex.

All the solar cells that are going to be produced will be exported, whereas the modules as well as storage systems are going to serve local along with regional markets.

It is anticipated to create almost 850 direct jobs and also support the push by Egypt to go ahead and localize green energy manufacturing and also boost exports.

In a recent move, an international consortium, which includes the likes of JA Solar from China, has broken ground when it comes to a multi-GW solar energy manufacturing complex based in the Suez Canal Economic Zone – SCZone of Egypt.  The $210 million Atum Solar Complex is going to host 3 facilities having annual capacities of 2 GW of solar cells, 2 GW in terms of solar panels, and also 1 GWh for energy storage systems – ESS.

While solar panels along with ESS are going to cater to both domestic and regional markets, with the overall solar cell output to be exported since Egypt makes use of its strategic location as well as free trade agreements – FTA in order to access the global markets.  The complex is anticipated to create 850 direct jobs.

Based in the Sokhna region, the solar complex is a partnership between JA Solar and AH Industrial Management from Egypt.

Global South Utilities – GSU from the UAE and Infinity Capital from Bahrain.  It is going to come up on a 200,000 sq. mt. space in the Sokhna Industrial Zone.  A land usufruct contract for the complex has been signed in August 2025, as the consortium went on to agree to source the Egyptian aluminum as well as glass.

Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, Kamel Al-Wazir, who was attending the groundbreaking ceremony, stressed the commitment by Egypt to go ahead and localize green energy industries as per its vision to replace the imports with high-quality local products and also open certain new export markets.

Notably, JA Solar went on to unveil its 2 GW solar cell and 2 GW module production plans in Egypt along with Global South Utilities in November 2024.

Since then, there have been many solar PV manufacturing announcements that have been made when it comes to the Egyptian market, such as the solar glass factories that would be established by Kibing Solar as well as CSH Holding.

The Nigerian Gas Flare Commercialisation Programme – NGFCP marks quite a prominent step towards ending flaring as well as monetizing wasted gas, the officials from NGFCP confirmed on December 12, 2025.

Gas flaring apparently is the controlled burning of natural gas, which gets released at the time of oil extraction.

The gas flaring projects could very well capture between 250 and 300 million standard cubic feet per day – mmscfd of gas, which is currently flared, and slash around 6 million tonnes of CO₂ per year, and also unlock almost 3 gigawatts of power generation potential, showed an NGFCP document.

Nigeria anticipates the initiative to attract around $2 billion in terms of investment and also come up with over 100,000 jobs. It could also go on to produce 170,000 metric tons of LPG per year, hence offering clean cooking access across 1.4 million households.

The permits of the gas flaring projects go on to follow a competitive bid round, which went on to award 49 flare sites to 42 bidders post the programme got restructured after COVID-19 as well as the Petroleum Industry Act.

The head of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, Gbenga Komolafe, attended and also presented the certificates to all 28 companies.

As per the NGFCP official, the NGFCP is indeed a pillar in their quest to eradicate routine flaring, decrease emissions, and also elevate the global credibility of Nigeria when it comes to its energy transition commitments.

Notably, the programme sync well with the Energy Transition Plan of Nigeria and also looks to turn flare gas from being an environmental liability to an economic asset.

The 28 companies that have gone on to ink key agreements pertaining to milestone development and connection, as well as gas sales agreements, and now qualify for the permits so as to access flare gas.

Producers are also going to benefit from the decreased liabilities, enhanced ESG performance, and also alignment with the decarbonization agenda of the government.

Development partners, which are the likes of KPMG, Power Africa, the Global Gas Flaring Reduction initiative by the World Bank, and USAID, as well as financiers, have all supported the programme with technical along with commercial frameworks.

According to the official, while the permits indeed go on to mark a milestone, engineering, construction, and financing have to begin in earnest.

The official further said that the real work begins now, as this programme is going to create economic and industrial as well as environmental value while at the same time also strengthening the energy transition of Nigeria.

The nation has recently gone on to issue a tender for a company so as to supply a floating storage as well as a regasification unit, which will be moored at the Nador West Med port that is about to start operating in 2026. It’s also looking to go ahead and pick firms in order to build and finance as well as operate new pipelines that are connecting the port to prominent industrial areas.

By being a $1 billion LNG hub, Morocco looks forward to becoming a player in LNG imports, with the government planning to spend almost $3.5 billion in order to boost gas consumption to 12 billion cubic meters by the decade from the present from 1.2 billion cubic meters. The new projects are going to help counter the loss of Algerian supplies in 2021 after a diplomatic dispute, whereas gas is an important bridge fuel for the manufacturing industries that go on to export goods to Europe.

The Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development has forecasted that the FSRU would cost around $273 million, whereas the new pipelines will need investments of around $681 million. The pipelines are going to be connected to the Maghreb-Europe link, by way of which Morocco imports gas from Europe, since the projects are also going to form the backbone of a gas network that may as well, one day, carry green hydrogen across home as well as abroad.

The gas plans of the country involve spending $1.5 billion when it comes to infrastructure so as to become a player in LNG imports and replace dirtier feedstocks like fuel oil or even coal in the industrial sector, and also investing $2 billion in order to construct gas-fired plants, which would indeed triple the amount of power that gets generated through gas.

Morocco looks forward to decarbonizing its economy completely by 2050 by way of phasing out coal along the way through including expansion within solar and wind generation and also battery-storage facilities. Authorities anticipate almost $11 billion in investment so as to add 12.5 gigawatts of renewable capacity from 2025 to 2030, therefore representing almost 80% of all the new installed capacity within that period.

Gas is also going to play a limited role when it comes to replacing coal, with planned renewable expansion having a much larger percentage of new capacity, opines the Imal Initiative for Climate and Development’s director, Rachid Ennassiri.

Notably, when it comes to offers for the FSRU tender, they are going to be opened in early February 2026, and pre-qualified candidates for the new pipelines are going to get revealed around the same time.

Ethiopian Electric Power sees geothermal as a steady, high-capacity source that can shore up energy security, limit fuel imports, and give industries a more reliable power base. The government’s growing list of projects shows how it is trying to broaden the electricity mix and put in place a firmer backbone for future base-load supply.

The Ethiopia geothermal energy portfolio includes several large developments now advancing at different stages. Tulu Moye is the most prominent, planned at 150 MW, with an initial 50 MW phase driven by private-sector investment. At Aluto Langano, Ethiopia’s first operational geothermal plant, capacity is set to rise sharply, from 7.3 MW to 75 MW, marking one of the country’s most significant ongoing upgrades. The site also serves as an example of cross-border technical support, following Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen)’s drilling of a seventh 3,000-meter well in 2022.

Additional projects are being positioned to expand the national portfolio further. The Corbetti development targets 500 MW, which would make it one of the largest geothermal undertakings in the region. Tendaho is structured as a 20 MW pilot operation with an eventual expansion goal of 100 MW, building out Ethiopia’s early-stage resource base in the Rift Valley.

Despite this activity, installed capacity remains small. Data from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) show the Ethiopia geothermal energy output at 7 MW by the end of 2024, well below Kenya’s 940 MW. Even so, the broader investment climate has been improving. The World Bank has committed $350 million to the Geothermal Energy Development Project, designed to lower early exploration risks and draw investors such as Meridiam, U.S. DFC, and Iceland Drilling Company into the market.

Cost competitiveness is emerging as a core driver. Geothermal electricity is estimated at $0.05 to $0.07 per kWh, well below the $0.25 cost of diesel power. That price gap matters. It could cut roughly 500 million liters of imported diesel each year and open up close to 10,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2030. It would also give Ethiopia’s industrial zones a steadier power base and ease some of the strain that comes with diesel-driven generation.

If the projects now in the pipeline move ahead as expected, Ethiopia stands to add real base-load capacity in the next few years and firm up its role in East Africa’s geothermal sector.

• Badr-15 discovery boosts Egypt’s Western Desert gas output.
• Discovery supports Egypt’s plan to lift national gas production.
• 2026 drilling push signals stronger exploration ahead.

Egypt has confirmed a fresh natural gas discovery in the Badr-15 zone of the Western Desert, with the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources detailing the find in a new report. Officials said the well, developed by Badr El-Din Petroleum Company (BAPETCO), a collaboration between the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation and Shell, has already begun production. Early output is reported at about 16 million cubic feet of gas per day, alongside 750 barrels of condensate per day.

According to the ministry, the gas discovery in Western Desert stems from ongoing investment incentives designed to boost domestic supply while cutting dependence on foreign imports. Technical teams have started reassessing the reservoir to pin down additional drilling prospects that could enhance the field’s long-run performance.

Authorities estimate that the new gas discovery in western desert will add around 15 billion cubic feet to Egypt’s proven natural gas reserves. In parallel, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi has outlined broader goals for the sector, noting that national gas production is targeted to reach between 6.4 and 6.6 billion cubic feet per day over the next five years, supported by renewed international investment. He added that the government is lining up plans for 2026 to drill 14 exploratory wells in the Mediterranean Sea, a campaign expected to target about 12 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Badawi also spoke about the sector’s recent difficulties, noting that domestic production has been sliding since 2021 as investment cooled. However, he said that a more favourable investment environment has helped stabilize production and return the industry to a growth path. The Western Desert continues to be highlighted as a key contributor to Egypt’s hydrocarbon landscape, with recent successes such as production from the North Deep Lotus-1 well operated by Agiba Petroleum Company in cooperation with Eni reinforcing the region’s significant untapped potential.

According to the government’s schedule, the program’s framework documents will be drafted and approved in 2026. The government intends to offer investment incentives and subsidies to bring private developers on board. The first round of tenders, covering feasibility studies and company selection, is expected to be launched in 2027. Construction and contract signings are scheduled between 2028 and 2030, though that timeline could stretch if needed.

These ten plants form part of a larger national effort to build 50 small hydropower facilities across Cameroon. The first in the series, the Mbakaou plant, was inaugurated on April 14, 2022, in the Adamaoua region. IED Invest Cameroon built the 2.4 MW Mbakaou plant, which can be expanded to 4.8 MW. The project cost 4.5 billion Central African Francs (XAF) and was partly financed through a 1.5 billion XAF loan from BGFI Bank Gabon. During the inauguration, Abakal Mahamat, managing director of the bank’s Cameroonian subsidiary, stated that the institution was prepared to fund the remaining 49 projects. His comments followed an appeal from the Minister of Water and Energy, Gaston Eloundou Essomba, for greater investor engagement. “We want to build the other 49 to solve the electricity supply problem,” Mahamat said.

Small hydropower plants, defined as hydroelectric systems generating under 10 MW, are generally installed along rivers with consistent water flow, using both natural currents and engineered elevation drops to produce power. Cameroon is prioritizing this energy model for its environmental, financial, and social advantages. From an ecological perspective, small hydropower provides clean and dependable energy with less environmental disturbance than large-scale dams.

From an economic standpoint, these projects are cheaper to build, attract a wider range of investors, and have lower running costs, which can lead to more competitive electricity prices. Socially, they play a key role in bringing power to rural areas like the 2,800 new households connected through the Mbakaou plant and help improve living standards while creating local jobs.