Marc Howard

A final investment decision for Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed Bannerman Energy’s Etango uranium mine in Namibia is expected by end-2024. The junior’s chief executive Gavin Chamberlain told African Energy that good progress had been made on the project.

A new African uranium frontier is set to open soon, with Mauritania’s first yellowcake mine on the cusp of a major milestone. ASX- and London AIM-listed Aura Energy's chief executive Andrew Grove told African Energy that discussions were taking place to finalise $250m of debt and equity funding for its 2m lb/yr Tiris mine.

GoviEx is expanding its presence in Zambia with an option for a uranium exploration licence in Eastern Province. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) Venture-listed miner told African Energy at the World Nuclear Association (WNA)’s symposium in London in early September that it expected the feasibility study for its Muntanga project in Zambia’s Southern Province to be completed this year.

Uranium industry figures say African producers should benefit from the growing interest around the world in developing more nuclear power, after a long slump following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan. Established producers such as Namibia – which could become the world’s second-largest producer in the next decade – Niger and Malawi are eyeing greater output, while others such as Mauritania are preparing to enter the market, writes Marc Howard.

Washington, DC-based grid management specialist SparkMeter has signed a deal for Somali utility Blue Sky Energy to use its smart meters and grid management technology in a pilot programme. SparkMeter already has schemes with two other Somali utilities, Caabudwaq Electric Company and National Energy Corporation of Somalia (Necsom).

Miners are proving an additional source of demand for utility Compagnie Ivoirienne d’Electricité (CIE), with two large gold projects recently opting for significant grid offtake instead of developing the large on-site commercial and industrial (C&I) power plants seen in other West African mining jurisdictions.

Belgium’s International Montage Maintenance (IMM) has commissioned a thermal commercial and industrial (C&I) power plant at Gerald Group’s Marampa iron ore mine in Sierra Leone. The expansion of existing thermal capacity comes as Gerald Group expands iron ore output at the Northern Province mine. The metals trader is also looking at adding solar PV or LNG-fired capacity to the C&I plant.

Ouagadougou has invited international bidders to submit prequalification documents for two greenfield, solar storage projects, backed by funding from the World Bank Group and the Clean Technology Fund.

Tanzania’s most important gas project – and its largest-ever foreign investment – is the $42bn, 15m t/yr Lindi liquefied natural gas (LNG) development, also known as Tanzania LNG (TLNG).

‘Accelerated commissioning’ has allowed Golar LNG to announce a definitive 2025 commissioning date at the BP/Kosmos’ Greater Tortue Ahmeyim gas project. But the floating liquefied natural gas (FLNG) developer has cautioned that it expects more delays at its Nigeria project.