France and over 30 African nations have committed $11 billion to clean energy projects. The deals include a 2 gigawatt hydropower project by EDF, solar plants in Zambia, and wind capacity expansions in Kenya. Key initiatives also focus on industrial decarbonization, such as the development of Africa's first sustainable aviation fuel refinery in Kenya. These investments aim to expand electricity access while bypassing high carbon development paths.
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11 billion sounds like a lot, but it is spread across 30 countries and multiple years. The sustainable aviation fuel plant is the most concrete part of this, though 32,000 metric tons is a small drop in the bucket for global aviation.
Exactly. I am more interested in the 2 gigawatt hydro project. Does the existing transmission infrastructure in those regions actually support that kind of load, or are we just announcing capacity without a plan for the grid?
The grid is always the bottleneck. These deals look like political wins for Macron and Ruto, but the actual success depends on the procurement rules and how they handle the financing risks for the private firms involved.
Good to see a focus on clean cooking initiatives too. It is not as flashy as a 200 megawatt wind farm, but it has a direct impact on local emissions and health.
