Energy

Diesel power plant put to work at Kodal’s Bougouni lithium mine

Powering Mali's mining industry forward

As Mali’s flagship Bougouni lithium project gears up for its first exports, the mine’s diesel power plant is being put to work

In January, London-listed developer Kodal Minerals announced that the thermal power generation facility was now operational, paving the way for commissioning of the stage 1 Dense Media Separation (DMS) processing plant.

The project is being heavily funded by Hainan Mining, a subsidiary of Chinese investment conglomerate, Fosun International, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The power plant itself is 100% diesel, with the mine site operations drawing around 3MW continuous power from six 1000kW, Cummins KTA50-G3 installed units.

In the company’s annual report for the year ended 31 March 2024, Kodal Minerals stated that with the absence of reticulated power in the Bougouni region, a 5MW diesel power plant was procured from Jiangsu Fukangsi in China, comprising Cummins engines.

“The power solution will include in its design the installation of complementary solar power, however due to the short time frame for project construction the solar circuit will be deferred into the future; likely after 12 months of operation,” the report notes.

The generators arrived on site in southern Mali in mid-December 2024, with the project team moving swiftly to complete the installation, cabling and testing of the equipment to achieve first power by late January 2025.

At the time, Bernard Aylward, CEO of Kodal Minerals, commended his site team, noting that they had “performed fantastically to successfully finish the installation of the power generation plant and achieve the important ‘Power-On’ milestone at Bougouni.”

He added that piping and electrical cabling continued to advance, ahead the commissioning of the DMS processing plant.

In the company’s most recent update, on 30 June, Kodal Minerals announced that an off-take agreement for the spodumene concentrate produced by the stage 1 DMS plant had been signed between its local subsidiary, Les Mines de Lithium de Bougouni, and Hainan Mining, the exclusive buyer for a period of four years.

Aylward also added that discussions with the Mali government to secure the export permit for the spodumene concentrate were continuing.

The export of the spodumene, an important source of lithium, will take place via the Port of Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire, before final export on to China.

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ENGIE fully commissions largest wind farm in Africa

ENGIE completes Africa’s largest wind project ahead of schedule in Egypt’s Ras Ghareb. (Image source: ENGIE)

ENGIE has officially announced the full commissioning of the Red Sea Wind Energy wind farm in Ras Ghareb, Egypt. With a total installed capacity of 650 MW, it now stands as the largest operational wind farm in the Middle East and Africa

This significant milestone follows the completion of a 150MW expansion, delivered four months ahead of schedule. The expansion increased the total capacity from 500MW to 650MW. The project progressed through several commissioning phases: 306MW came online in December 2024, followed by 194MW in April 2025, and the final 150MW in June 2025. Initially slated for the third quarter of 2025, the grid connection of the entire 650MW capacity was successfully achieved by June 2025.

The Red Sea Wind Energy project is also notable for its health and safety standards, having completed 7 million hours of work without a lost time injury. Once fully operational, the wind farm is expected to supply renewable electricity to over one million homes, reducing carbon emissions by approximately 1.3 million tons annually.

A 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) has been signed with the Egyptian Electricity Transmission Company (EETC), ensuring long-term revenue stability for the project.

The development was led by the Red Sea Wind Energy consortium, comprising ENGIE (35%), Orascom Construction PLC (25%), Toyota Tsusho Corporation (20%), and Eurus Energy Holdings Corporation (20%). Financing was arranged through the Japan Bank for International Corporation (JBIC), with coordination from Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, the Norinchukin Bank, Société Générale S.A, under a Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) cover, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

Paulo Almirante, ENGIE executive vice-president in charge of renewable & flexible power, stated, "This achievement demonstrates our Group's industrial performance and our ability to develop large-scale renewable projects in record time. It also illustrates the strength of our consortium and its contribution to decarbonizing Egypt's energy mix. With the commissioning of Red Sea Wind Energy, ENGIE now operates nearly 1GW of wind power capacity in Egypt, consolidating our position as a leader in the renewable energy sector in Africa and the Middle East."

ENGIE is also advancing plans for a new wind farm exceeding 900 MW near the Red Sea Wind Energy site, continuing its development efforts with the same consortium.

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Cooper LPG gensets bound for Africa market

Africa_industrial_engineer_genset_energy

Powering Africa’s clean energy drive

India’s Cooper Corporation has teamed up with Japan’s Sinfonia Technology for a new LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) genset project that will target Africa and other regional markets

The strategic alliance will see engine maker Cooper produce the gensets at its factory in Satara, Maharashtra.

Both sides will then be involved in marketing and distributing the gensets across India and other markets, with a strategic emphasis on Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

The 10-kVA LPG generator sets will be marketed in India under the brand name 'Daimon', while in the Japanese market they will be sold under the brand 'Satara'.

Cooper Corporation’s chairman and managing director, Farrokh N Cooper, said its partnership with Sinfonia Technology marks a new step towards “reshaping the energy landscape” with cleaner, smarter solutions.

The company already produces a large range of diesel gensets that it sells into the Africa market.

The joint venture aims to help industries transition to sustainable and cost-effective power solutions without compromising on reliability or performance, Cooper noted.

The new genset fully complies with India’s Central Pollution Control Board IV+ (CPCB IV+) norms, the country’s most stringent emission standards.

It is powered by Cooper’s indigenously developed lean-burn gas engine, designed in collaboration with Ricardo of the UK.

Equipped with an electronic engine management system, isochronous governing and a compact V-twin 2-cylinder engine, the genset delivers lower emissions, quiet operation, high power density with a lightweight, space-efficient design.

This makes it ideal for diverse applications across urban and rural areas, including micro grids, educational institutions, retail and industrial setups, according to Cooper.

“The Daimon genset reflects our belief that progress is driven by collaboration where Japanese precision and Indian engineering come together with intent,” he said.

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Red Sands BESS achieves financial close

South_Africa_flag_electricity_Red_Sands_BESS_project

Red Sands to bolster Northern Cape grid

South Africa’s Red Sands battery energy storage project (BESS) has achieved financial close

The 153MW/612 MWh project, led by Globeleq and African Rainbow Energy, becomes Africa’s largest standalone BESS facility to reach the financial close milestone.

It follows the signing of project agreements between both companies and the Department of Electricity and Energy and the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA).

Globeleq and African Rainbow Energy raised approximately around US$300mn in debt financing from Absa and Standard Bank.

Located near Upington in South Africa's Northern Cape, the Red Sands BESS will span approximately five hectares and supply electricity to NTCSA under a 15-year power purchase agreement.

The project includes significant upgrades to Eskom and NTCSA's grid infrastructure and will help ease transmission and distribution congestion in the region.

China Energy Engineering Corporation has been selected as the engineering and procurement contractor, with the BESS technology and long-term service agreement provided by Sungrow, a global leader in inverter and energy storage system solutions.

“Financial close on Red Sands BESS is a pivotal step in delivering Africa's largest standalone battery storage project,” said Globeleq's CEO Jonathan Hoffman.

"With strong backing from Absa and Standard Bank, and support from our public and private partners, we're advancing a more resilient, low-carbon power system.”

Johan Koorts, senior banker, resource and project finance at Absa, said the transaction demonstrates the bank’s commitment to Africa’s energy transition goals and will support the reliability and efficiency of electricity supply in South Africa.

Sherrill Byrne, head of project finance, energy and infrastructure at Standard Bank CIB, added: “This project is set to significantly enhance South Africa's energy requirements and contribute to grid stabilisation."

Globeleq, which led the development and financing process, will manage the project during construction and into operation through a subsidiary, Globeleq South Africa Management Services.

The project was originally developed by African Green Ventures and later acquired by Globeleq in 2023.

Red Sands BESS will be its second utility scale BESS in its renewable portfolio, adding to its 13 solar, wind and hybrid PV plus BESS plants in South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya and Egypt, plus the Menengai geothermal plant, currently under construction in Kenya.

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JA Solar's DeepBlue 4.0 Pro achieves 10th 'Top Performer' designation in PVEL 2025 scorecard

JA Solar named 'Top Performer'. (Image source: JA Solar)

JA Solar, a global leader in the photovoltaic (PV) industry, again is recognised as a 'Top Performer' in the 2025 PV Module Reliability Scorecard released by PV Evolution Labs (PVEL), a globally respected independent testing laboratory

The company’s DeepBlue 4.0 Pro module (model JAM66D45/LB) delivered outstanding results across multiple reliability test sequences, earning JA Solar this distinction for the tenth time.

This designation recognises JA Solar’s long-standing commitment to product quality and performance.

PVEL’s Reliability Scorecard, based on its Product Qualification Program (PQP), is widely regarded as an industry benchmark.

The program subjects PV modules to rigorous laboratory and field tests that simulate long-term operating conditions, thus helping buyers evaluate real-world durability and reliability.

In this year’s evaluation, the DeepBlue 4.0 Pro achieved strong results in a series of demanding tests, including thermal cycling, damp heat, mechanical stress, potential induced degradation, and light- and temperature-induced degradation.

The results validate the module’s ability to maintain high performance and structural integrity under a variety of environmental stressors.

“The fact that we were named a Top Performer by PVEL for the tenth time is both an honour and a responsibility,” said Aiqing Yang, executive president of JA Solar.

“It reflects our unwavering focus on quality and our drive to deliver reliable, high-efficiency products to global partners operating in increasingly diverse and challenging environments.”

The DeepBlue 4.0 Pro is already widely adopted in global markets, earning praise for its energy yield, long-term reliability, and adaptability.

Building on its success, JA Solar introduced application-specific solutions tailored to harsh climates—environments ranging from deserts to offshore to alpine to typhoon-prone regions—as well as specialised use cases such as anti-glare, lightweight, and fire-resistant modules.

With a decade of recognition from PVEL and a strong track record across global benchmarks, JA Solar is positioned to shape the next phase of the PV industry.

As the energy transition accelerates, the company is focused on advancing product reliability, expanding scenario-based solutions, and supporting the evolving needs of utility, commercial, and residential markets worldwide.

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