Energy

On-site power for Algerian hospitals (Image source: Himoinsa)

Critical infrastructure, such as hospitals and clinics, require autonomous power systems capable of responding instantly to any power outage — a common theme throughout Africa

In Algeria, the situation is no different.

Himoinsa recently stepped in to plug the gap, supplying on-site power for a number of healthcare facilities across the North African country.

In the first project, it supplied almost 4 MW of emergency power with Yanmar engines for a hospital located in the municipality of Ain Benian.Another project was developed with other models with generator sets for a hospital located in Reghaia.

Together, both projects can now generate a total of 8 MW of essential power for Algeria’s hospitals.

The company worked with its local distributor Sarl Globale, ensuring the power autonomy of these healthcare centres with the HGY series, including two 2,500 kVA generator sets in Ain Benian — ensuring continuity of care and capable of responding immediately in the event of simultaneous grid failures.

HGY series

“The HGY series provides safe and efficient power solutions that enable continuous power supply to these critical services,” the company noted in a statement.

“HGY generators respond quickly and are designed to guarantee a response time of less than eight seconds and offer single-step load acceptance. The reliability and performance of HGY make it an indispensable choice for ensuring safety and efficiency in healthcare environments.”

The HGY-2350 D5 PRP generator sets installed at Ain Benian Hospital are equipped with high-performance Yanmar engines, developed specifically for mission-critical applications such as hospital environments.

Their high-pressure electronic injection technology enables a fast and stable response, ensuring immediate start-up and load acceptance in the event of a power failure.

In addition to offering excellent performance with optimised consumption, Yanmar engines are characterised by operational reliability even in demanding conditions, such as high temperatures or prolonged duty cycles.

Robust design and extended maintenance intervals also reduce technical interventions, ensuring constant power availability.

Challenging environment

The weather in Algeria, especially in coastal areas such as Reghaia and Ain Benian, is characterised by long, dry summers with temperatures exceeding 40°C during the hottest months.

This poses a challenge for power plant operations, as high air temperatures can cause power losses in thermal engines, a phenomenon known as derating.

The usual ambient temperature in the region required the installation of electric radiators capable of operating at 50°C, ensuring the nominal performance of the equipment.Both projects also required extreme soundproofing, with a maximum noise level of 75 dB(A) at 1 metre, as well as advanced thermal adaptation.

The set up at the two hospitals has been designed according to an operating philosophy that guarantees continuity of care through a system of two synchronised emergency generators, one main and one backup.

On a day-to-day basis, the hospital operates connected to the main grid; if this fails, the system automatically switches to the secondary grid.

If this fails, or both mains generator networks are not operating, the backup generator is started up.

Given that the hospital's total load does not exceed the capacity of a single generator, the system is programmed to keep one of the units on active standby – hot standby.

Once the load has stabilised, one of the units is disconnected, remaining available to take over the supply in the event of a failure of the operational generator.

Himoinsa developed this set up in conjunction with the generator control unit supplier, DEIF.

Burundi to expand electrification (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Burundi is poised to hasten electrification efforts in the country in the wake of a new public-private partnership (PPP) deal that could unlock US$1.4bn in new financing

Like other countries in the region, many people Burundi still lack access to basic services including electricity.

Expanding access to electricity remains an important development priority for Burundi, particularly in rural communities where access has historically been limited.

Addressing this challenge requires not only increased power generation, but also sustained investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure to ensure that reliable and affordable electricity reaches communities, farms, businesses and industries across the country.

To mobilise additional funding, the government has signed a 25-year PPP agreement with Weza Power targeting grid expansion to more than half of Burundi.

It also establishes Africa's first new national-scale electricity distribution concession to be operated by a private company in decades, marking a significant milestone for the country and for Africa’s energy sector.

Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye called electricity the foundation of his country’s economic transformation plans and a key pillar in its Vision 2040-2060 ambitions.

“This partnership will expand opportunities for our people, strengthen our industries, and create conditions for investment, jobs and lasting prosperity,” said Ndayishimiye.

“It proves what can be achieved when government and private sector partners unite behind a shared national vision.”

Distribution agreement

The PPP establishes a model for expanding energy by bringing together government with private investment and development finance to grow electricity access from approximately 15% on grid electrification today to more than 50% — providing first-time or improved access for an estimated 8 million people.

Burundi's electricity utility, REGIDESO, will continue to supply electricity through the national transmission network and maintain responsibility for distributing power in half the country, while Weza Power will expand and operate the distribution network in the other half.

This will mean delivering 52,000 km of new and upgraded distribution lines, connecting over 1.2 million new households and businesses.

It will also create over 2,000 direct installation and operational jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs for locals.

Funding structureThe blended finance structure will mobilise both private commercial capital and concessional funding without increasing public debt, drawing on money from Mission 300 partners, including the World Bank’s ASCENT programme, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), MIGA and the African Development Bank.

It will also draw support from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), Gridworks, a part of British International Investment, US Trade and Development Agency, NORAD, and other partners.

PPP electrification model

Weza Power is a part of the Anzana Electric Group, which has invested in Burundi since 2018 through Songa Energy, which comprises one operational hydropower plant and a second currently under construction.

“This PPP will strengthen Burundi's ability to compete, attract investment and retain more value from its own resources,” said Brian Kelly, CEO of Anzana Electric Group and Weza Power.

“Reliable electricity will give businesses the confidence to invest, enable critical industries to grow, and unlock more of the country's economic potential at home.”

Burundi also demonstrates an approach to national electrification that Anzana is advancing across Africa: in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other markets it is working alongside governments and partners to develop integrated electricity platforms built on the same commitment to commercially sustainable infrastructure and national transformation.

Infrastructure priorities

Dr. Hassan Kibeya, Minister of Mineral Resources, Energy, Industry, Trade, and Tourism said the partnership with Weza Power addresses one of Burundi's “most important infrastructure priorities” by expanding and strengthening the distribution network.

“With Burundi's installed generation capacity at approximately 183 MW, our focus must now be on ensuring that existing and future generation can be delivered to more homes, businesses and productive sectors across the country,” Kibeya said.

“Reliable electricity will power Burundi's industries, enable local processing of critical minerals, and fuel sustainable economic growth.”

The agreement also contributes to Burundi's National Energy Compact under Mission 300 — the joint World Bank Group and African Development Bank initiative to connect 300 million Africans to electricity by 2030.

It also underscores stronger US-Burundi relations, as evidenced by recent project announcements in critical minerals, and lays the ground for the essential infrastructure that can unlock further private investment.

The 24MWp solar facility is the first solar PV plant in the West Nile region. (Image source: AMEA Power)

AMEA Power, one of the fastest-growing renewable energy companies in Africa and the Middle East, has begun commercial operations at its 24 MWp (20 MW) Ituka solar photovoltaic plant in Uganda’s Madi Okollo District, in the north-west of the country

The project was funded by an US$18mn senior secured loan from the Emerging Africa & Asia Infrastructure Fund (EAAIF), a Private Infrastructure Development Group (PIDG) company managed by Ninety One. The plant’s 25 MVA 132/33kV substation is now active and feeds clean power straight into Uganda’s national grid.

Ituka is among the first utility-scale, grid-connected solar PV facilities in West Nile. It can supply affordable, reliable electricity to as many as 390,000 people, easing severe power shortages and helping households, public institutions and businesses cope with years of load shedding and blackouts. Its output is also expected to lower power purchase costs and cut emissions locally.

The plant supports Uganda’s goal of universal energy access by 2040, up from roughly 50% in 2022, and offers practical evidence of progress under the country’s Energy Transition Plan (ETP). It also advances the government’s aim of reducing reliance on hydropower, which makes up around 80 percent of grid capacity. Because Uganda is vulnerable to seasonal droughts and climate risks, Ituka’s solar generation will help offset hydropower’s seasonal swings. This will improve energy security and daytime grid stability, and lay the foundation for long-term industrial growth in the north-west.

The plant is the Fund’s 12th renewable energy project in Uganda, and it reflects EAAIF’s commitment to climate finance in emerging markets. It also advances PIDG’s aim of mobilising private capital for infrastructure across Africa and Asia, speeds up Uganda’s energy transition, and establishes Ituka as a cornerstone of the country’s long-term energy security.

Aqueel Bohra, chief investment officer at AMEA Power, said, “AMEA Power is proud to have delivered this project as our first operational asset in East Africa. As the project enters commercial operations, it is set to transform the region by strengthening grid reliability with clean energy, relieving power deficits, and laying the groundwork for sustainable economic development.”

Martijn Proos, co-head of Emerging Market Alternative Credit at Ninety One, the fund manager of EAAIF, commented, “Bringing the Ituka solar plant online marks an important step in expanding access to reliable electricity in Uganda’s historically underserved West Nile region. The project demonstrates EAAIF’s role as a pathfinder investor financing infrastructure in markets where the need for investment is significant. The electricity now flowing into the national grid represents a critical step towards stimulating economic activity across the West Nile region and addressing longstanding energy shortages.”

Power plant in the desert (Image source: Himoinsa)

How a hybrid off-grid power system combined diesel generation and battery energy storage to deliver reliable electricity in a demanding, remote environment for a high-profile motorsport event in the Sahara

Himoinsa deployed a hybrid power system combining diesel generators and battery energy storage to supply up to 1 MW of power at the 2026 Rallye du Maroc, demonstrating an approach to managing variable electricity demand in remote, off-grid environments.

As Official Power Supplier to the rally, the company provided more than 20 pieces of power and lighting equipment to support temporary bivouacs in Agadir and Zagora, Morocco.

The installations supplied electricity for vehicle maintenance, communications, medical facilities, catering and race administration, operating in conditions characterised by heat, dust and limited access to infrastructure.

According to David Serieys, Himoinsa's event coordinator, the main technical challenge was designing an off-grid system capable of adapting to changing loads while operating continuously in remote locations.

“What made this project technically demanding was not just its size – although we deployed more than 20 units and made up to 1 MW of power available,” he said.

“The real challenge was designing an off-grid system capable of adapting to very different loads – while operating continuously in heat, dust and remote locations.”

The hybrid configuration combined generators, which provided sustained power and reserve capacity, with battery storage systems designed to respond to short-duration demand peaks and supply electricity during periods of lower consumption.

This approach also allowed generators to remain switched off when demand was limited, reducing unnecessary engine running hours.

“The generators provide the sustained power and reserve capacity the bivouac needs, while the batteries respond immediately to load variations, cover low-demand periods and reduce unnecessary engine running hours,” said Serieys.

Himoinsa's EHR battery energy storage technology is designed to store energy and supply electricity when required.

The EHR 45/60 model has a nominal power rating of 45 kVA and a nominal battery capacity of 56.8 kWh, using lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery technology.When appropriately configured, combining battery storage with diesel generation can reduce fuel consumption, engine operating hours, maintenance requirements and noise compared with generator-only operation, the company said.

The deployment also included mobile lighting towers to support overnight vehicle repairs and maintenance, with more than 20 personnel involved in the operation.

“The lighting towers were equally important,” added Serieys.

“Once the competitors arrived, the service areas remained active throughout the night, with mechanics carrying out repairs and preparing the vehicles for the next stage. We needed mobile, autonomous lighting units that could be transported and repositioned quickly, withstand the desert environment and provide safe, reliable illumination.”

While the rally provided a demanding temporary application, the same hybrid power approach can be used in other settings where grid electricity is unavailable or inadequate, according to Himoinsa.

Construction projects, mining operations, rental power and critical infrastructure are among the potential applications, it says, where matching generation to actual demand can help improve operational efficiency.