New collaboration secures reliable power for teaching, research and healthcare while paving the way for clean energy integration. (Image source: Solarise Africa)

The University of Cape Town (UCT), in partnership with Solarise Africa, ACES Africa, and WEG, has inaugurated the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences Backup Power Project at its Health Sciences Campus in Observatory

The initiative aims to ensure continuous power for critical healthcare, research, and academic operations while laying the groundwork for future renewable energy integration.

In its first phase, the project introduces a 2.4 MVA Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) providing 4 MWh of storage capacity, complemented by 1.5 MVA of WEG generators. A centralised PPC/SCADA-based control system manages coordination between battery, generator, and upcoming solar components. Phase 2, now under design, will include a 171.6 kWp solar PV system projected to offset around 230 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually once functional.

Sakkie van Wijk, co-founder and chief operating officer of Solarise Africa, stated that the project embodies the firm’s mission: “Reliable energy is not a luxury, it’s critical infrastructure. With this partnership, we are safeguarding healthcare, research, and education today, while building towards a sustainable energy future.”

“Ensuring uninterrupted operations and energy resilience across our medical campus is a strategic priority,” said Avi Dhevdath, acting director: programme management at UCT.

“This initiative strengthens the campus’s ability to sustain critical research and teaching activities, guaranteeing operational continuity and supporting UCT’s pursuit of resilience, excellence, and world-class infrastructure.”

UCT is also aligning its resilience goals with climate responsibility. “This project delivers both reliability and carbon reduction,” remarked Manfred Braune, director of environmental sustainability at UCT.

“By coupling backup with solar readiness, we reduce emissions while strengthening our resilience, precisely the kind of forward-looking investment UCT must make.”

For EPC partner ACES Africa, the project is a demonstration of practical engineering expertise.

Charl Gous, CEO of ACES Africa, commented, “At ACES, we engineer solutions you can trust. This project is a landmark in delivering resilient energy systems for critical African institutions.”

WEG South Africa, responsible for designing, manufacturing, and integrating the medium-voltage systems, substations, generators, and Energy Management System (EMS), highlighted the synergy between durability and sustainability. “Our role was to build a robust electrical backbone that meets today’s energy security needs while enabling tomorrow’s renewable integration,” concluded Eduardo Werninghaus, CEO of WEG Africa.

The partnership exemplifies a resilience-led approach with flexibility for renewable upgrades, reflecting a collective vision for energy reliability, institutional sustainability, and climate-conscious infrastructure.

Oando is stepping up its interest in the clean energy sector

Nigerian energy group Oando plc is expanding its clean energy division, outlining a variety of power and related projects in its latest results update

The roster of projects includes a 1.2 GW solar PV assembly plant, which it hopes will tap into rising demand for solar panels and the desire to source from local manufacturers.

In its clean energy division, the company noted that it “advanced its electric mobility, solar, and recycling initiatives”, including progressing the development of a 1.2GW solar PV assembly plant.

Few details have been provided on the manufacturing plant but it is thought that the facility will also recycle old solar panels into materials for other applications.

In addition, Oando reported that it had also completed a techno-economic study for a 6 MW geothermal pilot project, as well as secured land for a 2,750-ton-per-month PET recycling facility.

The indigenous energy group, which is listed on both the Nigerian Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange, said overall profits were up 164% during the nine months ended September 30, 2025, compared to the same period in 2024, despite a drop in revenues, citing “production growth and disciplined execution.”

Wale Tinubu, Oando’s CEO, said the high growth followed the acquisition of 100% of the shareholding interest in the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) from the Italian energy company, Eni, last year.

“In the first nine months of 2025, we consolidated the gains achieved following our acquisition of NAOC’s assets last year,” he told investors.

“Our assumption of operatorship has been transformational, granting us the agility to act decisively and execute with precision in driving production growth and operational efficiency.”

In the upstream segment, the company said group production averaged 38,121 barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd) during the period, up 59% year-on-year,

“Oando’s performance reflects a period of strategic transition, marked by strong profitability and upstream growth despite softer trading revenues,” it said in a statement.

Its latest announcement also illustrates a deeper interest in expanding beyond hydrocarbons and into renewables and other clean energy alternatives.

In its Q1 2025 results, Oando said that it is targeting the deployment of 50 electric buses as well as making further progress on the solar PV module assembly plant, advancing it toward final investment decision, although it did not give any timescale on when it hoped the scheme would be operational.

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Kaishan Group partners with KenGen to develop a 165 MW geothermal plant powering Kenya’s green ammonia production. (Image source: Kaishan Group)

Kaishan Group has entered into a landmark partnership with Kenya Electricity Generating Company (KenGen) to advance the country’s renewable energy capacity through a 165 MW geothermal power project

The agreement marks a major step toward Kenya’s ambition to lead Africa in clean energy and green industrial production.

On October 27, a Steam Supply Agreement was signed at the Ministry of Energy of the Republic of Kenya by Tang Yan, managing director of Kaishan Group Co., Ltd., and Eng. Peter Njenga, general manager and CEO of KenGen. The signing ceremony was witnessed by Opiyo Wandayi, EGH, minister of energy of the Republic of Kenya.

Under the terms of the agreement, KenGen will utilise its existing geothermal wells to supply steam sufficient to produce 165.4 MW of electricity to Kaishan Terra Green Ammonia Limited (Kenya), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kaishan. The company will build a geothermal power plant to generate electricity that will be used to produce 100,000 tons per year of green ammonia and green fertiliser.

The US$800mn project will yield 200,000 tons of green ammonia, 180,000 tons of urea, and 300,000 tons of calcium ammonium nitrate annually, all produced using green ammonia as the raw material. Once operational, the facility is expected to generate annual revenue of US$220–250mn, according to company announcements.

“This is another significant milestone for our group in its transformation and upgrading process, following the successful construction of the SMGP geothermal power plant (annual revenue of US$120–150mn),” Kaishan Group stated. “The global energy transition has entered a green energy era centered on hydrogen. Previously, our group identified ‘a globally important participant in the development and operation of green hydrogen and ammonia’ as one of our three major visions. It is anticipated that once the Kenya green ammonia project is completed and put into operation, our group will also become a leading force in the development and operation of green hydrogen and ammonia.”

The company highlighted that while many projects rely on solar and wind energy to produce hydrogen and green ammonia, few have been successfully launched due to the intermittent nature of solar and wind power and the high cost of energy storage. In contrast, geothermal energy provides stable, continuous baseload electricity, eliminating the need for storage facilities.

Kaishan noted, “Once the technology for producing green ammonia through the combination of geothermal power with wind and solar power is validated, Kaishan's innovative technology will open another important channel for global hydrogen energy development and is expected to pave a bright future for Kaishan Group's transformation into a great new energy company.”

Before the signing ceremony, Minister J. Opiyo Wandayi met with representatives from both Kaishan Group and KenGen to discuss the project’s strategic significance for Kenya’s renewable energy and industrial sectors.