South Africa’s main utility and grid operator Eskom has announced the start of construction of its first battery energy storage system (BESS) with Hyosung Heavy Industries.

A 50MW solar PV plant in Togo will be expanded to 70MW capacity, while grid-scale battery storage will also be added at the site.

New company deploying off-grid renewable energy solutions in Benin will carry out €8.5 million of electrification projects within a year.

China continues to lead rankings for involvement in the global battery supply chain, but the chasing pack of other countries is in flux.

Solar energy companby KarmSolar has secured US$2.4 million in bank financing for a solar-plus-storage project in Egypt.

Tunisian utility STEG is planning to build a 400-600MW pumped hydro energy storage plant, for a 2029 commissioning date.

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a grant of a grant of US$2.5 million to the government of Mozambique for feasibility studies into a floating solar PV farm and up to 10 energy storage systems.

The US and the European Union have made a fresh pledge to support green energy in Africa.

Recent policy developments in the US and European Union represent a considerable uplift to prospects for global energy storage deployment.

Sterling and Wilson has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of Nigeria to develop and construct PV and BESS projects.