Africa’s leading power utility joins the renewables race

August 20, 2025

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South Africa’s national utility company, Eskom, has launched its first renewable energy offtake programme, inviting large power users to procure 291 MW of solar PV. This marks a pivotal shift in both its generation mix and business model, enabling large users to source clean power directly from it through long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs).

  • The shift to renewables across Africa is accelerating. National utility companies that have long relied on fossil fuels are finding it hard to cope with renewables' competition. Some, like Eskom, are opting to join the race.

  • Eskom’s latest move follows its April call for bids to establish a specialised business unit aimed at accelerating the rollout of renewable energy solutions in partnership with the private sector.

  • Our take: African utilities that fail to adopt renewables risk losing their most profitable customers and eroding their financial stability… Read more (2 min)

Norwegian energy company Scatec reported a 51% increase in overall revenue in the second quarter of 2025, supported by strong performance across its global portfolio. Projects in the development and construction segment in Egypt, the Philippines, Brazil, Botswana, South Africa and Tunisia generated $92 million, roughly 42% of total revenues.

  • These results show investments in renewables proving profitable across several African markets. Recent exits by AIIM from three South African projects further signal attractiveness for private equity investors looking for strong returns in the region’s clean energy sector.

  • Scatec has emerged as a major player in Africa, scaling projects to the gigawatt level and breaking previous records. The company is currently constructing a 1 GW solar plant in Egypt, the largest in Africa once completed.

  • Our take: Scatec’s experience in delivering large-scale projects gives it a competitive edge when bidding for big opportunities… Read more (2 min)

African oil companies and international oil majors are integrating renewables to power their operations in the growing energy transition. This week, the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC) reported that it had installed a total of 30 MW of solar PV across its branches in the last fiscal year and has 20 more projects in advanced stages of completion.

  • The trend is being driven by declining renewable costs, energy security imperatives, and the need to address Africa’s energy poverty while navigating global climate pressures.

  • Beyond Egypt, both Libya's National Oil Corporation and Ghana's oil and gas company are taking steps to integrate renewable energy into their operations and the country's energy mix, alongside their traditional oil and gas activities. Other countries include Nigeria and Algeria.

  • Our take: African oil companies can evolve into multi-energy providers, balancing fossil fuel production with renewable investments… Read more (2 min)

Infinity Power hosts a delegation at a solar plants in Benban, Aswan, Egypt.

 

Events

🗓️ Participate in the Ignite Young Minds with Energy 4 Me event (Sep 6)

🗓️ Sign up for a webinar on solar for C&I installations & large PV plants (Sep 18)

🗓️ Take part in a forum on batteries and metals in global energy (Sep 29)

Jobs

👩‍💼 Become SunKing’s Programs Optimisation Associate (Zambia)

👨‍💼 Join Scatec Solar as an Economic Development Analyst (South Africa)

🧑🏽‍💼 Lead procurement activities at BURN Manufacturing  (Kenya)

Various 

🌱 BECS, John Thompson partner for profitable  African biomass energy solutions

💡 Kenya’s Kiambu County acquires a manlift for faster solar street installations

💸 AfDB commits $1.2 million grant to stabilise Nigeria's national power grid

Seen on LinkedIn 

Chanda Kunda, a freelance Renewable Energy Consultant, says, “For decades, solar energy has been hailed as the silver bullet for Africa’s energy crisis. With abundant sunshine across the continent, it seems like the obvious solution. But energy isn’t just about availability, it’s about density, cost, storage, and scalability.”