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Kenya lifts seven-year freeze on power deals
Dear subscriber,
After seven years, the wait is finally over – Kenya has lifted the PPA moratorium. For investors, it’s a green light to roll out new projects. But for the captive power sector, which thrived during the freeze, the outlook is mixed, as grid projects make a comeback. Great weekend ahead!
– Sammy Jamar, Editor
 | Kenyan lawmakers have lifted the seven-year moratorium on new power purchase agreements (PPAs), clearing the way for additional electricity generation to be added to the national grid. The move comes as peak demand rises, with the government planning a special energy fund to support the construction of new power plants. |
The shortage of new generation capacity forced Kenya to rely on electricity imports from neighbouring countries, with imports from Ethiopia more than doubling to 200 MW.
While the PPA freeze strained the national grid, it also encouraged captive power generation, which grew by over 200 MW in the past two years. The question now is whether lifting the freeze will slow captive power growth.
Our take: Setting a price cap may squeeze investor margins and deter major long-term projects without stronger guarantees… Read more (2 min)
 | The Africa Climate and Energy Nexus (AfCEN), an AI-powered platform that connects projects, data and finance, was launched this week at COP30 in Brazil. The platform seeks to bridge the gap between climate ambition and real-world results by accelerating green investment across seven areas, including renewables and green manufacturing. |
AfCEN’s platform integrates datasets from governments, financiers and field partners, hoping to cut due diligence time and delivering investor intelligence.
As many African countries roll out AI policies and strategies across sectors such as energy, AfCEN’s launch comes at a busy time.
Our take: AI is here to stay, and African countries should build and use their own data to cut reliance on external sources and create local solutions… Read more (2 min)
 | The energy sector is seeing a spike in credit-focused recruitment, with at least eight openings in this function. M-Kopa is hiring across six African markets, alongside Koolboks and other South African firms. These roles link clean energy growth with consumer access, helping to bridge affordability gaps for households beyond the reach of reliable grids. |
This week’s new roles total 150. Southern Africa continues to stand out with large-scale project hires, diverging from the continent’s general off-grid focus. The region even has two new wind openings from Vestas.
Top hirers this week include Scatec Solar, Zutari, Sappi, M-Kopa and Salpha Energy. With more firms securing funding, such as Ceesolar’s recent local currency deal, job openings are expected to rise in the coming weeks.
The full list of jobs is here… Read more (2 min)
Release by Scatec signs a lease agreement with EMAE, the national utility of São Tomé & Príncipe, for an 11 MW solar plant (Source: Release by Scatec)
Events
🗓️ Attend the Power & Transmission Baraza in Kenya (Nov 20)
🗓️ Participate in how BC technology is redefining solar returns (Nov 27)
🗓️ Register for the Africa Energy Expo 2025 (Nov 25)
Various
⚡ Ghana begins building the 1,000 MW Norbert Anku Solar Park
💰 East Africa moves to use pension funds for large infrastructure projects
💸 CrossBoundary Access secures $1 million for electric appliance adoption
🤝 Clear Blue gets $1.5 million iSat Africa order amid Energy-as-a-Service rollout
Seen on LinkedIn
Sadiq Abri, General Manager at CAMGAS, says, “Africa doesn’t just have an energy gap — it has a data gap. And without fixing the data gap, our energy transition will always move slower than it should.”