The Board of Globeleq, the leading independent power company in Africa, and its shareholders have announced that Jonathan Hoffman, currently interim Chief Executive Officer, has been confirmed as the group’s permanent CEO.
The Board undertook a thorough and extensive search process that considered both internal and external candidates. Jonathan Hoffman joined Globeleq in 2010, was appointed Chief Development Officer in 2020, and took over as interim CEO in July 2024.
Jonathan has led the development and investment team as they have secured deals and new investments across Africa, including the recent award of Red Sands, the largest standalone battery storage project on the continent.
With over 20 years of experience in the power sector, having previously worked for ABB Energy Ventures and co-founded InfraCo, Jonathan is well-suited for the role.
Since 2015, Globeleq has nearly doubled its generating capacity in operation and under construction. In the 2020s, the group has been responsible for 43% of all utility-scale non-hydro renewable and gas IPP generation to reach financial close in Sub-Saharan Africa (excluding South Africa).
Jonathan Hoffman will now lead Globeleq through its next phase of growth, focusing on the energy transition in Southern Africa and Kenya.
The group owns and operates 12 renewable power plants across South Africa, Mozambique, and Kenya, has 485 MW in construction, and has several landmark projects in its development pipeline.
Outside Southern Africa, Globeleq will focus on its existing plants, providing vital power to local communities and industry, and generating returns for its shareholders.
Laurence Mulliez, Globeleq Chair, commented, “I am very pleased to confirm that Jonathan Hoffman is now Globeleq’s permanent CEO. Jonathan has in-depth knowledge of our people and portfolio and is ideally placed to lead Globeleq through the next period of growth. Since becoming Interim CEO last year, Jonathan has impressed the board with his commitment to the business and knowledge of our industry and partners.”
Jonathan Hoffman, Globeleq’s CEO, added, “I am thrilled to lead Globeleq’s talented team to deliver on our mission and drive the energy transition in Southern Africa. My absolute commitment is to solve problems for our customers and deliver value to our shareholders.”
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Tanzanian government has invested massively in power generation over the past five years, increasing generation capacity from 1,601.84 MW in 2020 to 4,031.71 MW in 2025.
The government investment drive in energy was fuelled by rapid growth in industries and energy use.
Since assuming office in September 2023, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr. Doto Mashaka Biteko, has spearheaded development in the energy sector to drive growth in all sectors of the Tanzanian economy.
Presenting the 2025/2026 Energy Budget in Parliament on Monday, April 28, 2025, Dr. Doto Biteko highlighted the major achievements of the ministry.
He mentioned the completion of the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Project (JNHPP) with a generation capacity of 2,115 MW; the 400 kV power transmission line from Singida to Arusha and connecting Kenya through the East African power pool, the 400 kV, 160-kilometre transmission line from the Julius Nyerere Hydropower plant to Chalinze in the Coast Region, the Chalinze substation, and the successful integration of power generated from the JNHPP into the national grid.
Additionally, the Minister mentioned the completion of the 400 kV transmission line from Nyakanazi to Kigoma, connecting the Kigoma Region to the national grid, and the 132 kV, 115-kilometre transmission line from Tabora to Urambo, improving power supply in Urambo.
Touching on other steps the ministry has undertaken, he mentioned the decommissioning of oil-based power plants in Kigoma, which resulted in saving approximately TZS 58.4 billion annually that was previously spent on diesel fuel.
Electricity Access
According to Minister Biteko, electricity access in Lindi and Mtwara regions had also improved following the installation of a 20 MW natural gas-powered plant in Hiyari, Mtwara.
“There has been an increase in electricity customer connections from 2,766,745 in 2020/21 to 5,449,278 as of April 2025, representing a 97% increase,” he said.
He disclosed that 12,318 villages on the Tanzania mainland had been electrified, up from 506 villages in 2007, and that the Rural Energy Agency (REA) had been established.
“A total of 33,657 out of 64,359 hamlets (52%) across the country have been connected to electricity,” he added.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Spain and Portugal have declared a state of emergency after a massive power outage on Monday knocked out traffic lights, caused chaos on roads and in airports.
The cause of the massive power outage has not yet been established, although an investigation is still underway.
As of the time of filing this report, half of Spain’s power had been restored, according to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, after a state of emergency was declared in the country.
Authorities are still yet to establish why the outage occurred, Sanchez said, after Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro insisted there was “no indication” of a cyberattack.
Sanchez told the country “a long night lies ahead” as images across Spain and Portugal showed residents plunged into darkness.
According to a report by the BBC, citing Portugal’s power firm REN, it could take about a whole week for the country’s power network to fully normalise.
Spain’s Interior Ministry has been reinforcing police patrols across the country by deploying 30,000 officers to maintain public order and prevent security incidents, particularly on roads where traffic signals are not working.
“Citizens can and should remain calm,” Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said during his latest address.
In many towns and cities, plain clothed officers are being used to prevent looting and protect businesses, many of which are unable to lower their electric shutters due to the power outage.
In Catalonia, the Mossos d’Esquadra (Catalan Police) will deploy more than 7,000 officers overnight to respond to emergencies and maintain public order.
The situation left hundreds of people transacting business at banks, shoppers, and travelers stranded as transportation systems were shut down.
An abandoned local market Vigo, northwest Spain. The Spanish government chaired an emergency meeting, but authorities warned it could take hours to restore power. – Miguel Riopa/AFP/Getty ImagesA metro station in Madrid was closed off with tape on Monday; the subway shut down in the capital, leaving passengers stranded. – Susana Vera/Reuters
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
The Tanzanian Government has invested 5.2 billion shillings (an equivalent of $40,211,194.40) to expand the Njiro Electric Cooling Station, boosting power supply in Arusha Province, according to Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Dr. Doto Biteko.
The station’s transformer capacity has been upgraded from 90 MVA to 210 MVA, resulting in improved power supply within the province.
Speaking to citizens at the ceremony marking the union of Tanganiaka and Zanzibar in Arusha Province, immediately after inaugurating the station on April 26, 2025, Hon. Dr. Doto Bitieko said the expansion of the transformer capacity was to meet the increasing electricity demand in the province.
“In this zone, the demand for electricity in Arusha Province is 107 megawatts, and 68 megawatts in Tanga. Today, we’ve launched the expansion of the Njiro Electricity Cooling Station, which has ten distribution lines to supply electricity in Arusha, enabling the province to meet electricity requirements of up to 200 megawatts, compared to the current demand of 107 megawatts,” said Hon. Dr. Bitieko.
According to him, the government is implementing a plan to improve electricity infrastructure, following instructions by President Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, to repair all weak electricity infrastructure and transmission lines.
“We can generate electricity, but the challenge lies in the infrastructure. That’s why the Honorable President has instructed us to repair all weak electricity infrastructure to ensure a reliable electricity supply,” he said.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Spain and Portugal lost power Monday in a massive electricity blackout that affected public transport systems, traffic lights, hospitals, manufacturing and nuclear power plants.
Outages were reported from Madrid to Lisbon, with large parts of the Iberian Peninsula without power as of early Monday afternoon.
The blackout was caused by a “very strong oscillation in the electrical network” that led Spain’s power system to “disconnect from the European system, and the collapse of the Iberian electricity network at 12:38,” said Eduardo Prieto, director of Spanish transmission system operator Red Eléctrica.
Prieto refused to speculate as to what had caused the power surge and declined to say if a cyberattack could have contributed to the blackout. While the flow of electricity has been reestablished in some parts of Spain, he added that it would take between six and 10 hours to have service fully restored throughout the rest of the country.
“At the moment there is nothing that allows us to say that there is any kind of sabotage or cyberattack,” said European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera, a former top minister in the Spanish government.
“And obviously we are working with the utmost caution and we will have to continue investigating to determine what are the specific causes that have generated this incident, which is one of the most serious that have been recorded in Europe for a long time,” Ribera added.
Spain and Portugal have a highly integrated energy grid that operates as an energy island and is linked to the rest of Europe through a small number of cross-border interconnections with France.
The European Commission has for years called for greater integration of the countries’ energy systems, but while Madrid, Lisbon and Paris have repeatedly signaled their will to move forward with that plan, advances have been slow to come.
Portugal’s E-Redes operator said the blackout was due to a “problem in the European power grid” and that data collected following the blackout suggested a voltage imbalance was responsible for the collapse.
Portuguese Presidency Minister António Leitão Amaro told news agency Lusa that the imbalance appeared to be linked to “a problem in Spain’s transportation network, the exact details of which have yet to be identified.”
Spain’s opposition to Israel’s war in Gaza and its support for Kyiv against Russia’s aggression have made it a major target for cyberattacks. The Joint Cyberspace Command, which reports to the Defense Staff and oversees cybersecurity, and the National Cryptologic Center, are both looking into the blackout.
Massive power outages in Europe have previously been triggered by minor disruptions to national grid systems. In 2003 the entirety of Italy was left without power after a power line in Switzerland was disabled by a tree.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has reassured its customers that it is fully committed to providing reliable and safe power, despite facing challenges with some of its distribution network.
Parts of the country have been experiencing power outages, prompting Ghanaians to express frustration on social media.
Over the weekend, ECG informed the public that the heavy rainstorm on Saturday afternoon caused a power outage within its network and assured customers of a speedy restoration of power.
On Sunday, the power distributor issued another notice, reassuring customers that it is working tirelessly to strengthen and maintain a robust distribution network. It noted, however, that massive rainstorms and stormy winds usually cause trees, billboards, and ripped roofing to fall onto its electrical conductors, resulting in outages.
“The outages that are caused by transient tripping (temporary interruptions) on our feeders are restored soon after the rainstorm. However, permanent faults on our feeders will have to be rectified and may take a while to be restored by our Engineers,” ECG said.
Meanwhile, Charles Nii Ayiku Ayiku, General Manager of External Communication at ECG, has acknowledged that part of its network does not perform at its peak.
Despite this, he emphasised that the company remains focused on ensuring consistent service delivery, even as some equipment struggles to meet optimal standards.
“As you’re aware, ECG works with equipment, and some of them aren’t functioning as they ought to. But that’s why we sometimes have to do periodic maintenance to get the systems working,” he explained.
He added, “Indeed, some of our systems aren’t operating at their optimal level, but we’ll continue to supply reliable and safe power to our customers.”
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
The Trump Administration is pushing the International Energy Agency (IEA) to ditch its focus on the energy transition and promotion of renewable energy sources, two sources briefed on recent IEA meetings have told POLITICO.
Reports emerged as early as last summer during President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign that if elected, Trump would push the IEA, for which the United States provides about a quarter of the funding, to focus back on energy security and fossil fuel supply.
The Paris-based IEA was created to ensure the security of energy supply to developed economies in the aftermath of the Arab oil embargo in the 1970s.
In recent years, however, the agency has shifted from this purpose to endorsing the net-zero by 2050 goal and is advocating for a major change in the global energy system to include more electric vehicles (EVs), renewable power supply, hydrogen, and all other low-carbon energy sources.
The IEA has even infamously said that no new oil and gas developments would be needed if the world stands a chance of reaching net zero by 2050.
But now a very pro-fossil fuel U.S. Administration is pressuring the agency to return to its roots, which has frustrated European officials who want the IEA to continue advocating for a clean energy transition, according to POLITICO’s sources.
The U.S. stance during talks and meetings at the IEA has been “let’s weaken or disable the IEA unless they’re working on our values — which is the same approach that they’ve taken to every other international organization,” a European official told POLITICO.
The IEA’s agenda, especially calls for no investment in new oil and gas supply, has drawn harsh criticism from OPEC in recent years.
Earlier this year, the IEA acknowledged that continued investment in existing oil and gas fields is needed. This, OPEC said, is another moment of truth for the IEA, highlighting the Paris-based agency’s inconsistent messages about upstream investment.
“Hopefully, the Agency can return to analysis based on energy realities and focus on its mandate of energy security. In doing so, the IEA can look to a willing partner in OPEC,” the cartel said.
Source:Oilprice.com
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has announced that Saturday’s afternoon rainstorm has caused power outages in parts of the country.
In a notice, ECG assured affected customers that its engineers are working assiduously to repair the faults and restore power supply.
“The Electricity Company of Ghana wishes to inform our cherished customers and the general public that the heavy rainstorm that hit parts of the country today, Saturday, 26th April, 2025, has caused some outages within our network,” the statement said.
The company apologised for the inconvenience caused to customers.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Eni has confirmed the preliminary results of the Capricornus 1-X well in Namibia’s Orange basin.
The well, operated by Rhino Resources, was spudded on February 17 using the Noble Venturer drillship and reached total depth on April 2.
The well successfully penetrated the Lower Cretaceous target, finding 38 meters of net pay with good petrophysical properties.
Hydrocarbon samples and sidewall cores were collected, and a production test achieved a surface-constrained flow rate exceeding 11,000 barrels per day.
The well will be temporarily plugged and abandoned, and the rig will be released.
Laboratory studies will be conducted on fluid samples collected during the test.
Petroleum Exploration License 85 (PEL85) is operated by Rhino Resources (42.5%), with co-venturers Azule Energy (42.5%), Namcor (10%), and Korres Investments (5%).
Eni and bp each hold a 50% interest in Azule Energy.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
South Africa’s power utility company, Eskom, has temporarily suspended load shedding following a recovery of over 2,000 megawatts of generation capacity and sufficient emergency reserves.
This decision also considers an anticipated decrease in electricity demand.
Recently, Eskom implemented stage two load shedding due to high demand and loss of generating units.
The suspension aims to provide relief to consumers until further notice.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Iran and Russia are enhancing further their energy cooperation as Russian companies signed a deal to develop oilfields in Iran and the countries discuss the creation of a natural gas hub in the Islamic Republic.
Iran’s Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad is currently on a visit to Moscow, where the two countries that are under U.S. sanctions committed to increase their cooperation.
Early this year, Iran and Russia signed a so-called Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty, which included – among various other commitments – a pledge to expand cooperation in the energy sector, including in energy supply and swap operations.
Russia and Iran have been deepening their cooperation, including in the energy sector, for years, and especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine cut off a lot of Moscow’s previous oil and gas customers.
Paknejad’s visit to Moscow this week comes as the two counties seek to forge deeper cooperation in the finance and banking sectors, too.
During the visit, Iran finalized four agreements with Russian companies to develop seven oilfields in Iran, the minister said. The deals are worth a total investment of about $4 billion, Iranian media quoted Paknejad as saying.
Russia and Iran also signed several memorandums of understanding (MoUs) in the oil and gas sector that could be finalized into contracts in the future. Teams of expert from both countries are negotiating the details of these possible new oil and gas contracts, Paknejad said.
In addition, Russia and Iran are holding talks on potential imports of natural gas from Russia, which could be followed by gas swaps and transit to other countries, according to the Iranian official.
Iran and Russia will also aim to double their annual bilateral trade to $10 billion, the Iranian minister added.
“The potential for trade between Iran and Russia is far greater than the current $5 billion level,” Paknejad was quoted as saying.
Source: Oilprice.com
Britain will ensure its new state-owned energy company, Great British Energy, avoids the use of solar panels linked to suspected forced labour in China, the energy department said on Wednesday.
China produces over 80% of the world’s solar panels. Research from the UK’s Sheffield Hallam University says forced labour from among the country’s Uyghurs is used to produce polysilicon, one of the panels’ core components.
China denies any abuses and a foreign ministry spokesperson said in February that allegations of forced labour were among the “lies of the century”. The Chinese Embassy in London did not respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.
Britain has a target to largely decarbonise its electricity sector by 2030 which will require a huge increase in renewable electricity, including an estimated tripling of solar power capacity.
GB Energy was launched in July with the aim of boosting investment in renewables to help meet those goals.
Following criticism from some lawmakers about the origin of many solar panels, the commitment on forced labour will be written into legislation currently going through parliament that fully establishes the state-backed company.
“Great British Energy will be an industry-leader in developing supply chains free of forced labour,” junior energy minister Michael Shanks said in a statement.
The final wording of the legislation will need to be agreed by both houses of parliament before it becomes law.
Trade association Solar Energy UK said the change did not threaten Britain’s ability to meet its 2030 net zero targets.
Imports to the U.S. are already banned from dozens of Chinese companies producing cotton apparel, auto parts and solar panels over alleged human rights abuses involving the Uyghurs, a mainly Muslim ethnic minority.
Source: Reuters.com
The Executive Secretary of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC), Dr. Shafic Suleman, and a team of staff paid a working visit to the Twin City Energy Power Generation Plant (Amandi) at Aboadze in the Western Region. This visit was part of his regional tours to familiarize himself with the operations and create collaborations for effective regulations.
The Twin City Energy power plant, located in Aboadze near Takoradi in the Western Region, is a 200MW combined cycle facility that can run on crude oil and natural gas.
Dr. Shafic Suleman thanked the Amandi team for receiving the PURC team and urged them to quickly resolve the technical challenges to get the plant back online.
He emphasized that it’s unjustifiable for Ghanaians to pay for power services without receiving the generated power.
He also advised Amandi Energy to consider more gas-to-power generation in the future, as this is cheaper and more sustainable for the economy, especially with the government’s intention to construct a second Gas Processing Plant (GPP).
However, he applauded the Amandi team for maintaining and operating such a state-of-the-art facility over the years.
The Operations Manager, Mr. Josjua-Ravi Kumar, and his team gave the PURC team a tour of the plant’s general functionalities and ongoing procedures.
According to him, the plant is currently under shutdown due to planned maintenance, but when in operation, it is usually powered by gas through the Ghana National Gas Corporation (GNGC) gas pipeline from Atuabo. The plant can also operate on Diesel Fuel Oil (DFO) and Light Crude Oil (LCO).
Mr. Kumar explained that the generation facility has a 24-hour manned control room and a total generation capacity of 397 MW (200 MW gas-to-power and 197 MW LCO-to-power), with potential for future expansion.
Due to the integration of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, power generation efficiency has increased by 49.95%, with a dispatch rate of 99% and an availability of 93%.
Mr. Kumar noted that one of the plant’s challenges is the need for an additional power evacuation (transmission) line, as the current one is inadequate for the plant’s capacity.
Following the visit to Amandi, Dr. Shafic Suleman and the PURC management staff paid a working visit to Early Power at Tema on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, to further strengthen collaborations between the regulator and utility service providers.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com
Ghana is poised to launch a mini-grid programme aimed at extending electricity to 25,000 people across 150 islands nationwide.
According to the Minister for Energy and Green Transition, Hon. John Abdulai Jinapor, this initiative would expand renewable energy access to underserved areas, accelerating Ghana’s progress toward energy equity and inclusion.
The programme aligns with the government’s “Light for Life” initiative, supporting the goal of achieving 99.8 per cent electricity access by 2030.
The Minister made this disclosure while commissioning a SECO-funded $2.3 million mini-grid project in Alorkpem, Aflivie and Azizakpe in the East Ada Municipality.
Background
In 2020, the Government of Ghana secured $69.88 million in funding from the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Climate Investment Fund (CIF) and the Swiss Government Federation to implement renewable energy projects, including the mini-grid under the Scaling-Up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP).
Energy Minister John Abdulai Jinapor receives briefing from Ing. Seth Mahu during commissioning of three mini-grids in Ada East Municipality.
The project comprises mini-grids and stand-alone solar home systems for rural off-grid communities, to be implemented by the Ministry of Energy and Green Transition, and net-metered solar PV systems for urban and peri-urban electricity consumers, to be implemented by the Energy Commission.
Approximately, 6,890 households, 6,001 Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs), and 6,890 public buildings will benefit from net-metered solar PV systems.
Additionally, about 1,350 schools and 500 health centers in rural off-grid areas will benefit from the project while seventy communities across nine island districts will be electrified using renewable energy-based mini-grid systems.
The SREP aims to contribute to Ghana’s renewable energy penetration target of 10 per cent by 2030, reduce carbon emissions, and achieve universal electricity access.
The project aligns with the Government of Ghana’s energy policy targets and climate obligations under the Paris Agreement.
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 
Source: https://energynewsafrica.com 
However, he applauded the Amandi team for maintaining and operating such a state-of-the-art facility over the years.
The Operations Manager, Mr. Josjua-Ravi Kumar, and his team gave the PURC team a tour of the plant’s general functionalities and ongoing procedures.
According to him, the plant is currently under shutdown due to planned maintenance, but when in operation, it is usually powered by gas through the Ghana National Gas Corporation (GNGC) gas pipeline from Atuabo. The plant can also operate on Diesel Fuel Oil (DFO) and Light Crude Oil (LCO).
Mr. Kumar explained that the generation facility has a 24-hour manned control room and a total generation capacity of 397 MW (200 MW gas-to-power and 197 MW LCO-to-power), with potential for future expansion.
Due to the integration of Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology, power generation efficiency has increased by 49.95%, with a dispatch rate of 99% and an availability of 93%.
Mr. Kumar noted that one of the plant’s challenges is the need for an additional power evacuation (transmission) line, as the current one is inadequate for the plant’s capacity.
Following the visit to Amandi, Dr. Shafic Suleman and the PURC management staff paid a working visit to Early Power at Tema on Tuesday, April 22, 2025, to further strengthen collaborations between the regulator and utility service providers.
Source:https://energynewsafrica.com 
