Energy

The government has vowed it will push ahead with plans to privatise Nigeria’s power sector, despite the minister responsible for unbundling state power assets stepping down and increased opposition from unions.

The early August approval of a $2bn loan by the IMF to Jordan has once again brought the Kingdom’s financial concerns into the spotlight. However, the IMF was quick to point out most of the problems the economy faces come from external factors, and in particular the country’s reliance on foreign sources of energy, which is why much of the IMF’s money will be used to support a number of energy projects well under way.

En tanto que Colombia ha vivido un incremento significativo en la producción de petróleo durante los últimos cuatro años, eventos recientes indican que el sector petroquímico comienza a demostrar una tendencia similar. En noviembre de 2011 Ecopetrol, empresa parcialmente propiedad del Estado colombiano, anunció sus planes de expansión en lo concerniente a la refinación de petróleo y la capacidad de producción de petroquímicos.

Deux partenariats public-privé (PPP) pour le développement du secteur des énergies éoliennes et solaires sont en préparation au Maroc. C’est un signal positif dans le processus de réalisation des plans ambitieux du pays dans le secteur des énergies renouvelables.

The utilities sector is turning to private and foreign investors to help spur the growth needed to meet local demand. The construction of 16 power and water projects worth $3.1bn are slated to increase water desalination capacity in the country, as well as improve wastewater treatment and conservation awareness.

In a bid to reduce the negative environmental externalities associated with heavy coal-fired electricity generation, South Africa is stepping up efforts to increase the role renewable energy plays in its increasingly overstretched electricity sector, pushing ahead with a series of programmes aimed at harnessing the nation’s vast alternative resources.