Infinity Power arrives in Ivory Coast

Infinity Power has signed agreements for two solar power projects that together will provide 80MW of clean electricity to the Ivory Coast

The two concessions — announced on 7 August 2025, Ivorian independence day — were awarded under the World Bank’s Scaling Solar initiative via a competitive tender process.

The projects will consist of two solar PV plants with a combined capacity of 80 MW in Touba and Laboa, plus the construction of 17 km of power transmission lines to integrate the new sites into the national grid.

Once operational, the two plants will provide electricity to over 400,000 consumers, enhancing energy access and security across the country.

It marks Infinity Power’s first collaboration with the Ivorian government, according to Mohamed Ismail Mansour, the company’s co-founder and chairman, who hailed it as a “breakthrough moment” for the business.

“Being entrusted with projects of this importance demonstrates our ability to deliver on Africa’s energy potential,” he said.

“These solar plants will not just bring affordable electricity to hundreds of thousands of people but will also empower communities, strengthen infrastructure and accelerate the country’s progress toward a decarbonised future. We are proud to be in a position to lead such a transformative effort.”

The tender process was overseen by the country’s Directorate General for Energy and CI Energies, with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) serving as an advisor to the Ivorian government.

Infinity Power’s bid was deemed the most competitive, ensuring an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy supply, with the projects also set to enable the avoidance of more than 60,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year.

It was awarded the project with a bid to supply 80 MW of solar at €0.03310 per kWh for the Laboa site and €0.03213 per kWh for the Touba site, setting a new record for the lowest solar independent power producer tariffs in West and Central Africa.

Together, they will help Ivory Coast reach its goal of increasing the country’s share of renewable energy to 42% by 2030, from only about 1% currently.

“These projects have three key objectives: to increase our production capacity, to strengthen our energy resilience and to create local job and investment opportunities,” said Mamadou Sangafowa-Coulibaly, Minister of Mines, Petroleum and Energy.

“[They] represent a significant step towards meeting our climate commitments by 2030.”

Infinity Power — a joint venture between Egypt’s Infinity and Masdar (Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company) and Africa's largest renewables provider — is on track to achieve a goal of developing 10 GW of energy projects globally by 2030.

“We have shown that renewable energy can be cost-effective, reliable and impactful at scale,”said Nayer Fouad, co-founder and CEO of Infinity Power.

Fouad said the Ivorian projects represent a “new chapter” in the West African country’s energy sector.

“With the invaluable support of the Government of Côte d'Ivoire, CI Energies, and the IFC, we are ready to deliver projects that will transform lives.”

Marie Chantal Uwanyiligira, World Bank division director for Ivory Coast, as well as for Benin, Guinea and Togo, said the country had already made “significant progress” in expanding access to electricity for its population.

“Increasing the share of solar energy in its mix, as demonstrated in this operation, will not only lower generation costs but also set the country on the path to universal access. The World Bank Group applauds these efforts and stands ready to leverage its financing and technical expertise to attract more private sector investment.”

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Vertiv unveils OneCore, a prefabricated solution designed to accelerate global data centre deployment with power, cooling, and IT integration. (Image source: Vertiv)

Vertiv, a global provider of critical digital infrastructure, has launched Vertiv OneCore to the global market, a scalable prefabricated system that integrates the company’s established power, thermal, and IT infrastructure technologies into one factory-assembled solution

Designed to accelerate high-density data center deployments, OneCore reduces on-site complexity, shortens project timelines, and is now available worldwide for enterprise, colocation, sovereign, and neocloud environments.

OneCore delivers a complete turnkey solution, covering every stage from design and installation to operational readiness, managed through a single point of contact. Its flexible building design incorporates prefabricated modules, including whitespace fit-outs such as SmartRun, enclosed in a Vertiv-built steel shell. This configuration simplifies logistics, reduces the need for on-site labor, ensures consistent quality, and delivers predictable cost and schedule outcomes. The Unify platform provides centralised visibility and control across the system.

“Vertiv OneCore is our answer to the need for reducing complexity and enabling speed in building data center capacity at scale,” said Viktor Petik, senior vice-president of infrastructure solutions at Vertiv. “We know the challenge isn’t just designing for today’s needs but building an adaptable foundation for the future. This solution reduces project complexity by standardising key components while preserving the flexibility to scale and evolve, expand easily, and integrate new technologies as business and IT requirements evolve.”

Built for both mixed loads and extreme rack densities, OneCore features modular electrical and mechanical systems that enable parallel manufacturing for faster delivery and cost savings. Free from fixed size limitations, it supports custom configurations to maximize usable space and enhance airflow for improved environmental control.

Key capabilities include:

• Scalable power capacity: Delivers 5 to 50 MW in a single block to meet the growing energy requirements of AI and other high-density applications.

• High rack density flexibility: Supports 96 to 944 racks, accommodating a range of density needs.

• Integrated thermal and power systems: Offers energy-efficient cooling and power infrastructure, including liquid cooling options, advanced heat rejection systems, and scalable UPS solutions.

• Concurrent maintainability: Designed to maintain uptime and resilience during maintenance or upgrades.

• Optimized site performance: Operates reliably in temperatures from -20°C to 55°C (-4°F to 131°F) for diverse global climates.

• Advanced redundancy: Includes options for redundant primary and secondary fluid networks, along with distributed electrical redundancy.

• Broad voltage compatibility: Supports 11 to 35 kV medium voltage and 400V to 480V 3-phase AC power, meeting various regional standards.

• Comprehensive service and support: Backed by Vertiv’s global service network, offering expert commissioning, proactive maintenance, and rapid response capabilities.

OneCore integrates Vertiv’s portfolio of power, thermal, and management technologies, including Trinergy UPS systems, switchgear, busways, CoolChip CDU and perimeter cooling, CoolLoop Trim Cooler, Liebert AFC chiller, and the Unify management platform.

The solution also supports sustainability initiatives by improving operational efficiency, reducing energy consumption, and offering a flexible design that can adapt to evolving technology standards.

Eritrea to revive Hirgigo power plant

Eritrea has issued a tender for the supply of spare parts and equipment for the rehabilitation of gensets and associated substations at its Hirgigo thermal power plant

The country’s Ministry of Energy and Mines, which is behind the tender, has requested bids to be received by 9th September 2025, according to documents published on the African Development Bank (AfDB) website.

The Hirgigo plant, which dates back to the late nineties, has long been one of Eritrea’s most important energy assets, although it was once extensively damaged as a result of conflict in the region around that time.

The power station is located 10 km from the city of Massawa on the Red Sea coast.

The Ministry appears to be utilising funds from the African Development Fund (ADF) — the AfDB’s concessional finance arm — initially allocated for the establishment of the 30 MW Dekemhare Solar PV project.

The Dekemhare project, part of the AfDB's commitment to clean energy on the continent, comprises a solar power plant with a battery energy storage system (BESS), and is currently being built by Chinese contractors, with delivery anticipated as early as the end of the year.

The Eritrean government received financing from ADF toward the cost of Dekemhare “and intends to apply part of the proceeds toward payments under the contract for the procurement of equipment for rehabilitation of substations” the Ministry noted in the documents on the AfDB website.

“The Ministry of Energy and Mines (MoEM) now invites sealed bids from eligible bidders [for the] supply of spare parts for [the] rehabilitation of genset 1 and 2 of Hirgigo power plant and of substations,” it noted.

The AfDB originally approved US$50mn in funding via ADF for the Dekemhare solar project in 2023.

The solar project also includes a 33/66 kV substation and a 66 kV transmission line connected to the existing link between East Asmara and Dekemhare, about 1km from the project site.

Dekemhare itself is located about 40km southeast of the Eritrean capital, Asmara.

At the time of the announcement in 2023, the AfDB said it is expected to contribute to increasing the country’s generation capacity and grid energy to 185 MW and 365 gigawatt-hours/year, respectively.

The bank said the project aims to “guide the transition from over-reliance on fossil fuels for power generation to renewable energy such as solar, wind and geothermal.”

Earlier this year, the AfDB and Eritrea signed a separate agreement for US$19.5mn in grant funding for a Desert to Power Eritrea 12 MW Mini Grid Project.

This is designed to support the rollout of mini-grids that will generate 12 MW of electricity across the regions of Teseney (6MW), Kerekebet (3MW), and Barentu (3MW).

Read more:

Eritrea dam project highlights water sector priorities 

Grant funding approved for 12MW Eritrea mini-grid project

ADF approves US5.5mn grant for phase two of flagship Desert-to-Power project

NERSA approves Lyra Energy Trading’s licence, enabling renewable power access for South Africa’s commercial and industrial users. (Image source: Lyra Energy)

Lyra Energy Trading, the trading arm of South Africa-based integrated electricity aggregator Lyra Energy, has received its electricity trading licence from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA)

The licence was officially approved on 30 July 2025, following a thorough process that included public hearings and full regulatory compliance.

This development represents a key advancement in Lyra Energy's strategy to deliver clean, affordable power to South Africa’s commercial and industrial markets. With the trading licence in place and access to generation assets secured, Lyra Energy is now positioned as a competitive force in the country’s evolving Wholesale Energy Market. The company aims to offer pricing and contract flexibility to meet the shifting demands of commercial and industrial energy consumers.

Lyra Energy’s trading model includes short-term, standardised power purchase agreements that help mitigate tariff volatility. These agreements also contribute to customers' decarbonisation goals and facilitate the acquisition of green energy credentials.

“We’re proud to be awarded our electricity trading licensed by NERSA, whose role in the transition to the South African Wholesale Energy Market cannot be overstated,” remarked Eben de Vos, head of Lyra Energy. “This award enabling us to use the regulated wheeling framework to buy bulk electricity from Lyra Energy’s generation assets and sell portions thereof to commercial and industrial users.”

Supported by major industry partners

Established in 2024, Lyra Energy is supported by a strategic collaboration led by Scatec and STANLIB Asset Management. Scatec is a leading renewable energy solutions provider, while STANLIB is one of South Africa’s largest asset managers, known for its specialised infrastructure investment team.

Scatec brings to the partnership a broad pipeline of solar, wind, and hybrid projects under development across South Africa and neighbouring regions. The company’s strong track record in delivering and operating energy assets in liberalised markets adds significant operational strength to the initiative.

Meanwhile, the STANLIB Infrastructure Investment team contributes deep infrastructure knowledge and financial mobilisation capabilities, particularly from long-term capital sources such as retirement funds, to accelerate the energy transition.

“Having Lyra Energy as a licensed electricity trader enables the combination of Scatec’s proven development and generation capabilities with STANLIB’s investment leadership to offer a credible utility-scale solution that’s responsive to the energy demands of business.”

Lyra Energy is expected to unveil its first commercial power supply agreement before the end of 2025.