Paris, France | AFP | Small electrical appliances such as microwave ovens, kettles and hair dryers harm the environment in a dozen different ways, and consumers can do far more to reduce the impacts, researchers said Thursday. In the European Union, the electricity used by 130 million microwaves puts 7.7 …
Read More »Investors turn back on fossil fuels at Paris climate summit
Paris, France | AFP | Major investors vowed Tuesday to move away from Earth-warming fossil fuels as world leaders met in Paris seeking to unlock new cash to save humanity from climate “doom”. Two years to the day since 195 nations sealed the Paris Agreement to avert worst-case-scenario climate change, …
Read More »Burkina Faso launches Sahel region’s largest solar power plant
Zagtouli, Burkina Faso | AFP | West Africa’s biggest solar power plant goes onstream on Wednesday as Burkina Faso, one of the world’s poorest countries, inaugurates a novel scheme to boost renewables and cut energy dependence on its neighbours. The 55-hectare (135-acre) plant at Zagtouli on the outskirts of the …
Read More »How Europe’s greenest city kicked out cars
Berlin’s smart transport: How Europe’s greenest city kicked out cars Berlin, Germany | RONALD MUSOKE | Berlin, Germany’s capital and also largest city does not have the most efficient public transport system in the country, partly because of the low incomes of residents compared to other cities around the world. In …
Read More »Any lessons for Uganda in German coal paradox?
In Germany, determined switch from fossil fuels to clean, low-carbon energy meets skeptical critics Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | On the outskirts of Cottbus, a quiet small city in Germany’s northeastern state of Brandenburg is Drehnow, a village of about 800 people. On this warm October afternoon, one sees a …
Read More »Rwanda energy experts mull over nuclear
RWANDA: Strategists to use robust analytical tools Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A team of Rwandan energy experts have completed a three-week training course hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that will, hopefully, help shape the future of the country’s energy mix. According to a statement issued by …
Read More »THIS WEEK: 100 housing units to be built for Karuma dam workers
THIS WEEK: 100 housing units to be built for Karuma dam workers Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Workers on the 600MW Karuma hydropower project will be housed in 100 units including bungalows, apartments, office blocks and laboratories whose construction commenced recently. The launch of the construction in Kiryandongo district was …
Read More »Inside Umeme’s Shs47.5bn loss
UMEME: Company fails to win court case against ERA, writes off Shs115.3bn from its balance sheet Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | Electricity distributor, Umeme Limited, recorded a first ever loss since it listed its shares on the Uganda Securities Exchange and the Nairobi Secures Exchange five years ago. …
Read More »Saudi king, Putin clinch billion-dollar energy, arms deals on landmark Russia visit
Moscow, Russia | AFP | Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, on a landmark visit to Russia, and President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a slew of arms and energy deals as the key US ally seeks to deepen cooperation with Moscow. The leaders of the world’s largest energy exporters discussed an extension …
Read More »UK wind electricity cheaper than nuclear: data
London, United Kingdom | AFP | The price of electricity from offshore wind in Britain has dipped below the level guaranteed to Hinkley Point, raising questions about the construction of the vast nuclear power station. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy disclosed Monday the results of auctions for state …
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