John Hamilton

Hastings

Managing Director and Contributing Editor at African Energy

Managing director of African Energy

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Articles

Libya’s faltering government stumbles over legality of licensing round

2 months ago | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Issue 524 - 14 Apr 2025 - By John Hamilton | 4 minute read National Oil Corporation executives put forward a professional set of licensing terms at an early-April presentation of the parastatal’s upstream licensing round in London. But the legal underpinnings are in question, as is the future of the Tripoli government.
Scrutiny of Eni’s gas deal in Libya points to wider threat to upstream players

2 months ago | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Issue 524 - 03 Apr 2025 - By John Hamilton | 4 minute read An investigation by the Libyan Attorney General’s Office into a revised production-sharing agreement between NOC and Italy’s Eni for the redevelopment of two large gas fields offers a warning for international oil companies evaluating the country’s first upstream licensing round in 18 years.
Libya eases licensing terms for first upstream round in 18 years

2 months ago | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

In depth Issue 524 - 03 Apr 2025 - By John Hamilton | 10 minute read National Oil Corporation has its work cut out to persuade credible upstream oil and gas operators to make offers in its first licensing round since 2007.
Bonfire of the billions: How Libya is squandering its hydrocarbons inheritance

Feb 20, 2025 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

A catastrophic decline in oil sale revenues transferred to the state treasury, which cannot be explained by normal market factors, threatens to undermine the already shaky foundations of Libya’s governance. African Energy’s analysis of recently released data suggests that uneconomic barter deals, smuggling, mismanagement and corruption have cost the country tens of billions of dollars in the past three years, writes John Hamilton.
Burkina Faso’s junta struggles to increase electricity investment

Jan 26, 2025 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Undeterred by a dismal track record of unfulfilled investment strategies, stalled projects and the vagaries of an unstable military dictatorship, a coalition of multilateral funders continues to support national utility Sonabel’s renewable energy and electrification programmes. But the ambitious next phase will need private developers and financers as well as generous institutional backing.
Egypt pushes for faster giga-scale renewable developments

Dec 1, 2024 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Issue 517 - 01 Dec 2024 - By John Hamilton | 4 minute read Two PPAs have been concluded, the first of an “accelerated renewable energy initiative”. Along with a series of other wind and solar agreements, they fit into Egypt’s programme of rapidly promoting giga-scale projects while keeping offtake arrangements wide open. Projects are being driven by a cadre of loyal investor-developers.
Africa readies itself to transact with Trump

Nov 19, 2024 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Views Issue 516 - 19 Nov 2024 - By John Hamilton | 8 minute read The widespread perception that Donald Trump’s incoming United States administration will create new winners and losers does not exclude Africa’s energy industries and the wider continental economy and society.
Tunisia announces feed-in tariff and more renewables tenders

Nov 13, 2024 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Issue 516 - 13 Nov 2024 - By John Hamilton | 5 minute read Against the odds, the Tunisian government is trying to get its authorisation programme for procuring small, on-grid solar PV projects back on track. It has launched a fifth bidding round and set a new feed-in tariff structure applicable to both current and past projects. It needs to persuade investors that things will be different this time.
Hardship pushes energy-starved Burundi towards off-grid renewables

Oct 28, 2024 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

Data trend Issue 515 - 28 Oct 2024 - By John Hamilton | 10 minute read A permanent economic crisis characterised by inflation and fuel shortages is driving an unplanned green revolution in Burundi as consumers flee one of Africa’s worst performing utilities for the long-term security of off-grid solar systems. But even in this unforgiving environment some utility-scale projects are advancing thanks to determined international support.
Gas output slump worsens Libya’s power crisis

Oct 23, 2024 | africa-energy.com | John Hamilton

In depth Issue 515 - 23 Oct 2024 - By John Hamilton | 9 minute read A precipitous decline in gas output may turn out to be a bigger problem than the recent month-long blockade of oil exports. There is no quick fix for the shortage of feedstock for General Electric Company of Libya (Gecol)’s fleet of power plants, which now depend on record levels of imported diesel the country cannot afford.