However recent developments highlight a structural constraint: renewable generation is scaling faster than the grids needed to absorb it. In North Africa, rapid demand growth in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia – driven by urbanization, desalination needs and heat-related consumption spikes – is placing rising pressure on transmission and distribution systems, as regional power demand is projected to grow by 50% by 2035.

In West Africa, the expansion of utility-scale renewables is escalating pressure on evacuation networks. In Senegal, the 158 MW Taiba N’Diaye wind farm is being supported by a planned 40 MW / 175 MWh storage facility, the first of its kind for a renewable energy farm in the country, highlighting the need to pair generation with grid-balancing infrastructure. In Nigeria, repeated nationwide grid collapses in 2024 exposed the limits of aging transmission corridors, prompting developers and policymakers to increase focus on storage-supported solar and hybrid systems to strengthen system resilience.

East Africa faces similar bottlenecks. Kenya’s Lake Turkana Wind Power project – Africa’s largest wind installation – has underscored the vulnerability of major transmission corridors. The 428-km Loiyangalani–Suswa 400 kV line, which evacuates LTWP’s output suffered tower collapses near Longonot, temporarily reducing deliveries to the national grid. The line has since been restored, but the incident highlighted the importance of resilient, well-maintained transmission for absorbing large volumes of variable power. Ethiopia, meanwhile, is advancing reinforcements under the Eastern Africa Power Pool, including upgrades around the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam corridor to improve stability and prepare for increased renewable flows.

In Southern Africa, some of the continent’s most advanced storage solutions are taking shape. In South Africa’s Northern Cape, the 153 MW / 612 MWh Red Sands battery energy storage project – one of Africa’s largest standalone systems – reached commercial close in 2025. The installation will help manage variability from large solar clusters and reduce pressure on constrained transmission lines. Together, these developments show a clear pattern: while renewable generation is expanding rapidly, the infrastructure needed to stabilize and distribute that power remains uneven across the continent.

Against this backdrop, the Invest in African Energy (IAE) 2026 Forum in Paris will host the panel “Stabilizing the Grid to Scale Renewables,” bringing together policymakers, utilities, grid operators, storage developers and financiers to assess what is required for Africa’s power systems to absorb the next wave of renewable growth. The discussion will address transmission expansion, large-scale storage deployment, regional power-pool integration and the bankability challenges associated with grid-heavy investment.

For governments and investors, the timeline is narrowing. Projects announced under the EU’s Scaling Renewables campaign, APRA commitments and national transition strategies will only deliver their intended impact if parallel investments support grid stability, storage capacity and operational modernization. The IAE 2026 panel offers a platform to align technical capability, policy priorities and investment requirements – a necessary step if Africa’s next generation of renewable projects is to deliver reliable, large-scale power to households, industries and regional markets.

IAE 2026 is an exclusive forum designed to connect African energy markets with global investors, serving as a key platform for deal-making in the lead-up to African Energy Week. Scheduled for April 22–23, 2026, in Paris, the event will provide delegates with two days of in-depth engagement with industry experts, project developers, investors and policymakers. For more information, visit www.invest-africa-energy.com. To sponsor or register as a delegate, please contact sales@energycapitalpower.com