London-based private equity firm Actis is looking at African energy projects to add to the US$1-billion (R16.7-billion) it has already invested in the sector on the continent.

“We’re seeing some new opportunities that we’ve not yet approved,” Neil Brown, a partner and head of the Investor Development Group at Actis, said in an interview. Investments will probably be spread across East and North Africa and also in South Africa, although no commitments have been made.

Africa, which has a population of 1.3 billion people, has an electricity-access rate of just over 40%, the lowest in the world, according to the African Development Bank. South Africa, the continent’s most industrialised economy, has battled power shortages since 2008 after the government failed to invest in new plants in time to replace ageing equipment and infrastructure.

The emerging markets investor now plans to bid for the nation’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme, Brown said. The government wants 2GW of capacity from independent power producers after a record year of power outages.

Actis also plans to participate in the fifth round of bidding for the country’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme, he said. This could either be through new plants, such as solar and wind farms, or the firm could buy existing operating facilities that can be improved, said Brown.