In the weeds

South Africa has gone some way in starting to reform its electricity industry, which has been failing the country visibly for nearly two decades. As these changes are published, consulted and... 

Contract negotiations for Secunda sustainable aviation fuel project may be concluded by mid-2024

Contractual negotiations are under way between the developers of the HySHiFT sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) project, in Mpumalanga, and the intermediary company set up under Germany’s H2Global... 

South African fossil fuel subsidies hit record R118bn in 2023 – IISD

A new study has found that South Africa's fossil fuel subsidies tripled between 2018 and 2023, rising to R118-billion from R39-billion over the period, with subsidies having been increased largely... 

Globeleq says R5.7bn Red Sands will be largest standalone battery storage project in Africa

Leading African independent power producer Globeleq says the 153 MW/612 MWh Red Sands project, which was recently awarded preferred bidder status under South Africa’s inaugural battery storage... 

Can South Africa turn around 30 years of real economy underperformance?

In this essay, Terence Creamer reflects on the factors that have shaped South Africa’s real-economy sectors of manufacturing, mining and agriculture over the past 30 years and considers ways to end... 

Reflect and recommit

Memories are short and it often feels like they are becoming shorter not only because of the flood of information associated with the 24-hour news cycle but also second-by-second social media... 

Can South Africa turn around 30 years of real economy underperformance?

In this essay, Terence Creamer reflects on the factors that have shaped South Africa’s real-economy sectors of manufacturing, mining and agriculture over the past 30 years and considers ways to end... 

Ramokgopa describes IPP surpluses as low-hanging fruit amid delay in finding contractual solution

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa describes surplus electricity arising from existing renewable energy facilities as “low hanging fruit” in improving the supply-demand balance and reports... 

NTCSA begins consultations on market code to govern shift towards competitive electricity industry

With the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) currently scheduled to be operationalised in July and efforts under way to ensure that the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) Amendment... 

Concrete towers for Impofu wind farm to bolster local content

Enel Green Power South Africa has confirmed that the Nordex manufacturing facility being set up in Humansdorp, in the Eastern Cape, will produce concrete wind tower sections for the three new wind... 

BLSA calls for immediate reworking of IRP, describing its assumptions as ‘spurious’

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), whose members include the largest domestic and foreign companies operating in South Africa, has added its voice to a growing chorus of opposition to the... 

Third battery storage programme seeks bids for five sites in the Free State

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has launched South Africa’s third public procurement round for utility-scale batteries, while also extending the bid submission deadline for... 

Mixed outlook

The recent period of decreased loadshedding has been met with tremendous scepticism by a South African public who have been burnt more times over the past 15-plus years than a lump of wet coal.... 

Stage 16 loadshedding code seeks to reduce human error not signal imminent surge in cuts – Nersa

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has belatedly moved to quell concern that its recent approval of a new loadshedding code of practice, which increases the number of potential... 

South Africa’s ranking in World Energy Trilemma Index falls

South Africa has fallen to sixty-ninth from sixty-fourth on the World Energy Council’s (WEC’s) latest World Energy Trilemma Index which ranks more than 100 countries against the three key... 

Solar PV body questions technology costs and build limits in draft IRP 2023

The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) questions both the cost assumptions used for the technology in the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023), as well as the 900 MW... 

Eskom board considers enlarging and extending Standard Offer Programme

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that the Eskom board is considering lifting the current 1 000 MW allocation set aside for its Standard Offer Programme to 4 000 MW and extending... 

Attitudinal shift

It is estimated that about 2.5 GW of rooftop solar was installed across South Africa last year; a trend that was expected to continue at the start of this year given that some 5 GW of solar panels... 

Eskom aims to keep breakdowns below 14 GW this winter as it cuts diesel budget

State-owned electricity utility Eskom will reduce planned maintenance to 3 000 MW during the upcoming winter season and will seek to keep unplanned breakdowns to below 14 000 MW in a bid to... 

Sasol granted permission to use load-based limit to regulate SO2 emissions from Secunda boilers

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has granted Sasol South Africa permission to employ a load-based limit to regulate the sulphur dioxide (SO2) of its Secunda boilers... 

Conclusions in opaque IRP 2023 are ‘incorrect and economically damaging’

In an excoriating assessment of the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023), Meridian Economics points to serious problems with the modelling and cost assumptions used by the Department of... 

SAWEA wants IRP overhaul as it questions massively diminished role for wind in current draft

The South African Wind Energy Association’s (SAWEA’s) formal response to the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) questions both the modelling and assumptions used to determine the vastly... 

JV tests market appetite for LNG services

The Vopak Terminal Durban & Transnet Pipelines joint venture selected recently as the preferred bidder for a proposed liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal at Richards Bay has issued an expression... 

Out of step

Following wholly inadequate public consultations, stakeholders have submitted their written comments on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) draft Integrated Resource Plan.... 

Important milestone

The passing of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) by the National Assembly earlier this month represents a significant milestone in the ongoing evolution and reform of South Africa’s struggling... 

IPPO moves seventh renewables bid deadline to May 30

The Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) has confirmed that the deadline for submissions under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme... 

Mgojo says collaborative efforts will enable Transnet to report higher volumes than initially forecast

Business Unity South Africa president Mxolisi Mgojo reports that the collaboration between business and government to turn around the performance of Transnet could result in the struggling... 

NTCSA unbundling secures lender consent, Ramokgopa confirms

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that Eskom’s eight “lender groups” have given their consent to the establishment of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) as a... 

Pele Green Energy looking beyond R2.5bn funding innovation as it hastens towards ‘South African IPP’ vision

Following its recent success in securing new public and private power purchase agreements, Pele Green Energy (PGE) is already having to consider additional funding options beyond the pioneering... 

Move to formalise deal on injecting private skills into Eskom amid plan to add and recover 10.6 GW by end-2025

Government and business have set a goal of increasing South Africa’s electricity generation capacity by 10.6 GW by the end of 2025 as part of ongoing collaborative efforts to tackle growth-sapping... 

Solar, battery, inverter imports surged to a record R70bn in 2023 as wind turbines recovered from two-year lull

South African imports of solar panels, lithium-ion batteries and inverters climbed to a record $3.8-billion last year, or about R70-billion, while imports of wind turbines began to recover... 

In play

Confirmation that the curtailment framework outlined by Eskom in January is available to wind independent power producers (IPPs) preparing project submissions under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the... 

Amid disposals, AECI aligns internationalisation strategy to regions geared for rapid critical minerals growth

JSE-listed AECI, which is undergoing far-reaching restructuring to re-focus on its core mining and chemicals businesses and reduce debt, reports strong initial interest in the six noncore companies... 

Settling on funding solutions for expedited grid infrastructure set as a JET Investment Plan priority

Finalising funding solutions for the expedited expansion of South Africa’s electricity transmission grid has been identified as a key priority for the Just Energy Transition (JET) project... 

Sasol prioritising coal de-stoning investment as it seeks to allay fears over big Secunda output dip

Energy and chemicals group Sasol has moved to address investor concerns that its yearly production at Secunda will need to fall to only 6.7-million tons for it to meet its goal of reducing the... 

Not so quiet revolution

For several years, the roll-out of rooftop solar, batteries and inverters has been referred to as South Africa’s quite revolution. While Eskom struggled to keep the lights on and government battled... 

No immediate plan to list Aveng in Australia, but future listing likely amid change in reporting currency to Aussie dollar

JSE-listed Aveng, which recently relocated is management epicentre to Australia and changed its reporting currency from South African rands to Australian dollars, has no immediate intention of... 

Dispute over 5 km road could highlight far bigger road-building problem for Gauteng

A legal dispute over the granting of an environmental authorisation for a 5-km new road, the K148, in southern Gauteng has the potential to highlight serious legal impediments to the development of... 

Climate Change Response Fund to channel resources to adaptation, early-warning systems – Creecy

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy reports that the Climate Change Response Fund announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) has... 

NO CARBON CRUNCH

The Presidency has expressed confidence that South Africa will meet its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets even if it keeps some coal-fired plants, such as the one pictured here, open beyond...