South Africa urges careful planning for end of coal

South Africa’s energy department has said it will start preparing for the end of coal-for-power use in the country but cautioned that a retreat from the dirtiest fossil fuel must take account of the impact on the economy and the people who depend on it for a living. In a presentation to a small group of business, government and research representatives on November 15, the department said it plans to set up a Just Energy Transition unit to help deliver an outcome “which delivers social justice,” according to a copy of it seen by Bloomberg. While the department declined to immediately comment on the presentation, four people with knowledge of it confirmed its veracity.
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Not a ‘finance COP’, but ‘solid work programme’ in place for defining new …

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says that, although COP26 was not the ‘finance COP’ hoped for ahead of the Glasgow meeting, it nevertheless did yield “a good, solid work programme” for defining the post-2025 finance goal and for ensuring that the prevailing $100-billion climate finance commitment is in fact implemented. Ahead of the gathering, South Africa prioritised the securing of an ambitious finance goal and had even suggested that the figure pledged by developed countries to developing countries be progressively increased to $750-billion by 2030.
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Mantashe sued over plans to build new coal power plants

South Africa’s energy regulator and energy minister have been sued by environmental activists over national plans to allow the construction of new coal-fired power plants. Plans for the construction of 1 500 megawatts of coal-fired generation capacity are included in the 2019 Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity and a ministerial determination passed on September 25 last year.
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UK Climate Investments, Norfund invest in South African JV to develop renewable assets

Macquarie-managed UK Climate Investments (UKCI) and Norfund are financing a joint venture (JV) between H1 Holdings and Pele Green Energy to fund a 40% equity participation in a 700 MW portfolio of onshore wind farms. Both partners will invest alongside Enel Green Power in one of South Africa’s largest renewable energy equity deals valued at about $100-million.
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Another round of load-shedding declared this this week

Eskom has confirmed that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 14:00 on Wednesday November 17, until 5:00 on Saturday November 20. CEO Andre de Ruyter announced the latest round of load-shedding at the tail-end of a briefing initially called to warn of possible rotational power cuts, owing to the a surge in unplanned outages to 14 444 MW, while planned maintenance was being performed on units with a combined capacity of 4 100 MW.
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Green hydrogen could compete with gray in a decade, Engie says

Green hydrogen, a clean energy source made from water and renewable power, could become competitive in a decade, according to French utility Engie. That relies on Europe setting up the necessary regulatory framework to drive up demand and slash costs, Sebastien Arbola, the company’s head of thermal generation and energy supply, said Tuesday in Paris. The “tipping point” for renewable hydrogen to compete with gray hydrogen — which is made from methane and emits carbon — could be in 2030-2035, he said.
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Eskom warns of severely constrained power system

Power utility Eskom is calling on the public to reduce electricity use, as the power system is “severely constrained”, with five generation units at various power stations having failed throughout Tuesday. It notes that no load-shedding is being implemented yet, but warns that if there is any further loss of generation capacity, load-shedding may have to be implemented at short notice.
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Earth & Wire unveils R500bn plan for 20 GW renewables fleet by 2035

Emerging South African energy group Earth & Wire, which aims to sell electricity directly to private customers, is positioning itself to build a 20 GW portfolio of grid-connected wind and solar projects by 2035 at an estimated cost of R500-billion. Business development head Thomas Garner, who is also chairperson of the South African Independent Power Producers Association, reports that the company has secured over 400 000 ha of signed agreements with landowners on properties with sufficient solar and wind resources to meet the company’s target of supplying 30% of South Africa’s new electricity capacity by 2035.
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Bring on non-binary debates for a redefined, realistic just transition, says WCA

A binary, this-or-that debate on technology for a just energy transition is unhelpful and does not consider the unique circumstances for each country in the pursuit of carbonisation, the World Coal Association (WCA) argues. The association’s stance is that it will respect coal users and non-coal users alike, since energy affordability, reliability and development are the key considerations to ponder, and these will differ for each country in the world, WCA CEO Michelle Manook tells Mining Weekly.
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EDF Renewables South Africa secures three wind projects in BW 5

The South African subsidiary of global energy company EDF Renewables has been awarded three wind energy projects in Bid Window (BW) 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

EDF Renewables South Africa has been awarded participation in nearly 800 MW of projects in South Africa this year.

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