Enel Green Power’s overall installed capacity in South Africa rises above 800 MW

Every year, the now completed Oyster Bay wind farm will generate over 568 GWh and prevent 590 000 t of carbon dioxide (CO²) from being emitted into the atmosphere. The project brings the number of operational Enel Green Power South Africa wind and solar sites in South Africa to nine, with an overall installed capacity of over 800 MW.
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South African energy efficient lighting study to start soon

A new study on energy efficient lighting in South Africa will be undertaken as part of the South African-German Energy Programme (Sagen), which includes the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi). The study will start in a week or two and will provide a situation analysis, gap analysis, future outlook and recommendations within three to four months, says German development agency GIZ Sagen head of secretariat Andreas Betz.
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Western Cape making progress on pioneering municipal power projects

The Western Cape provincial government is currently evaluating responses to a request for information (RFI) issued by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism to assess the potential for renewable-energy projects in six municipalities included as part of its Municipal Energy Resilience (MER) project. Through MER the provincial government aims to provide support and capacity building to enable the Drakenstein, Mossel Bay, Overstrand, Saldanha Bay, Stellenbosch and Swartland municipalities to implement renewable-energy projects that will bolster energy security and affordability and support environmental sustainability, as well as economic development and growth.
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New study assesses ways to scale up off-grid solar across Africa

A new study assessing the commercial and economic feasibility of enhancing off-grid solar inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa indicates that solar home systems (SHS) could offer the most cost-effective solution for providing electricity access for most unserved segments in the region. Commissioned by the European Investment Bank and the International Solar Alliance, the study confirms that 120-million households across Africa lack access to reliable and affordable energy and that 60-million households are expected to remain without electricity by 2030.
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Grid could be under pressure with succession of cold fronts, Eskom warns

Following a warning from the South African Weather Service that a succession of cold fronts is expected to sweep across the country this week and going into the weekend, State-owned Eskom is appealing to the public to reduce electricity use as the cold conditions “will put severe pressure on the power system”. The system is currently performing relatively well and Eskom is not expecting to implement load-shedding at this point, it states.
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Carbon emissions to reach record levels in 2023 as stimulus spending fails to match net-zero …

The financial resources allocated by governments globally to clean-energy measures in response to the Covid-19 crisis currently represents only 2% of the $16-trillion in total fiscal support set aside for economic stimulus, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) new Sustainable Recovery Tracker shows. The $380-billion announced to support clean-energy actions as of the end of the second quarter of 2021 is set to be supplemented by an additional $350-billion a year between 2021 and 2023.
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Ethiopia says second filling of giant dam on Blue Nile complete

Ethiopia has completed filling the reservoir of its huge dam on the Blue Nile river for a second year and the plant may start generating power in the next few months, a minister said on Monday, a move that has already angered Egypt and Sudan. Addis Ababa says the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), a $4-billion hydropower project, is crucial to its economic development and to provide power.
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ArcVera Renewables sets up office in Cape Town

Wind, solar and energy storage project consultancy and technical services provider ArcVera Renewables has set up a permanent office and new subsidiary company in Cape Town, strengthening its six-year local presence to offer and meet the growing renewable energy ambitions of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. This move underpins South Africa’s growing importance as a strategic market for ArcVera, the company said in a statement on July 19.
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Cape Town electricity outages the work of syndicates, Eskom says

Recurring vandalism of Cape Town electricity infrastructure could be the work of syndicates, Eskom believes. The vandalism of Eskom kiosks in Eerste River has left customers without electricity supply for the second time in less than a month, the power utility said in a statement.
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ATI provides Malawi solar PV plant with liquidity support

Insurance agency African Trade Insurance (ATI) Agency has provided the 60 MW Salima solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, in Malawi, with a revolving liquidity guarantee that can be drawn following any payment delays by the national offtaker, namely the Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom). ATI provided the $4.4-million liquidity guarantee under its regional liquidity support facility (RLSF) against the risk of delayed payment by Malawi power utility Escom.
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