DFFE denies enviro authorisations for Karpowership’s projects

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has declined three environmental authorisation applications submitted by Karpowership for the development of gas-to-power projects.

The applicant proposed to locate the three powerships at the Ports of Richards Bay, Ngqura and Saldanha to supply power to the national grid from natural gas.

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Africa in position to further global nuclear nonproliferation, but competing interests hamper …

Africa can further the pursuit of global nuclear nonproliferation, but competing interests and objectives are hampering efforts to drive this goal on the international stage. University of South Africa department of political science professor Jo-Ansie van Wyk noted during a June 23 webinar that large nuclear-armed countries, like the US and Russia, have decreased their arsenal of nuclear weapons, but continue to modernise their arsenals.
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Decentralised power projects on a positive trajectory, says Nedbank CIB’s Peo

The South Africa power sector is undergoing a major shift towards decentralised power projects as a “massive energy crisis” grips the country, says Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB) infrastructure, energy and telecommunications head Mike Peo.

Speaking during an Infrastructure Africa panel discussion on decentralised power, on June 23, he said the topic “is extremely pertinent” as the energy sector is increasingly shifting away from the “old-fashioned way of provisional large utility-scale power”.

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Decentral Energy signs R115m loan agreement with the IDC

Clean energy asset developer, manager and owner Decentral Energy has inked a R115-million loan agreement with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to develop and expand its pipeline of solar assets. Decentral is a South African renewable energy investor that is mandated to invest in small-scale clean energy assets installed on commercial and industrial sites.
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SEM installs solar PV system at Stellenbosch University’s Neelsie student centre

Energy engineering company SEM Solutions has completed the installation of a 393 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system on the roof of the Neelsie Student Centre at Stellenbosch University (SU). The power generated by the PV modules provides a third of the energy requirements of the student centre, says SU environmental sustainability manager John de Wet.
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New global costs report confirms new renewables are undercutting existing coal

The cost of electricity from new solar and wind plants is increasingly undercutting the operating costs alone of existing coal‑fired power plants and strengthening the case for their early retirement, a newly released International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) report confirms. Published on June 22, the ‘Renewable Power Generation Costs 2020’ report states that over 800 GW of existing coal capacity already costs more than new solar photovoltaic (PV) or onshore wind projects commissioned in 2021.
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Energy justice a useful metric for shaping broad, effective policies for a just transition

A just energy transition that mitigates the risks and captures the benefits of renewable energy in developing countries can be achieved through a broad policy framework developed using energy justice as a key set of metrics, say development academics University of Hamburg political science professor Franziska Müller and University of Kassel research fellow Manuel Neumann. The ‘Assessing African Energy Transitions: Renewable Energy Policies, Energy Justice, and SDG 7’ research paper explores the limitations of existing energy transition policy frameworks and how these can be augmented to ensure the developmental effectiveness of renewable energy projects and the broader transition to low-carbon and sustainable energy sources.
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Scatec says RMIPPPP could ‘revolutionise’ the way power is generated, if successful

The Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (RMIPPPP) is a progressive step in South Africa’s energy history and, if successful, could revolutionise the way power is generated and procured in the country, suggests Scatec sub-Saharan Africa GM Jan Fourie. He notes that purely renewables-based projects, like Scatec’, offer economic benefits in that all their costs are embedded in the initial capital expenditure and that no fuel is needed to run the project, meaning that there is no commodity risk and currency risk to government and no carbon tax.
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Civil war hardens Ethiopian Nile-dam stance, Sudan Minister says

The carnage of Ethiopia’s civil war is making its rulers less willing to compromise with Sudan and Egypt in a dispute over the imminent filling of its giant Nile dam, a Sudan official said, as his government urges the United Nations to prevent any unilateral move. With Ethiopia embroiled in an eight-month conflict in the Tigray region that’s sparked U.S. sanctions and famine conditions, authorities in the Horn of Africa country are taking a tougher line in foreign policy to bolster their domestic support, said Yasir Abbas, Sudan’s irrigation and water minister.
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Biomass heating solution lowers costs

Cape Town-based heating solutions firm Calore Sustainable Energy (CSE) has developed a new biomass combustion technology that it claims delivers significant savings for industrial clients requiring heating solutions. Calore co-founder Davide Marchesini says that producing heat to generate hot air, hot water or steam, is a core aspect of many industries and contributes substantially to bottom-line costs.
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