Archive for month: January, 2022

Improving technologies, which reduce deployment costs, as well as lower tariffs and thousands of hours of sunshine every year, along with the continued challenges of State-owned power utility Eskom’s load-shedding, will likely drive more citizens and businesses to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) systems to meet their electricity consumptions needs. Despite the prevalence of some barriers, including municipal capacity constraints, processes, policies and regulations and illicit operators, as well as the upfront costs needed to deploy solar-based power systems, that hamper the acceleration of the sectors’ growth, adoption of solar PV technology is on the rise.

The transformation and decarbonisation of the South African energy system is gathering momentum; however, a regional plan is required for the coal mining region of Mpumalanga, to prevent considerable economic and socioeconomic losses and ensure a just transition, and a push for renewable energy in the province has the potential to achieve that transition. This is according to the South Africa Benefits study report: “From coal to renewables in Mpumalanga: Employment effects, opportunities for local value creation, skills requirements, and gender-inclusiveness”, which was published on January 18.

Consultancy AmaranthCX has published a new electronic map of the electricity infrastructure in countries that are part of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP) for use with Google Earth or Google Maps.

The map geolocates 317 operating power stations across the 11 member countries of SAPP, as well as substations and transmission and distribution lines.

The Johannesburg High Court has declined to grant a declaratory order sought by directors of the Gupta-linked Tegeta Exploration and Resources to prevent business rescue practitioners from progressing the rescue of Optimum Coal Terminal. The judgment, handed down on Tuesday, has, however, immediately sparked an engagement between the business rescue practitioners of the Terminal and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), which has threatened to seek another interdict if talks fail.

State-owned electricity producer Eskom has submitted major updates to the cost assumptions included in its latest allowable revenue application but has nevertheless sustained its request for a 20.5% tariff hike for its upcoming 2022/23 financial year. In a presentation delivered on the second day of National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) public hearings on the application, CFO Calib Cassim said the updates reflected changes that had arisen subsequent to its initial submission, which was made on June 2 last year.