Women keen to participate in energy efficiency projects – DMRE

Studies indicate that women want to participate in the energy sector, and especially within the energy efficiency sector, both of which currently have poor representation of women, Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) gender mainstreaming and transformation national coordinator Winnie Mamatsharaga said on March 8. Speaking in a webinar, hosted by the DMRE, on business opportunities for women in the energy efficiency sector, she said women were unable to compete on an equal footing with men in the energy sector as a result of several factors.
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Portfolio Committee halts plan to hold inquiry into alleged RMIPPPP corruption

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has rescinded a decision taken last year to conduct an inquiry into allegations of corruption and malfeasance during the process to appoint preferred bidders in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). This resolution was taken following legal opinion from the Parliament Legal Service Division, which referred to a High Court judgment that dismissed, with costs, an application to set aside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) decision to appoint preferred bidders for the RMIPPPP.
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Residents of eMalahleni highlight air pollution, health concerns to commission

People in communities next to coal mines and power stations in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, on March 7 told members of the Presidential Climate Commission of their experience of the impacts of air pollution. The commission was holding its first community consultation and, according to civil and environmental organisations Vukani Environmental Movement and GroundWork Friends of the Earth South Africa, many community members said they were suffering from poor health and were concerned for the future of their children.
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Gautrain looking into solar panels to power its stations

Gauteng’s express railway system Gautrain is working on greening its operations, and plans to have solar power solutions for its stations, says CEO of Gautrain Management Agency, William Dachs. Dachs participated in an online discussion hosted by Arena Holdings on the importance of environmental sustainability in business. He shared Gautrain’s efforts to respond to environmental and socioeconomic challenges. Asked about the Gautrain’s plans to adopt greener energy, Dachs shared that two areas are being targeted – the train itself, which is difficult, and its facilities like the stations. Gautrain is working on greening stations currently to get them powered by renewable energy or solar power solutions, as is seen with some shopping malls that rely on solar rooftops.
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ANC sinks Parliamentary ‘witch hunt’ into Karpowership, emergency power contracts

The African National Congress has voted to scrap a planned Parliamentary investigation into the state’s much-delayed plan to fast-track the building of emergency power plants. Parliament’s oversight committee on mineral resources and energy voted in August last year to launch a probe into the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme, an initiative to add 2 000 MW of new power to SA’s grid quickly. The inquiry’s terms of reference were agreed on in December. The inquiry was set to probe problems relating to the programme as well as allegations surrounding the awarding of a R22-billion contract to Turkish-led consortium Karpowership SA, which faced subsequent litigation.
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Steeply rising diesel prices may increase load-shedding risk as Eskom warns of difficulties in …

State-owned utility Eskom says it is still in the process of quantifying the likely impact of surging diesel prices on the cost of producing electricity at its open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) facilities but has cautioned that continued steep price rises will be difficult to absorb in light of its financial constraints. Eskom had been relying heavily on its OCGT plants, as well as those operated by independent power producers, ahead of its most recent decision to implement Stage 2 load-shedding on Monday – a decision that has since been extended to 5:00 on Saturday March 12.
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Eskom to continue power cuts until Saturday morning

Power utility Eskom said on Tuesday it will continue power cuts in the country until 05:00 on Saturday as many of the power plant units broke down on Monday and are under repair. The power cuts, called Stage 2 load-shedding in South Africa, started from 17:00 on Monday.
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