Eskom compiling ‘consolidated proposal’ for ending load-shedding crisis

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has revealed that the utility is compiling a “consolidated proposal” on how to end the ongoing electricity crisis, including how to introduce much-needed new generation capacity in the shortest possible time. The State-owned utility estimates the current shortfall to be between 4 000 MW and 6 000 MW and has argued that, unless addressed, Eskom will continue to have limited headroom to address serious maintenance backlogs across its breakdown-prone coal fleet.
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Kibo secures deal to develop, deploy CellCube-based energy storage solutions in Southern Africa

Energy company Kibo Energy has signed a rolling five-year agreement with energy storage company Enerox’s subsidiary CellCube to develop and deploy CellCube-based long-duration energy storage (LDES) solutions in selected sectors in Southern Africa. Kibo has been granted conditional exclusive rights, subject to successful proof of concepts, to the marketing, sales, configuration and delivery of CellCube’s vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFB) in the development of its LDES solutions in microgrid applications behind the electricity meter.
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Stage 3 load-shedding planned for Tuesday night, for now

South Africa is still currently on track for Stage 3 load-shedding between 17:00 and 22:00 on Tuesday as a lack of capacity has left the country with evening power cuts for the rest of the week. Eskom had initially said there would Stage 3 load-shedding on Monday night as well, but had to escalate to Stage 4 after a unit tripped at Kusile power station, taking 720MW of generating capacity with it.
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Developing countries have opportunity to call for greater access to nuclear energy, technology

States that do not have nuclear weapons, which include most developing countries, have an opportunity to demand greater access to nuclear sciences and technologies for peaceful purposes, including for energy, industry and medicine, at the tenth review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), scheduled for August, Ambassador of Norway to Southern Africa Stian Nordengen Christensen has pointed out. Non-nuclear weapon armed States, and African States in particular, aim to focus on peaceful uses of nuclear energy at the upcoming review conference and they have the full support of Norway, he said during a discussion hosted by the South African Institute of International Affairs on May 13.
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IPP Office head says stakeholder alignment key to regular, investment-promoting procurement rhythm

The head of South Africa’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office believes that improved stakeholder management and alignment are key to overcoming delays to the introduction of urgently required new electricity capacity and to creating the predictable “procurement rhythm” required to attract electricity and manufacturing investment. In a wide-ranging interview Bernard Magoro tells Engineering News that all stakeholders, including multiple government departments, the regulator, Eskom and the bidders, need to “come to the party” to overcome the current impediments to projects achieving financial close.
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