Stage 2 load-shedding to be implemented every evening from Monday to Thursday

Eskom will implement Stage 2 load-shedding every evening between 17:00 and 22:00, from Monday to Thursday. The power utility said the load shedding was due to the continued shortage of generation capacity.
/by

Finance ‘sea change’ needed for Africa to meet $190bn/y energy investment goal

Achieving Africa’s energy and climate goals by 2030, including universal access, will require a more than doubling in energy investment this decade, rising to a yearly rate of $190-billion from 2026 to 2030, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report shows. It will also require the connection of 90-million people a year, triple the rate of recent years, if Africa is to deliver modern energy services to the 600-million people who currently lack access.
/by

Eskom warns of high load-shedding risk as grid likely strained for ‘next few weeks’

The power system is under severe pressure and there is a risk of load-shedding at short notice if there are any significant breakdowns at Eskom plants, the power utility warned on Monday morning.  The power system will be under strain for the next few weeks, it added in a statement. 
/by

Delay gas procurement until policy reflects big cost and emission shifts – study

Before moving ahead with the procurement of gas-fired generation, South Africa should update both its Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity and its Gas Master Plan to reflect prevailing renewables and battery costs, as well as the country’s carbon constraints, a new Meridian Economics study argues. Titled ‘Hot Air About Gas: An Economic Analysis of the Scope and Role for Gas-Fired Power Generation in South Africa’, the study warns that the current policy approach of anchoring gas demand in the domestic electricity sector is premised on outdated cost and emission assumptions.
/by

Climate change conference president in South Africa to discuss just energy transition

The President of the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), Alok Sharma of the UK, arrived in South Africa on Sunday, to support the implementation of the South Africa Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). He will depart the country on Tuesday. The JETP was announced at COP26, which took place last November and which was hosted by the UK. (Sharma will hold the presidency until COP27, which will be hosted by Egypt and is expected to take place in this coming November.) Apart from South Africa, the JETP member countries are the European Union, France, Germany, the UK and the US.
/by

Schneider targets more licence agreements to accelerate localisation in South Africa

Energy management and automation multinational Schneider Electric is planning to partner with more South African manufacturers as part of a strategy geared towards accelerating the expansion of its domestic market presence, while increasing local content. Global CFO Hilary Maxson told Engineering News during a recent visit to South Africa that the group would pursue licence agreements with local companies, which would produce Schneider Electric -certified products using specialised components, but with the goal of progressively localising the solution over time.
/by