Renewable Energy Product & Expertise conference will showcase local capability

UK-government-funded initiative Trade Forward Southern Africa (TFSA) and consultancy Africa House will on July 19 and 20 host a South African Renewable Energy Product & Expertise Showcase in Cape town.

The event will highlight the regional project supply opportunities and is a unique occasion for South Africa suppliers to access regional markets for renewable energy-related products.

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AfriForum demands transparent information on Eskom’s active contracts

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has served a public access to information (PAIA) application on Eskom, demanding information on active contracts that the national power provider currently has with various service providers, including coal suppliers and transport companies that transport the coal. According to AfriForum, the government’s record of managing State-owned companies leaves much to be desired.
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Zimbabwe emergency power project nears completion

An emergency power infrastructure rehabilitation project has reached the last leg of implementation with the delivery of a 175 MVA transformer, signalling relief from constant power outages for thousands of customers in the Midlands, Mashonaland East and West provinces of Zimbabwe. Phase II of the ZimFund Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (EPIRP II) received $22.74-million in funding from the ZimFund, in which development finance institution the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is a major partner.
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The global energy crisis may get worse, IEA’s Birol warns

A global squeeze on energy supply that’s triggered crippling shortages and sent power and fuel prices surging may get worse, according to the head of the International Energy Agency. “The world has never witnessed such a major energy crisis in terms of its depth and its complexity,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said Tuesday at a global energy forum in Sydney. “We might not have seen the worst of it yet — this is affecting the entire world.”
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Nxesi opposes any plan to privatise Eskom

South Africa’s labour minister said he’ll oppose any move to privatize the beleaguered power utility Eskom Holdings, as it struggles to generate power, avoid outages and repay $23-billion of debt. Privatizing the company would be detrimental to the poor, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said in an interview. While President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has previously denied any plans to sell the company, there have been calls to divest from the asset. S&P Global Ratings said privatization may be the best option to resolve the power crisis in Africa’s most-industrialised nation.
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Eskom confirms big Koeberg leadership changes amid ongoing Unit 2 delays

Amid ongoing delays in returning Koeberg Unit 2 to service, as well as delays to the steam generator replacement (SGR) programme across both Koeberg’s reactors, Eskom has announced the resignation of its chief nuclear officer, Riedewaan Barkadien. COO Jan Oberholzer said on Monday that Barkadien, who has worked at Eskom for 27 years, would depart on July 31 to join a Canadian nuclear utility in an executive position.
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Load-shedding to continue into next week as Eskom battles to recover after strike

South Africans can expect Stage 4 load-shedding until midnight for the next few days, with Stage 2 between midnight and 05:00. This may be downgraded to Stage 3 during the day on Friday, with Stage 2 expected over the weekend, if offline power stations are returned as expected.
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Private sector’s role key in the just transition – BLSA

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has emphasised the important role the private sector has to play in the just energy transition in terms of investment in infrastructure for greener production. “The opportunities are . . . abundant, stemming from the wider renewable energy supply chain, as well as electric vehicles (EVs) and hydrogen. The world’s eyes are on us, with chequebooks on the table.
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SAWEA reiterates need for a comprehensive plan to ensure energy security

Industry body the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has reiterated that South Africa needs a comprehensive plan, informed by energy experts and government stakeholders, to achieve energy security. This was in response to a call by the National Planning Commission (NPC) to increase new power generation capacity.
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Renergen achieves gas-to-plant milestone at Virginia project

Emerging integrated energy producer Renergen has achieved the natural gas to plant milestone at its Virginia project, in South Africa’s Free State province. Gas to plant was achieved on July 8 and signified by the opening of the main inlet line from the gas gathering system to the process plant and then to the natural gas filtration and pre-
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