Load-shedding poses long-term risks to sector

The ongoing power outages have a significant impact on the agriculture sector – and the wider economy – which holds serious implications for food security and social stability. Industry body Agri SA explains that the extended period of level six load-shedding threatens the viability of the sector while an escalation to level seven and higher would be catastrophic and pose a risk to the country’s national security. 
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AECI Much Asphalt to pioneer low carbon asphalt production

South African chemicals group AECI Much Asphalt and carbon negative materials producer Origin Materials have launched a programme to create a novel low-carbon bitumen that is expected to create considerable value in the developing African market.
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Enpower granted licence to trade electricity

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted Enpower Trading a licence to trade energy. This is the first issuing of such a licence in over a decade and brings to a total three licensed energy traders in the country. Enpower will now be able to help accelerate private investment in new electricity generation capacity in South Africa.
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Solidarity insists Eskom needs more skilled experts

Trade union Solidarity insists that power utility Eskom needs more personnel with critical skills, including for project management, maintenance and returning generation units to service at power stations. Solidarity says this comes as a senior executive with Eskom has denied that there is a skills shortage at Eskom, despite the utility, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and President Cyril Ramaphosa having acknowledged the problem
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Nersa reiterates that it has not approved Sasol’s 96% gas hike

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says it has not approved an increase in the maximum price of pipeline gas to R133/GJ and insists that it “would not approve any increase which doubles its previously approved maximum gas price” of R68.39/GJ. It also insists that only Sasol Gas, which has confirmed that the 96% hike became effective from August 1, could respond to questions regarding the basis for the increase.
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Giant US corporation to use small modular nuclear reactors to power one of its plants

US-based global multinational materials science company Dow, most famous for its chemical production (concentrated in subsidiary Dow Chemicals), has announced that it had signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with US small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) company X-energy. Under that LoI, Dow and X-energy will work together to deploy the latter’s Xe-100 advanced high-temperature gas SMRs at a Dow industrial site on the Gulf of Mexico coast of the US. Dow will also take a minority shareholding in X-energy. This SMR nuclear power plant is expected to be operational by around 2030. It will provide both zero-carbon process heat and electricity to the Dow plant. The overall aim is to reduce Dow’s carbon emissions.
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Utilities that can provide services will thrive in a disrupted energy sector

Municipal utilities and distributors will have to “provide more than one product” and will have to develop new services and business models to effectively serve the market, such as by reselling and wheeling power between producers and consumers. These are some of the views presented during the first in a series of webinars jointly hosted by municipal organisation the Association of Municipal Electricity Utilities (AMEU) and industry organisation the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE) on August 10 to prepare South Africa’s energy utilities for the changes and disruptions, experienced worldwide, in the energy industry.
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WindAc Africa entries open for latest developments in wind energy sector

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) is inviting renewable energy researchers to showcase the latest developments in wind power at its yearly wind energy academic conference WindAc Africa.

To be hosted from October 11 to 13 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the fifth edition of WindAc Africa recognises the pivotal role that wind energy research and technology development plays in the renewable energy sector, as it leads the way for advancement and progress, which is especially essential at a time when South Africa is looking to renewables to meet the growing demand for clean energy supply.

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Stage 2 load-shedding may be on the cards for later today

Stage 2 load-shedding might be required at short notice from 16:00 to midnight on Wednesday. Breakdowns at the Majuba, Tutuka and Kriel power stations have put a severe strain on the power generation system, Eskom said.
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USTDA expects to support project preparation for South Africa’s just energy transition

US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) believes it is well positioned to feed projects into the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), which was established between South Africa and several developed countries, including the US, in 2020, and which is expected to progress towards implementation later this year. The JETP includes an initial offer of $8.5-billion – to be provided by France, Germany, the US, the UK and the European Union – to help fund South Africa’s transition from coal to renewables, while protecting workers and communities reliant on the coal value chain.
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