Starsight Energy, SolarAfrica merge to expand operations into South Africa

East and West African renewable energy services provider Starsight Energy and South African solar energy provider SolarAfrica Energy are merging to expand operations with ambition of becoming one of the largest commercial and industrial (C&I) solar developers in Africa. The proposed merger combines the strengths of the duo to unlock a pan-African renewable energy services provider positioned to serve a wider range of clients with a comprehensive mix of technology-enabled renewable energy solutions that provides power security, cost savings and carbon reduction.
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Kibo acquires waste-to-energy project in the UK

Renewable energy development company Kibo Energy has signed a definitive share purchase agreement (SPA) to acquire a 100% interest in a waste reception, anaerobic digestor (AD) and combined heat and power (CHP) power plant named Southport at Merseyside, in the UK. The company said on September 21 that the acquisition of the 12 MW waste-to-energy project was in line with its refocused strategy to acquire and develop an energy portfolio centred on sustainable, renewable and clean energy solutions and opportunities.
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Gordhan says record power cuts set to ease

Load-shedding should ease over the coming days and the nation’s electricity supply will continue to improve over the medium term as new investments bolster generation, according to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. “We will have load-shedding for a while in South Africa,” Gordhan said on Thursday in an interview on Bloomberg TV. But “not of the order that we’ve seen in the recent past,” he said.
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GWEC urges action to address energy security and climate crisis ahead of COP27

Industry organisation the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) says governments need to take dramatic action to scale up wind and renewable energy in this decade, and to address energy security and climate crises ahead of the international climate meeting the Conference of the Parties 27 (COP27). If the world is to get on track for 1.5 °C-compliant pathway (above preindustrial levels) to net zero, yearly global wind energy installations must quadruple to about 390 GW/y by 2030, according to the International Energy Agency and, by 2050, wind energy must generate more than one-third of global electricity, up from 6% today.
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Agri SA seeks meeting with Eskom, warns load-shedding may affect food security

With load-shedding escalating as South Africa enters the summer crop planting season, the current energy crisis may have implications for food security into the coming year unless farmers can put measures in place to mitigate against the effects of load-shedding, says Agri SA. The industry body has requested an urgent engagement with Eskom CEO André de Ruyter on the outlook for load-shedding in the coming weeks.
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Urgent actions needed to deal with energy crisis, says Busa

Business organisation Business Unity South Africa (Busa) is urging government to urgently implement identified priority interventions, as the economic damage of the ongoing load-shedding is “severe and there must be an immediate intervention to deal with the crisis to at least manage load-shedding better”. Small and medium-sized businesses, in particular, are experiencing severe difficulties and many may not be able to recover from this, the organisation warns.
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Affordability of Eskom’s 32% hike comes under intense scrutiny on last day of hearings

The affordability of the 32% tariff hike being sought by Eskom for implementation on April 1 next year came under intense scrutiny on the last day of National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) public hearings. The regulator, which adjudicated the first year of the three-year fifth multiyear price determination (MYPD5) in January, when it approved a 9.61% increase for the 2023 financial year against an Eskom request for 20.5%, expects to decide for the 2024 and 2025 financial years by November 7.
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IPPs weighing available capacities for Eskom’s additional energy procurement

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) says Eskom’s new Standard Offer Programme may be a reinvigoration of government’s Additional Megawatt Programme that was launched in June last year. The original programme was also intended to buy additional energy from independent power producers (IPPs).
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IDC visits Nordex turbine manufacturing facilities in Spain to investigate wind sector …

The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has sent a delegation to Spain to visit wind energy company Nordex’s wind turbine manufacturing facilities, as South Africa’s accelerated energy transition and its push for sector industrialisation requires increased local manufacturing, with a projected localisation target of well over 55% for government procurement by the end of the decade. To achieve this, government’s support through policy, smooth procurement and investment will be the key enabler. The exploratory trip will allow for first-hand discussions with the original equipment manufacturer, the IDC says.
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Green Energy Africa Summit selects ten green tech start-ups as finalists

The Green Energy Africa Summit (GEAS) has announced ten green technology start-up companies as finalists that will have the opportunity to present to potential investors at a pitching event in October. In preparation, the finalists will be invited to a focused training session to get them pitch perfect, the GEAS adds.
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