Ghana’s nuclear energy ambitions to be supported by the US and Japan

The West African country of Ghana is set to be the first beneficiary of a new joint US-Japan civil nuclear cooperation agreement, established last week, named ‘Winning an Edge Through Cooperation in Advanced Nuclear’ (WECAN). Aimed at helping countries meet both their energy security and climate change mitigation goals, the agreement was signed at a Ministerial meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in the US capital of Washington DC. “The [IAEA] considers nuclear energy necessary to achieve long-term climate goals, including net-zero emissions by 2050,” pointed out the US State Department in its press release. “WECAN reaffirms commitments by Japan and the United States to energy innovation, energy security, and global clean energy transition in a smart, cost-effective, and secure way by advancing the latest technology and commercial leadership in emerging technologies that provide firm, reliable electricity and industrial heat.”
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Respected energy industry personality Nelisiwe Magubane has died

Well-known energy industry personality Nelisiwe Magubane, who served as director-general in the then Department of Energy for several years, has died at the age of 56 after a short illness. An electrical engineer, she began her professional career at Eskom, after completing a BSc Electrical Engineering (Heavy Current) at the University of Natal in the early 1990s.
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Shutting of last Komati unit signals start of Eskom’s just energy transition journey

Eskom has announced that the final unit at the Komati power station in Mpumalanga was shut at midday October 31, officially signalling the end of the station’s operating life as a coal-fired generator and the site’s transition to a renewables, storage, manufacturing and training hub – one that could serve as a global reference as several countries consider ways to transition away from fossil fuels while supporting the livelihoods of affected workers and communities. Komati has been identified as the flagship site for Eskom’s so-called ‘Just Energy Transition (JET) Strategy’, which includes various repowering and repurposing initiatives, including the development of 150 MW of solar photovoltaic, 70 MW of wind and 150 MW battery storage at the retired station.
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Amaranth CX compiles all energy information of SAPP on single platform

Consultancy Amaranth CX has put together all available information on South Africa’s renewable energy projects on a platform called 1Map, including existing power stations and substations, transmission lines, environmental applications, strategic corridors and renewable energy development zones, farm boundaries and protected areas.

The information covers all 12 countries of the Southern Africa Power Pool (SAPP), incorporated on 1Map’s online, browser-based, cloud-hosted and multi-layer map.

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Gauteng premier wants Soweto’s Eskom debt of close to R5bn written off

After government’s commitment to pay billions to settle Sanral’s e-toll debt, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi also wants Soweto’s debt to Eskom – nearly R5-billion – scrapped.  “Minister [Enoch] Godongwana, we truly appreciate how you respect negotiations. Can we safely assume that the Soweto Eskom electricity debt and that of other townships is also scrapped as per our intensive lobby?” Lesufi tweeted on Friday.
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Stage 2 loadshedding is back this week, Eskom confirms

Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented from 05:00 on Monday until 05:00 on Tuesday, and again during the evening peaks from 16:00 until midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, Eskom said on Sunday afternoon. “Eskom will publish a further update on Wednesday afternoon, or as soon as there are any significant changes,” spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha said.
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Will grid, logistics and construction constraints stymie urgent wind energy ramp-up?

In light of ongoing grid constraints, some wind industry practitioners are warning that only about 2 GW of the 3.2 GW wind allocation in Bid Window Six (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) is likely to be taken up, given that lower-priced solar photovoltaic projects could absorb a portion of the remaining available network in the key wind provinces of the Eastern and Western Cape. There are also warnings that South Africa’s logistics and …
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Loadshedding to be suspended at midnight, but Stage 2 planned for next week

Loadshedding will be suspended at midnight on Friday, Eskom said. This is thanks to lower weekend demand. But Stage 2 loadshedding will continue until 16:00, which will increase to Stage 3 until midnight on Friday. 
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Amendment Bill to realise embedded capacity

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill is expected to realise significant local embedded generation capacity growth by removing the cap on the licensing threshold, but the current version of South Africa’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) is a limiting factor. The amendment of Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) that lifted the licensing threshold from 1 MW to 100 MW had an enormous impact on the local electricity supply industry when it came into effect in August last year, says law firm Webber Wentzel partner Jason van der Poel. 
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Windaba panel asks: Jobs first, or energy first?

Manufacturing is responsible for only one-third of jobs within the wind energy sector, says Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy Africa area director Marcel Cabral. Speaking at Windaba 2022, held earlier this month, during a panel discussion around localisation in the wind sector, Cabral noted that the other two-thirds revolved around the development, construction, running and maintenance of wind farms, and that “South Africa has all the resources for that”.
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