Gas air heater fire could delay commercial operation at Kusile Unit 5 by up to a year

Eskom told lawmakers on Wednesday that a fire in the gas air heater of Kusile Unit 5, which occurred during a commissioning exercise on September 17, represented a major “setback” and could delay the 800 MW unit’s entry into commercial operation by up to a year. Under the revised scheduled for the much-delayed Kusile build programme, Unit 5 was expected to enter into commercial operation in December 2023.
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Eskom lenders hire PwC as power cuts grip South African utility

Lenders to Eskom Holdings have hired financial advisers as South Africa’s State-owned power utility restructures its business. The banks asked consultants at PwC to assist them with negotiations, said people familiar with the matter, who aren’t authorized to talk about it and asked not to be identified. Representatives for Eskom and PwC didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.
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Kusile fire may delay completion of 800 MW unit by a year, warns De Ruyter

On Wednesday morning, Eskom group CEO André de Ruyter admitted to Parliament that a recent fire at unit 5 of the Kusile Power Station may delay the unit’s completion by a whole year, until December 2024. A month ago, a fire broke out at a gas air heater at unit 5, which is being commissioned and has not yet been synchronised to the grid.
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Standard Bank to exceed 2022 green financing target

Standard Bank will exceed its green financing target of R50-billion this year, as South Africa’s scrapping of regulations on self-generated renewable energy projects has spurred a rush for financing, a top executive said. Africa’s most developed economy is facing rolling, hours-long blackouts due largely to breakdowns at ageing coal-fired power plants operated by debt-crippled State utility Eskom.
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Mantashe restates his positions on energy at conference, but highlights nuclear

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe delivered his third keynote address to his third international energy conference in Cape Town, in as many weeks, on Tuesday. This time it was to Africa Energy Week. Unsurprisingly, the three speeches differed only slightly in content and more significantly in arrangement. In this address, he gave greater stress to nuclear energy than in the previous two versions he had delivered. He highlighted that South Africa’s energy resources included uranium.
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Excelsior wind farm unlocks conservation internship

Utility-scale wind and solar energy producer BTE Renewables’ Swellendam-based Excelsior wind energy facility has partnered with the Overberg Renosterveld Conservation Trust (ORCT) to help it conserve and protect the rare flora of the area, including the important and critically endangered species it supports.

While linked to biodiversity and overall environment management, BTE Renewables’ Excelsior facility has committed funding to the ORCT that has an added socioeconomic development benefit, through skills development support.

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Just energy investment plan to be released for public comment after COP27 unveiling – Creecy

South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Partnership (JET-P) investment plan, which will seek to unlock $8.5-billion in concessional funding for decarbonisation projects as well as for coal worker and community support programmes, is currently in the Cabinet process ahead of its anticipated launched during the COP27 climate negotiations to be held in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt next month. Addressing a Standard Bank climate conference on Tuesday, Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy also reported that the JET-P investment plan, once launched, would be released for public comment.
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African Presidents highlight importance of hydrocarbons as well as renewables for continent

Addressing the Africa Energy Week conference in Cape Town on Tuesday, by means of a pre-recorded video message, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni expressed pleasure that African countries were now working together on energy. African energy producers had to take advantage of African markets. “Energy is a necessity for the development of any society,” he pointed out. As Africa was the least developed continent it needed energy more than any other continent. And, so far, Africa had been the most responsible continent regarding carbon emissions. The continent should be applauded for this, he suggested.
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Solar is cheapest energy option for Africa, but gas could be valuable

The world was currently in the midst of an energy crisis. This affected countries differently, but it affected all countries. This was highlighted by International Energy Agency (IEA) deputy executive director Mary Burce Warlick in her keynote address to the Africa Energy Week conference in Cape Town, on Tuesday. Coming on the heels of the Covid-19 pandemic, this had increased on the finances of African countries. A consequence of this was that, between 2019 and 2021, according to IEA data, the number of Africans with access to electricity had declined by 4%, or by 25-million people. This was in contrast to the increasing access to electricity recorded between 2013 and 2019. The energy crisis had also driven up food prices.
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Loadshedding until at least Friday, says Eskom, as it announces new schedule

Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented until midnight on Tuesday. Thereafter, stage 2 will be implemented until 05:00 on Wednesday, Eskom said on Tuesday afternoon.  Stage 3 loadshedding will resume will resume at 16:00 until midnight on Wednesday and this will be repeated on Thursday. 
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