Nersa to hold public hearings on municipal electricity tariff increases

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on April 9 said that, while it had published a consultation paper on municipal guideline increase and tariff benchmarks for public comment last week, it has decided to hold a public hearing at a later date to give stakeholders a further opportunity to engage on the issues raised in the consultation paper. The energy regulator initially opted not to hold public hearings on the key issues reflected in the consultation paper on the municipal guideline increase and tariff benchmarks, and followed a notice and comment process owing to the fact that, in the past, few to no presenters attended the public hearings to make representations to Nersa, it said.
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SAPVIA welcomes launch of REIPPPP Bid Window 6

Industry association the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has welcomed the commitment shown by government with the launch of Bid Window (BW) 6 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Following closely on the announcement of preferred bidders for BW 5, this new BW is critical in the drive to get much-needed additional generation capacity, and ultimately kilowatt-hours, onto the grid, the association emphasises.
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ST Energies signs MoU for filling station solar solution

French fuel and energy multinational ST Energies has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a Shell filling station in Worcerster, in the Western Cape, to implement a sustainable solar solution that will allow the station to achieve carbon-neutral status. The initiative is designed to deliver reliable power to filling stations using a combination of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels, batteries and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) backup to keep them off the grid and operational.
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Retaining refining capacity could pose long-term risks for South Africa

South Africa’s oil refining capacity has always been rather small when considered on a global scale, but there was some sense of national pride and of security in knowing that the country could deliver – even if most of the crude input had to be imported. While local refineries were never able to fulfil South Africa’s demand for fuel in recent times – at 25-billion litres a year – local refining capacity helped to supplement imported supplies.
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UK goes big on nuclear and offshore wind for its future and secure low-carbon energy

The UK officially confirmed on Thursday that, to ensure the country’s energy security and independence, while also moving more rapidly to achieving net-zero carbon emissions energy, it was going to particularly prioritise the development of new nuclear and offshore wind generation capacity. Hydrogen and solar power sources were not being forgotten, and, in the short- and medium-term, domestic oil and gas production would not be neglected. The government would immediately set up a new agency, Great British Nuclear, backed by “substantial funding”, to facilitate the launch of new nuclear projects. A £120-million Future Nuclear Enabling Fund would be launched this month. The aim was to have 24 GW of nuclear capacity by 2050, or some 25% of the country’s predicted electricity demand for that year. Currently, nuclear provided about 16% of the UK’s electricity.
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Ramaphosa warns risk of ‘not undertaking an ambitious and just transition’ are great

President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged the risks associated with South Africa’s transition from coal to renewables but insists the “risks of not undertaking an ambitious and just transition are far greater.” Speaking during the virtual launch of the Oxford ‘Handbook on the South African Economy’, the President said the commitments made by South Africa to avert a climate crisis carry “significant risks”.
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Sicelo Xulu appointed chair of SANEDI’s new board

The South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has announced new board appointments, following the expiration of the prior board’s term. The new board, appointed by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, comprises ten members, who hold experience across various industries such as clean energy, intellectual property and chemical engineering.
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DMRE initiates sixth renewables bidding round

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has officially launched the sixth bid window (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) with the release of bid documentation on April 6. As has become the norm, prospective bidders are required to pay a R25 000 nonrefundable fee for each prospective project and complete a registration form before receiving the request for proposals (RFP) documentation.
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India continues with major nuclear energy development programme

India currently had ten nuclear reactors under construction and had authorised the construction of another ten. The country had also imported 7 546 t of natural uranium ore concentrate and 56.78 t of enriched uranium fuel pellets over the past three years, complementing the country’s own uranium production. These figures were released by Indian Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh, in written answers to questions in the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of …
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Partnership launched to overcome climate resiliency barriers in energy, water

A joint project to accelerate South Africa’s energy and water transitions to be more efficient and sustainable – the South African Industry Adaption (SAIA) project – was officially launched on April 5 between the government of Belgium (through the embassy in South Africa – Flanders) and the United Nations Industrial Development Corporation (Unido).

Flanders is contributing R41-million (€2.4-million) to the project, following a proposal for funding partners by Unido.

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