Bayoglu unconvinced the energy transition will benefit the majority

Mining investment group Menar CEO Vuslat Bayoglu has expressed concern about job losses in the fossil fuel sector as State-owned Eskom proceeds with its just energy transition. “When we do the just transition, we’re talking about 90 000 jobs that will be lost,” he said during a discussion at the Fossil Fuel Foundation (FFF) Carbon’s Coal Conference 2022 held in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, on April 1.
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Companies developing wind energy skills in the Eastern Cape

The Wind Turbine Service Training programme, an initiative of renewable energy project developer EIMS Africa’s portfolio company Cookhouse Wind Farm and operations and maintenance contractor Suzlon, is helping to build technical skills for South Africa’s wind power sector. This skills-based capacity building programme demonstrates both sector leadership, as well as the value of collaboration. 
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Joburg commits resources to safeguard city’s economic infrastructure

City of Johannesburg (CoJ) executive mayor Dr Mpho Phalatse has instructed CoJ Head of Group Forensic and Investigation Services (GFIS) Commissioner Shadrack Sibiya to assemble a team to work with law enforcement agencies, including the Johannesburg Metro Police Department, to investigate and combat attacks on the city’s infrastructure. The final week of March into early April saw three violent attacks that targeted metropolitan utility City Power security personnel and infrastructure. These attacks were carried out by heavily armed criminals “who are not averse to taking lives and undermine the city’s efforts to keep the lights on and sustain economic activity”, the CoJ notes.
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DFFE welcomes IPCC’s sixth climate mitigation report as guide for a just transition

South Africa welcomes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) sixth assessment report on mitigation and, as South Africa takes a developmental approach to climate action, this report provides valuable scientific information to guide its just transition, says Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy. “The IPCC Working Group III (WGIII) report on mitigation finds that the world has already spent [80%] of the carbon budget consistent with a 1.5 °C rise in temperatures. This means that a very small carbon budget remains.
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Countries must choose their own energy transition pathways, says WCA

The World Coal Association (WCA) says global events in recent months have highlighted the fragility of the new energy paradigm, reminding the world of the need to advance energy independence and security. Addressing the South African Colliery Managers Association on April 5, WCA CEO Michelle Manook said the complexity of the energy transition and how interconnected the global energy system is, was becoming clear.
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IAEA’s review shows Koeberg made improvements, closed gaps from prior missions

Global civil nuclear body the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA)’s peer review mission of the Safety Aspects of the Long-Term Operation (SALTO) at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station indicated that Koeberg has made significant improvements and have closed gaps identified during the pre-SALTO missions, said State-owned power utility Eskom chief nuclear officer Riedewaan Bakardien. The IAEA has previously completed two pre-SALTO missions, which prepared the station for the work needed to safely extend Koeberg’s operating life.
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Parties react to the end of National State of Disaster

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Cilliers Brink has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that Cabinet has decided to end the National State of Disaster but cautions against allowing the Health Act amendments to replace it. Brink said South Africa has suffered under the State of Disaster for 750 days, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to enormous hardships and devastation to the country’s economy and to people’s lives and livelihoods.
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Emira’s Knightsbridge Block A receives net-zero, energy performance certifications

JSE-listed property company Emira Property Fund has received an Energy Performance Certification (EPC) for one of its buildings – Block A in the Knightsbridge office park, in Bryanston. Knightsbridge Block A is the first of 54 mandated commercial buildings in the Emira portfolio the company plans to obtain EPCs for.
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Global report forecasts 5.4 GW of new wind additions in South Africa to 2026

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is forecasting that South Africa will add 5.4 GW of new wind capacity over the coming five years to the end of 2026, even though procurement delays will lead to lower levels of deployment in 2022 when compared with 2021. GWEC’s ‘Global Wind Report 2022’ notes that South Africa remains the largest wind market in sub-Saharan Africa, with about 3.1 GW of capacity already connected to the grid.
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Consistency in policy is key for industrialising renewables – SAWEA

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and its sector stakeholders have reiterated that the industrialisation of the renewable energy sector holds enormous potential across the value chain, including economic power and societal benefits. The association, in a media release issued on April 4, stressed the importance of managing the industrialisation of the renewables sector responsibly, by ensuring components were localised on the basis of their competitiveness and value-add.
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