Eskom confirms arrest of two coal thieves at Kendal power station

State-owned power utility Eskom says two truck drivers contracted by it were arrested at the Kendal power station, in Mpumalanga, on November 10, after they were found to be in possession of stolen coal.

A criminal case of coal theft has been registered with the Ogies police station.

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Specialist awarded testing, maintenance contract

Industrial valves and pumps specialist Brimis Engineering was awarded a major service contract for the maintenance, refurbishment and testing of boiler safety valves for a power generating plant near Middleburg, in Mpumalanga, last month. The company says the maintenance contract is due to run until late 2025 or until the end of the station’s plant’s life, whichever comes first.
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Climate change major energy efficiency driver

While the implementation of energy efficiency measures reduces demand on South Africa’s fragile power system, the climate change agenda continues to significantly influence corporate South Africa’s efforts in this respect, says renewable-energy solutions company Solareff – a member of nonprofit organisation the Green Building Council South Africa. “No one can argue the legitimacy of climate change any longer. It’s happening and is a big driver. Employing energy efficiency measures is the right thing to do from a climate perspective because if everyone fails to act now, the planet will not be preserved for future generations,” notes Solareff CEO Jaco Botha.
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CoCT on track to become African energy diversification beacon

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) is working on diversifying its energy resources to significantly reduce its reliance on struggling State-owned power utility Eskom in the next two years and, thereby, the impact of loadshedding on its customers. The municipality intends to end loadshedding for customers and offer more affordable, cleaner energy, and is on track to become a shining light of energy diversification in Africa, says CoCT Energy MMC Councillor Beverley van Reenen.
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Efficient management of constrained energy supply vital

It is important that local municipalities manage South Africa’s available power supply as efficiently as possible by adopting smart-grid enabling products, as the country continues to battle electricity generation constraints, especially with President Cyril Ramaphosa having stated that loadshedding is not expected to end any time soon. Municipalities need to be in a position to accurately meter and recover the cost of supplying electricity and limit the losses associated with illegal connections and inefficient equipment by procuring equipment capable of capturing data that reflects the state of their systems, says energy management and automation specialist Schneider Electric Anglophone Africa power systems VP Vladimir Milovanovic.
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Another three BW5 wind projects sign agreements and Mantashe says more to follow

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has announced that three more wind projects have signed project agreements under the much-delayed fifth bid window (BW5) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Mantashe also confirmed that more BW5 projects would be signed in the coming weeks. The three projects, to be built by Red Rocket South Africa, have a combined investment value of R9.3-billion and a combined nameplate of 364 MW.
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South Africa’s transmission infrastructure must urgently be strengthened, extended

It is vital that South Africa’s transmission infrastructure be strengthened and bolstered, as the country pursues new renewable energy technologies and these are added into the mix, and as State-owned utility Eskom undertakes its unbundling. The was a key message from a panel discussion during industry organisation the South African National Energy Association’s (SANEA’s) 2022 conference.
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National Treasury releases details of ‘highly concessional’ AFD, KfW loans worth €600m

The National Treasury has released details of what it describes as “highly concessional” loans with a combined value of €600-million, which are the first to be advanced under the $8.5-billion Just Energy Transition Partnership that South Africa entered into with several developed countries in 2021. The €300-million apiece loans were concluded this week with France’s Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and Germany’s Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW) with the proceeds flowing directly to the National Treasury.
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NNR highlights the transparency of its recent nuclear emergency exercise in Cape Town

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) issued a press release on Thursday, highlighting the wide range of stakeholders who observed the full-scale nuclear emergency exercise at the Koeberg nuclear power plant (NPP) on November 4. This exercise was conducted to evaluate the nuclear emergency response systems of both Eskom (the owner and operator of the NPP) and the City of Cape Town’s Disaster Operations Centre and other agencies. “The NNR conducts regulatory nuclear emergency exercises periodically at Necsa Pelindaba and the Koeberg nuclear power station to ensure the effectiveness of the emergency response plans and the ability to ensure the safety of the public and the environment,” explained NNR Emergency Response and Preparedness manager Mothusi Ramerafe. “We use these exercises to review and evaluate the effectiveness of the NNR authorisation holders’ emergency management system as part of our regulatory oversight.”
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Global nuclear agency highlights its role in helping Africa adapt to climate change

With the COP27 United Nations (UN) Climate Conference under way in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday released a report on how nuclear technologies are already being used to build climate change resilience across Africa. Over the past decade, nearly half of all the IAEA’s climate change adaptation projects have been undertaken in Africa. The UN has reported that agricultural productivity in Africa has been greatly reduced over the past 60 years by increased temperatures or droughts. The global body has calculated that these effects have cost the continent economic losses of $70-billion over the past 50 years.
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