Opinion: A bird’s eye view of the future of SA’s energy landscape post COP 26

In this article, attorneys Vaughn Harrison and Lucrecia Sadhaseevan write about South Africa’s energy landscape post COP 26, as well as the documents and processes that frame South Africa’s just energy transition process.
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Growthpoint invests R50m in solar-charged battery system for the Paarl Mall

JSE-listed real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties is piloting a 4.5 MW battery system at Paarl Mall, in the Western Cape, for continuous, cost-efficient power supply, which will be partly charged by Paarl Mall’s new rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) plant. The R50-million system will extend the positive impacts of renewable, sun-powered energy around the clock, the company says.
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Biggest South African city seeks power supply from private firms

Johannesburg’s municipality intends buying 500 megawatts of electricity from independent producers to help avert ongoing power outages in South Africa’s biggest city. A request for proposals is awaiting approval from the National Treasury and should be issued within weeks, Mpho Phalatse, Johannesburg’s mayor, said in an interview at Bloomberg’s Johannesburg offices on Monday.
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Stage 2 load-shedding for Tuesday evening

Eskom has announced that Stage 2 load-shedding will be implemented from 16:00 to midnight on Tuesday evening. “There is also a high probability that load-shedding will require to be implemented during the same time on both Wednesday and Thursday evenings,” the power utility said. “The breakdowns of a single generation unit at Arnot Power Station and three at Tutuka Power Station during the last 24 hours, as well as the delays in returning units to service at Arnot, Kusile and Tutuka power stations have put a severe strain on the power generation system.” Currently, 4 550MW is out on planned maintenance, while another 14 182MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
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Commission unpacks the ‘integrated systems’ approach taken with Just Transition Framework

As Cabinet is busy approving the Just Transition Framework for publication, the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) has unpacked a key part of what the framework will be premised on – Climate Resilience Development Pathways (CRDPs). PCC commissioner Makoma Lekalakala says South Africa’s Just Transition can only be realised if CRDPs are at its core, while PCC secretariat Crispian Olver states the CRDP approach is vital for implementing the Just Transition Framework.
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Electric motors minimum energy performance standards to reduce energy use – SANEDI

The adoption of new minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for electric motors in South Africa will provide significant energy savings, improve operational competitiveness and alleviate pressure on the country’s electricity supply crisis, says energy research institution South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). South Africa’s industrial sector is dominated by motors that fall under the lowest class of international efficiency standards (IE1).
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Private sector assistance in public sector issues requires clear, concise objectives – BLSA

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso says clear and concise requests by the public sector or government go a long way in helping the private sector plan and implement initiatives to address business and societal problems, while vague and open-ended requests do little to alleviate problems.

“I spend a lot of time in engagements with other social partners about how business can best work with government and others. I have learned there are effective ways of getting positive outcomes but there are also ineffective ways that disappoint everyone,” she says.

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Massmart to install building management systems across its South African stores

JSE-listed retail group Massmart will install a further 150 building management systems (BMSs) at its stores in South Africa over the next year and a half, with more than 155 BMSs already installed at some of its stores. The company has partnered with BMS specialist company Green Wave Group and industrial technology multinational Schneider Electric for an installation of BMS solutions at its stores across South Africa.
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Programme launched to boost skills of youth in solar PV installations

Renewable energy skills development agency Nepoworx Renewable Energy Institution (Nepoworx) and the Manufacturing, Engineering and Related Services Sector Education and Training Authority have signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) to implement a nationwide green skills programme.

The programme is targeted at unemployed youth and is designed to train them as solar photovoltaic (PV) service technicians, capable of being employed thereafter, either at PV plants or to conduct rooftop solar PV installations.

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Bill Gates’ TerraPower raises $750m for cheaper nuclear

Bill Gates-backed TerraPower raised at least $750-million to advance efforts to develop small-scale nuclear reactors, including a major investment from South Korean conglomerate SK Group. SK will invest $250-million to add a stake in the technology developer, which aims to commercialize smaller and cheaper designs than conventional nuclear plants, the companies said Monday in separate statements.
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