Eskom confirms restart of Koeberg Unit 2 after delays

State-owned electricity utility Eskom has confirmed that Unit 2 at the Koeberg nuclear power station was returned to service at 20:24 on Sunday, August 7. “The unit is currently loading and will require about ten days to reach full output,” spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha confirmed in an emailed response to an Engineering News enquiry.
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Eskom to implement power cuts over weekend

 South Africa’s Eskom said it would implement “Stage 2” power cuts between 1600 and 2400 local time (1400 and 2200 GMT) on Saturday and Sunday due to several generating units breaking down and delays returning others to service. The struggling state-owned company resumed power cuts on Wednesday after a pause of 11 days, and implemented them again on Thursday and Friday.
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City Power replacing all Joburg streetlights with LEDs

The project by City of Johannesburg (CoJ) utility City Power to retrofit all of Johannesburg’s streetlights with light-emitting diode (LED) technology is gathering pace, providing energy saving and environment-friendly light, CoJ Environment and Infrastructure Services Department MMC Michael Sun says. “I’m delighted that this pilot project is beginning to improve the city of gold’s energy position and positively impact the lives of our residents,” he comments.
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Nersa announces timelines for Eskom’s MYPD5 application

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) announces that on July 29, the Energy Regulator approved the publication of a consultation paper and timelines to process State-owned utility Eskom’s Fifth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD5) revenue application for the 2023/24 financial year.
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Electricity reforms to spur ‘boom in private fixed investment’

Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele says the reforms under way in the electricity sector – including the removal of the 100 MW licensing threshold for distributed generation projects and the expedited procurement of new capacity from renewables, gas and battery storage – will “supercharge our efforts to modernise and transform the electricity sector”. “Most importantly, these changes will create the conditions for a boom in private fixed investment in the coming years, which will lift our economic growth overall,” Gungubele said during the release of Operation Vulindlela’s latest progress update.
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US investors visit South Africa with eye on renewable energy

US investors with more than $1-trillion of assets under management are in South Africa to look for investment opportunities. The visit being facilitated by USAID and Prosper Africa, the US government’s initiative to increase trade and investment between African nations and America, started Tuesday and will coincide with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s trip. Blinken arrives in the country Sunday — his second official trip to Africa. He will also visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
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Solidarity sends list of 300 power experts to Gordhan, Eskom


Trade union Solidarity sent a list of skilled power experts to Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom CEO André de Ruyter on August 4, following calls by Gordhan to identify energy experts to help the country address prevailing electricity generation deficiencies.

According to Solidarity, the 300 experts on its shortlist have about 5 500 years of combined experience in the industry, as well as more than 400 accredited combined qualifications of which 14 are doctorate degrees in engineering and related fields.

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Largo Clean Energy mulls JV with Ansaldo

Canada-headquartered vanadium supplier Largo subsidiary Largo Clean Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with renewable energy company Ansaldo Green Tech (AGT) to assess opportunities for working together on manufacturing and deploying vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs).

The companies may form a joint venture (JV) to commercially deploy Largo’s “VCHARGE” VRFBs in the European, African and Middle Eastern power generation markets.

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TNPA initiates process for possible development of greenfield Boegoebaai port

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has initiated a preliminary process for the proposed development of a new deep-water port at Boegoebaai in the far Northern Cape near the Namibian border, which has been earmarked as a possible hub for the production and export of green hydrogen and derivative products. The State-owned port landlord has released a request for qualification (RFQ) for the design, funding and construction of the proposed greenfield port and rail infrastructure as a precursor to a possible future request for proposals (RFP).
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Forgotten Zimbabwe city of Bulawayo gets a dam as elections loom

A $42-million dam a century in the making could end water shortages for more than half a million Zimbabweans — and win votes for the ruling party in an opposition stronghold that may decide next year’s presidential election. The expected completion early in 2023 of the Gwayi-Shangani dam 153 miles north west of Bulawayo is part of a strategy by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front to capture votes in the country’s long-neglected second-largest city, according to analysts. Zanu-PF has traditionally struggled to make inroads into urban areas in the province, an area dominated by the minority Ndebele ethnic group.
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