The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted Eskom a 18.65% tariff increase for implementation on April 1, below the 32% hike that was being sought by the lossmaking utility but well above the inflation-type levels that most stakeholders had argued should be implemented during public hearings in September. Nersa also approved a 12.74% increase for Eskom’s 2024/25 financial year, against a request for 9.74%.
A professor from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology has identified household and agricultural waste in South Africa as a valuable source of clean energy that can be deployed in communities, complexes and individual homes at a lower cost and with a faster return on investment than solar power.
Professor Vincent Okudoh, associate professor for biotechnology at the university’s Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Sciences, says more people globally are recognising biogas as a safe, affordable and environment-friendly source of power.
Digitised industrial power networks company VoltVision has opened a global power analytics centre in Johannesburg that will provide expert technical interpretation of performance data from clients’ high- and medium-voltage (HV and MV) electrical networks worldwide. The centre will also pioneer centralised monitoring, allowing clients improved visibility across multiple remote locations.
Ahead of South Africa’s government delegation traveling to Davos, Switzerland, to take part in the upcoming yearly World Economic Forum, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says South Africa’s electricity crisis and high crime rates are chief among the challenges faced by the country, requiring urgent attention so the country can attract more investors.
Other areas of focus include balancing focus between the macro and microeconomic environment and appropriate policies and decisions thereto, as well as reducing the amount of burdensome “red tape” for foreign companies wanting to invest in South Africa.
Political party the Democratic Alliance (DA) federal leader John Steenhuisen has written a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking why his government refuses to implement the obvious solutions to the electricity crisis that have been proposed for years.
This comes as the country is again experiencing Stage 6 loadshedding and follows what has been exponential loadshedding growth from 141 hours (six days) in 2018 to 3 776 hours (157 days) in 2022.
City of Tshwane Utility Services MMC Daryl Johnston says constantly switching the electricity on and off for Stage 6 loadshedding gives the electrical team “significantly less time” to work on repairs and maintenance. Johnston was responding to the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding “until further notice” on Wednesday.
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