Godongwana announces R254bn Eskom debt-relief package, with terms and conditions

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer gives an overview of the 2023 Budget delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, including the announcement of a R254-billion Eskom debt-relief package and the conditions that apply to that package; the assumption that it would only work in tandem with tariff hikes and the user-pays principle being honoured; and the announcement of renewables tax incentives and loan support for small firms.
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Loadshedding to persist as EAF worsens, CSIR says

Research by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has indicated that the energy availability factor (EAF) of State-owned power utility Eskom has worsened, with this manifesting in worsening loadshedding. Speaking during a loadshedding statistics and water cuts briefing on February 22, CSIR Energy Systems Energy Centre principal researcher Warrick Pierce said the primary reason for this research being undertaken was to inform and assist decision makers to make smarter choices.
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Govt extends diesel fuel levy refund to foodstuff manufacturers

To limit the impact of the energy crisis on food prices, government has decided to extend a diesel fuel levy refund to manufacturers of foodstuffs for a period of two years, effective from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2025. This, alongside an announcement of no increase in the general fuel levy, was announced during the National Budget speech for the 2023/24 financial year, which was delivered by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana on February 22.
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Conditions linked to R254bn Eskom debt relief may lead to concessioning of coal plants

Conditions linked to R254bn Eskom debt relief may lead to concessioning of coal plants The R254-billion Eskom debt-relief package unveiled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his 2023 Budget includes a sweeping set of conditions that will restrict the State-owned utility’s capital expenditure to transmission- and distribution-related investments and could also result in coal-fired power stations being concessioned to private operators.
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Govt aims to stimulate renewables investment with R9bn in tax incentives, reworked bounce-back …

South Africa’s 2023 Budget includes tax incentives worth R9-billion to support businesses and households invest in renewable energy, including rooftop solar, in a bid to offset the impact of intensifying power cuts. In addition, the National Treasury announced that it would amend the bounce-back loan scheme, initially set up to support the recovery of businesses from the Covid-19 pandemic, to help address energy-related constraints.
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Epic Outdoor launches solar-powered billboard

Niche media company Epic Outdoor this month launched South Africa’s largest-ever, solar-powered digital billboard site on the N1 highway. Tasneem Bulbulia tells us more.
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Cape Town plans contingencies against more loadshedding as power crisis worsens

The City of Cape Town is pulling out all the stops to protect residents in the event Eskom implements Stage 8 loadshedding. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said during Stage 8 loadshedding, half the metro would be left without power at any given time – at least 12 hours a day. 
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Eskom quietly deepens power cuts to unprecedented level

South Africa’s struggling State-owned utility Eskom Holdings appears to have reached an unprecedented level of power cuts, indicated late Tuesday by the company spokesman. The company cut 7 045 MW from the grid, a practice locally referred to as loadshedding, in order to keep the grid from a total collapse, Sikonathi Mantshantsha said in a post on Twitter. While that would be the deepest level of outage on record, so-called Stage 7 power cuts were not formally announced on Eskom’s schedule. The most recent announcement said the utility is implementing Stage 6, where it removes 6 000 MW.
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