IPP Office, Eskom in talks about navigating grid constraints ahead of next renewables round

There were two main challenges South Africa faced, in addressing its inadequate electricity generation capacity, Independent Power Producers (IPP) Office Head Bernard Magoro highlighted at the RES4Africa conference in Cape Town, on Monday. They were the fast-tracking of approvals by government, and capacity constraints in the country’s national grid. The IPP Office is an agency of the national government, established to procure mainly electricity generation capacity from independent power producers, as well as provide advisory services.
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Cape Town’s three-phase loadshedding protection plan on track

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the City of Cape Town is on track with plans to protect residents from the first four stages of loadshedding implemented by State-owned utility Eskom within three years. The three-phase procurement plan for loadshedding protection has reached several milestones this month. The largest procurement – a 500 MW tender to buy power on the open market – is on track to open on March 29.
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SAWEA launches campaign to highlight sector’s significant employment role

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has launched a campaign to highlight the role that the wind energy industry plays as an employer as South Africa’s Energy Action Plan gains momentum to deliver new power generation and steer the country’s accelerated energy transition.

“We are launching the campaign ‘I Work In Wind’ to showcase people across this industry who are already employed to tell their personal stories, really inspiring the next generation of wind energy professionals and encouraging more participation in the sector,” explains SAWEA CEO Niveshen Govender.

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130 MW power plant in Senegal fully commissioned

Energy sector solutions provider Wärtsilä reports that a 130 MW power plant it built in Malicounda, in western Senegal, is now fully operational and officially inaugurated by Senegal President Macky Sall.

The Flexicycle power plant is operated by energy company Matelec, which also undertook the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant; which will be maintained by Wärtsilä under a ten-year maintenance agreement.

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Progress being made in reforming South African electricity sector, assures Presidency official

Major changes were indeed under way in the country’s electricity sector, South African Presidency project management head Rudi Dicks assured the RES4Africa Energy Security Conference in Cape Town, on Monday. “There is a risk that we miss the [reform] wood for the [crisis] trees,” he said. South Africa has suffered for years from scheduled power cuts, called loadshedding, imposed by the State-owned national electricity utility Eskom, because of its lack of generating capacity. “Loadshedding is the result of poor policy decisions or actions not taken,” he explained.
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