Mantashe says release of ‘IRP 2023’ for comment is imminent

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe reports that an updated version of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity will be released imminently for public consideration. Responding to a question posed by the Democratic Alliance’s Kevin Mileham during a Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy as to why the revised IRP had not been released by the end of March as promised, Mantashe said the “rough IRP framework has been completed, it is going to be opened for discussion”.
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Short-term solutions to energy challenges lie with private sector, incentives

It will take about three years to improve the energy availability factor of State-owned power utility Eskom’s coal-fired power stations to an acceptable level of about 65%, as generator units must be taken offline to do deep maintenance. This means Eskom’s energy availability will drop further before it can be improved, said energy expert Chris Yelland on May 9 at the Africa Automation Technology Fair.
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Private sector injects R340m in support of South Africa’s localisation drive

A new public-private initiative has been launched in an effort to support the growth and development of South Africa’s manufacturing sector, whose recovery from the Covid lockdowns is currently being undermined by intense daily loadshedding. Known as the Localisation Support Fund (LSF), the non-profit company is being funded by the private sector, but has a board that includes government, labour and business representatives, including Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel, who is LSF chairperson.
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Biggest African bank cites energy needs in fossil fuel defense

Standard Bank Group, Africa’s biggest lender by assets, defended it’s investment in fossil-fuel projects, saying tthe continent’s energy needs have to be balanced with climate concerns. The Johannesburg-based bank’s exposure to coal mining, oil and gas and power generation from fossil fuels rose 21% last year to R119.4-billion, according to Just Share, a Cape Town-based shareholder activist organisation. While that’s almost five times its exposure to renewable energy projects, lending to green-power initiatives rose 84% over the year.
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We can’t compensate, ‘but we empathise’: Eskom says it’s not to blame for power outages in …

Eskom says it can’t commit to compensating businesses affected by power cuts in Mahikeng.  The power utility’s customer relations manager, Ezekiel Baruti, told News24 that the power outages, which lasted for more than a week, had affected residential homes and businesses, including mortuaries.
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