China’s dominance a key factor in renewable energy subsidy wars

One of the primary catalysts for the prevalent global emergence of subsidies within the renewable energy sector stems from the dominance of China, research firm BMI Research operational risk analyst Keaton Fitzpatrick has said. Speaking at a webinar hosted by BMI Research – a Fitch Solutions company – titled ‘Subsidy Wars and The Energy Transition, The Race To Develop Low Carbon Energy Manufacturing’ on August 24, he said China had unequivocally established its preeminence across the global energy supply chain, encompassing vital components of renewable energy, as well as the critical mineral provisions and corresponding market domains.
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Distribution is ‘albatross’ of power system – Ramokgopa

South Africa’s electricity distribution system is “an albatross” beset by fighting between the national power utility and municipalities as the government takes steps to stabilize the grid, according to the electricity minister. State-owned Eskom Holdings has focused on improving the performance of the mainly coal-fired power stations that have become unreliable due to neglected maintenance, resulting in record electricity outages that curb economic growth.
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Eskom’s troubled Tutuka station to start bringing units back online within weeks, says Ramokgopa

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is confident that two units at “perennial underperformer” Tutuka power station will come back onstream in September, he said during a media briefing on Sunday. This comes as the plant got a helping hand from the Resource Mobilisation Fund – a vehicle launched by Business for South Africa (BUSA) earlier this year to support the rollout of president Cyril Ramaphosa’s Energy Action Plan.
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‘Dominant player’ China made sense as renewables partner, says Ramokgopa

China is an ideal partner to help South Africa as it builds its renewable energy capacity, Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has said, given that it is a “dominant player in the renewables space” and has “done the kind of modernisation that is required”. The minister’s comments come on the back of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg, where he signed two overarching memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with China, relating to a donation from that country to help solve SA’s power crisis, as well help move SA’s energy transition forward.
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Koeberg revamp: Race against time as nuclear regulator wants more work on safety case

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has asked Eskom to undertake additional engineering studies on the Koeberg power station before it can deliberate on its application to extend the long-term operation licence for another 20 years.  Speaking at a briefing to editors in Johannesburg on Thursday, Eskom’s senior manager in its outage centre, Thabiso Moirapula, said that Eskom did not know yet if the licence for the 40-year old plant will be extended before it runs out in July 2024.
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Eskom mulling new curtailment approach to unlocking grid capacity as it pursues 47 priority projects

State-owned utility Eskom has confirmed that it is prioritising 47 grid-related projects within its larger R210-billion Transmission Development Plan (TDP) that it believes could collectively add 37 GW of connection capacity over the coming few years. It is also close to finalising the approach it will be taking to the issue of curtailment as it moves to immediately unlock scarce grid capacity in high-potential renewables regions ahead of its grid investment roll-out.
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Electricity purchased from IPPs will be cheaper than Eskom – City Power

City Power claims it will have a slightly lower tariff for Johannesburg residents after procuring electricity from four independent power producers (IPPs).  The entity said two of the four IPPs still had to register with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
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Emissions requirement postponed for Kusile

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) announced in June that the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) has granted State-owned power utility Eskom a postponement to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at its Kusile power station. The postponement will be in effect from June 5, 2023, to March 31, 2025, and is subject to certain strict conditions. 
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Refurbishment under way at Kriel

Thermal solutions specialist Industrial Water Cooling (IWC) is working with State-owned power utility Eskom on the refurbishment of two natural draught cooling towers at its Kriel power station, in Mpumalanga. The refurbishment includes the installation of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP) supports and polypropylene trickle fill, high-pressure cleaning of the ducts and distribution pipes, as well as the replacement of drift eliminators, sprayers and ladders.
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Microgrid roll-out gaining traction

After the successful commissioning of State-owned power utility Eskom’s third microgrid, at the Swartkop dam, in the Northern Cape, the company aims to launch its next two microgrids at Nomalengena Village, in the Eastern Cape, and Nounieput, also in the Northern Cape, by December 31, 2023. The microgrids form part of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and Eskom’s efforts to achieve universal access to electricity using clean and reliable technologies and entails the dispatching of 100 microgrids across the country by March 2024 depending on suitable sites being identified on time.
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