Energy transition creating waves in local automotive sector

With the global energy transition sparking a need for participants in the South African automotive industry to reconsider business models to ensure sustainability, advisory firm KPMG is assisting clients in the sector to better grasp the impact of the transition. The company is helping clients draft strategies for holistically tackling the transition, owing to some not having a complete understanding of its impact across the entire automotive ecosystem, says KPMG automotive sector lead Dex Machida.
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SA’s wind-energy potential is vast and not geographically constrained

Despite no wind energy projects being selected as preferred bidders in the sixth bid window (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) says there is significant untapped wind potential in South Africa, with viable wind resources even being identified in areas previously not considered a first choice for wind energy project development. No wind projects were selected in BW6, owing to grid capacity in the traditional wind-resource-rich regions of the country having been accounted for as of 2022.
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South Africa needs to look internally before going global on hydrogen

As South Africa progresses its hydrogen strategies and plans as a means to mitigate climate change and to bolster security of energy supply, the country needs to look internally before embarking on global outflows. Speaking at the Hydrogen Africa conference, held in Johannesburg from September 27 to 29, Richards Bay Industrial Development Zone Company COO Muze Shange said that amid the conversations surrounding hydrogen developments and exports is the need for focus around South Africa’s own needs and its own demands.
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Small set of common ESG standards should govern access to capital for critical minerals …

BHP CEO Mike Henry has called for a “small set of common standards” covering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to underpin the access to capital required to unlock investment in the critical minerals needed for the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy generation. Speaking at the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) inaugural critical minerals summit in Paris, France, Henry argued that there were currently too many standards for the same ESG dimensions.
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Vodacom to complete Midrand campus solar PV installation by year-end

African connectivity, digital and financial services company, Vodacom is on track to finalise the transformation of its Midrand campus, in Gauteng, into a 10.5 gigawatt-hours-a-year grid-based solar photovoltaic plant by December, about five months ahead of schedule. Tracy Hancock tells us more.
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Schneider rejoins GBSA to advance low-emissions office buildings

Automation and energy management company Schneider Electric has rejoined the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBSA).

The company says the move confirms its commitment to promoting and enabling sustainable practices in the local building industry.

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Eskom aiming not to breach Stage 4 loadshedding this summer

Eskom is aiming to limit loadshedding to Stage 4 during the summer months to the end of March by restricting unplanned breakdowns to 14 500 MW during what is also its high-maintenance season, when planned outages of about 7 000 MW will be implemented. Interim CEO Calib Cassim indicates that the addition of 2 880 MW from the Kusile power stations will be critical for narrowing the prevailing supply/demand gap in the coming months and providing the space required for maintenance.
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Roadmap to ‘fundamentally reform’ freight logistics sector by end of October

Government has committed to finalise a Freight Logistics Roadmap, outlining a sequenced set of actions to fundamentally reform the logistics system, by the end of October. The commitment was made at a meeting of Cabinet members and senior business leaders held at Discovery Place in Sandton on September 26, and chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
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Krutham calls for rethink of how JET activities are included in municipal budgets

Financial and policy advisory company Krutham, formerly Intellidex, has recommended that the Presidential Climate Commission, with the support of the National Treasury and the Auditor-General of South Africa, undertake a detailed study on municipalities –particularly in Mpumalanga – to establish what support is required to improve their financial position and how to incorporate the just energy transition (JET) into their long-term financial planning processes.

The Mpumalanga provincial government, with support from the Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency, could also work with municipalities to develop coherent JET strategies, the company states.

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Eskom pollutes more in bid to keep lights on

Four of South African State utility Eskom’s 15 coal-fired power plants are breaching government emissions regulations as it pushes ageing facilities to their limits, a Reuters analysis of company data found and Eskom officials confirmed. Africa’s most developed economy is facing its worst power crisis on record, with a persistent electricity shortfall necessitating daily scheduled rolling blackouts – known locally as loadshedding – of up to 10 hours for the past 18 months.
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