Creecy upholds decision allowing Kusile to bypass pollution system, with tighter conditions

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has upheld the decision of the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) to permit the temporary operation of the Kusile coal power station using temporary stacks that bypass the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) pollution-control plant. The NAQO, in concurrence with the Nkangala district municipality, confirmed on June 25 that it had granted a postponement for the Kusile power station to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) from June 5, 2023, until March 31, 2025.
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Nithio invests in farming and irrigation technology

African energy finance platform Nithio has invested in solar irrigation and farming technology solutions company SunCulture. The investment was made through Nithio investment vehicle Nithio FI, which is part of the Productive Use Appliance Financing Facility (PUAFF), which catalyses the uptake of productive use appliances across Africa. PUAFF is managed by international non-profit organisation Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (Clasp), which improves the energy and environmental performance of appliances and equipment, and Nithio, with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).
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Sasol’s plans to replace coal with LNG put on hold

JSE-listed energy company Sasol has placed on hold the implementation of its planned additional gas reforming capacity at its Secunda plant, in Mpumalanga. Speaking at an investor site visit on September 22 in Secunda, Sasol environmental sustainability VP Sarushen Pillay said that the decision was made owing to changes in the attractiveness of the liquid natural gas (LNG) markets.
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Early Kusile restart uncertain as Creecy adjudicates emissions appeal

The Department of Fisheries, Forestry and the Environment (DFFE) has confirmed that Minister Barbara Creecy is still adjudicating an appeal of the National Air Quality Officer’s (NAQO’s) decision to postpone a requirement for the Kusile power station to meet Minimum Emission Standards. The NAQO, in concurrence with the Nkangala District Municipality, confirmed on June 25 that it had granted a postponement from June 5, 2023, until March 31, 2025.
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Director spotlights trends in fuel cell technology

Fuel cells are at the forefront of interest within the domain of renewable-energy solutions, as they provide energy at a low cost, with zero emissions, thereby ensuring a meaningful impact on climate change. However, Africa-based specialist mining services provider Ukwazi Sustainable Mining business development director Spencer Eckstein raises inquiries regarding the status of this technology and how one can ascertain whether actual progress is being made.
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Grid investment ‘fully funded’ for next three years, but scale-up requires alternative models

Eskom has indicated that it has sufficient funding for the coming three years for the grid infrastructure investments that will be pursued in line with its Transmission Development Plan, but says additional financing will be required beyond that point and that alternative funding and delivery models may also be required. Speaking following a closed-door grid financing event hosted jointly by government and the JSE, Eskom transmission head Segomoco Scheepers said that the division currently worked on a five-year investment horizon and that it planned to invest R70-bilion over that period on new power lines and transformation capacity.
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More licences approved for transmission company

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s approval of two more licences required for the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) to begin operating, when the NTCSA is expected to start operating and what still needs to be done before then. He also discusses Parliament’s call for public comments on the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill.  
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Vergelegen winery goes off grid

The Vergelegen wine estate, in Somerset West, has installed a solar power plant that has taken it completely off the grid. The plant includes six solar tables, comprising 500 panels that cover 1 400 m², three inverters and a 1 MWh battery. This will ensure the cellar can run on the battery during harvesting, even if there is no sun, the company says.
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Necsa wants to get involved with small modular reactors

The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has formally requested Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to change its mandate, to allow it to become involved in the generation of electricity from nuclear energy. So Necsa CEO Loyiso Tyabashe has told Engineering News in an exclusive interview. Currently, only the State-owned national electricity utility Eskom is permitted to operate nuclear power plants (NPPs). The country has only one NPP, at Koeberg, north of Cape Town. Under South Africa’s current Integrated Resources Plan (IRP), the country is seeking to create 2 500 MW of new nuclear power generating capacity (although no nuclear capacity would come on stream for at least ten years after authorisation was granted). Necsa would like some of that allocation to be assigned to it.
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Gordhan criticises Eskom’s ‘elongated’ restructuring timelines, wants grid company to …

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has criticised Eskom’s “elongated” restructuring timeframes and has called for greater urgency and drive from the utility in completing the remaining processes required to enable the independent grid company to begin trading. Eskom has indicated that the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), the first of three subsidiaries under the yet-to-be-formed Eskom Holdings scheduled to be operationalised, will begin trading from the start of its new financial year on April 1.
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