PIC to grow green energy book beyond R16.5bn

The Public Investment Corporation (PIC) intends to increase its investment in renewable energy as South Africa battles to resolve a power crisis that’s stifling economic growth. “If you look at our renewable energy book, we have now funded and have got an exposure of R16.5-billion – and it is going to grow,” Kabelo Rikhotso, chief investment officer at the PIC said on Tuesday.
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Standard Bank’s pipeline of private utility scale renewables projects stands at 4 GW

Standard Bank reports that it has financed 400 MW of distributed generation since government’s recent decision to allow utility scale projects of any size to proceed without a licence even when wheeling electricity through the grid. In addition, its pipeline of such projects for the coming 12 months has increased to 4 GW, including some 1 GW-worth of capacity that is expected to reach financial close within the coming six months. Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) head Zaid Moola described the reform to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act, which initially removed the licensing requirement for projects below 100 MW in 2021 and later lifted the threshold altogether, as a “proper game changer”.
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Focus on microgrids while grid capacity issues are being resolved – Winde

The current capacity constraints in Eskom’s transmission system can, to a degree, be countered by a focus on microgrids, says Western Cape premier Alan Winde. Speaking at Windaba Connect in Cape Town, he noted that it could “take years” for the national grid to be able to move the large number of gigawatts required to end loadshedding.
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