As South Africa remains in the grips of Stage 6 loadshedding – with large electricity tariff hikes also now on the cards – Mineral Resources and Energy minister Gwede Mantashe claims the power crisis can be tackled within just six to 12 months. “Eskom must do introspection: do we have the capacity to deal with the crisis? If not can we go out and look for that capacity… it will take us six to 12 months to solve this issue if we pay attention to that,” he said in an interview with eNCA on Friday.
State-owned energy utility Eskom says it appreciates the tough tariff decision made by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years, for which the utility has been granted tariff increases of 18.65% and 12.74%, respectively.
The utility says it is confident the decision will positively contribute from a financial and sustainability point of view, while the revenue determination of R319-billion and R352-billion for the financial years, respectively, will allow a further migration towards a price level that reflects the efficient cost of producing electricity.
An international team of researchers have developed a method to store kinetic energy, which can later be converted to electrical energy, using decommissioned underground mines.
The Underground Gravity Energy Storage (UGES) concept, developed through a study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), works by using the weight of sand and letting it fall down a mineshaft through regenerative braking systems that power dynamos, which produce electricity.
The newly appointed facilitator of the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) expects a draft document to be completed by mid-2023 and for the final masterplan to be negotiated before year-end. Gaylor Montmasson-Clair has also indicated that the industrialisation plan will be adjusted to the emerging reality that private rather than public procurement is likely to underpin a significant portion of future demand.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has granted Eskom a 18.65% tariff increase for implementation on April 1, below the 32% hike that was being sought by the lossmaking utility but well above the inflation-type levels that most stakeholders had argued should be implemented during public hearings in September. Nersa also approved a 12.74% increase for Eskom’s 2024/25 financial year, against a request for 9.74%.
A professor from the Cape Peninsula University of Technology has identified household and agricultural waste in South Africa as a valuable source of clean energy that can be deployed in communities, complexes and individual homes at a lower cost and with a faster return on investment than solar power.
Professor Vincent Okudoh, associate professor for biotechnology at the university’s Department of Biotechnology and Consumer Sciences, says more people globally are recognising biogas as a safe, affordable and environment-friendly source of power.
Digitised industrial power networks company VoltVision has opened a global power analytics centre in Johannesburg that will provide expert technical interpretation of performance data from clients’ high- and medium-voltage (HV and MV) electrical networks worldwide. The centre will also pioneer centralised monitoring, allowing clients improved visibility across multiple remote locations.
Ahead of South Africa’s government delegation traveling to Davos, Switzerland, to take part in the upcoming yearly World Economic Forum, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana says South Africa’s electricity crisis and high crime rates are chief among the challenges faced by the country, requiring urgent attention so the country can attract more investors.
Other areas of focus include balancing focus between the macro and microeconomic environment and appropriate policies and decisions thereto, as well as reducing the amount of burdensome “red tape” for foreign companies wanting to invest in South Africa.
Political party the Democratic Alliance (DA) federal leader John Steenhuisen has written a letter to President Cyril Ramaphosa, asking why his government refuses to implement the obvious solutions to the electricity crisis that have been proposed for years.
This comes as the country is again experiencing Stage 6 loadshedding and follows what has been exponential loadshedding growth from 141 hours (six days) in 2018 to 3 776 hours (157 days) in 2022.
City of Tshwane Utility Services MMC Daryl Johnston says constantly switching the electricity on and off for Stage 6 loadshedding gives the electrical team “significantly less time” to work on repairs and maintenance. Johnston was responding to the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding “until further notice” on Wednesday.
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