Public hearings for Koeberg life extension to start in February

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) will hold public hearings into State-owned utility Eskom’s application to extend the operational life of the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station (KNPS) by 20 years, in February next year. Eskom is currently authorised to operate the KNPS, which comprises two pressurised water reactor units, which began commercial operations in July 1984 for Unit 1 and November 1985 for Unit 2. The units are set to reach 40 years of commercial operation in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
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Eskom says Koeberg Unit 1 being started as another resumption target is missed

Terence Eskom reports that it has received permission from the National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) to restart Koeberg Unit 1, but has once again missed a recently updated target date for grid synchronisation.
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There are already more clean-energy than fossil-fuel jobs and gap is set to widen

More people work in the energy sector today than in 2019, almost exclusively because of the growth in clean-energy sectors, which have employed more workers than fossil fuels since 2021, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) study shows. The ‘World Energy Employment 2023’ report states that energy sector employment rose by 3.4-million to reach 67-million in 2022, underpinned by 4.7-million more clean-energy jobs, increasing the total number of workers employed across clean-energy industries to 35-million.
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Bill outlines broad ‘energy value chain’ mandate for State petroleum company

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has released a draft Bill for public comment outlining the establishment of the South African National Petroleum Company (SANPC), which the proposed legislation defines as the “State’s energy champion and facilitator of energy infrastructure across the energy value chain”. The Bill states that the Minerals Resources and Energy Minister will be the sole shareholder of the SANPC.
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Montego upgrades Graaff-Reinet factory’s solar, storage system

Pet food maker Montego Pet Nutrition has invested a further R11-million in the solar photovoltaic (PV) installation and energy storage plant at its Graaff-Reinet production facility. It initially installed a solar PV and battery energy storage system at the facility, in 2019, at a cost of R22-million.
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South African unions to launch just transition labour research centre

Four South African trade union federations have come together to launch a just transition research centre to develop the technical expertise to help the labour movement in addressing the potential risks posed to workers as a result of the restructuring that will accompany the transition to greater climate resiliency. The centre will initially be housed at Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and will be supported by the Congress of South African Trade Unions, the Federation of Unions of South Africa, the National Council of Trade Unions and the South African Federation of Trade Unions.
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Africa must do more to advance its own development – Manuel

Africa’s business sector and governments must push harder in addressing the challenges facing the continent, as the biggest threat to its development is complacency, said insurance and investment management company Old Mutual chairperson and former South Africa Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. “Economic growth of Southern Africa this year is expected at 2.5% and may go higher over time. However, the demographic dividend suggests that the population is growing faster than the economy is growing.
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Reducing grid reliance to reduce costs

With loadshedding impacting productivity and income generation, and increasing safety and security risks, investing in solar photovoltaic (PV) has become more common. Consequently, getting a thorough electrical usage and needs analysis done to determine the best system design is a need that renewable-energy franchise One Energy Group helps companies meet, providing guidance to ensure that they receive a favourable return on their solar investment. “The proper monitoring and analysis of electricity usage will reveal when the peak electricity demand happens and how much is used on a variety of circuits,” One Energy Group marketing director Teresa Settas explains.
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Thermal solutions increase efficiency

An integrated site energy management plan is strongly advised amid South Africa’s power constraints, as it demonstrates opportunities – such as integrating electrical and thermal systems – to increase overall energy efficiency, says steam and boiler operations and maintenance service provider Associated Energy Services (AES). In terms of alternative energy solutions and the optimisation of manufacturing plants, “it’s all about preserving resources of production and any reduction in their use through efficient processes, operations or systems integration to lower production costs”, says AES commercial director Dennis Williams.
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New spray increases energy efficiency

Sustainability has propelled the creation of new technologies, with the economical use of energy resources becoming an important objective within metalworking companies, says fluid technology solutions specialist technotrans business development manager Hary Kosciesza. Consequently, technotrans Sassenberg will be introducing its new resource-preserving spray lubrication systems at the Blechexpo 2024. 
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