Eskom board considers enlarging and extending Standard Offer Programme

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that the Eskom board is considering lifting the current 1 000 MW allocation set aside for its Standard Offer Programme to 4 000 MW and extending the scheme beyond its initial three-year time horizon. Through the Standard Offer Programme Eskom can buy power from existing producers, mostly industrial groups, at a set price calculated based on the avoided cost of its own generation, including long-term purchases from independent power producers.
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NTCSA unbundling secures lender consent, Ramokgopa confirms

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that Eskom’s eight “lender groups” have given their consent to the establishment of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) as a separate subsidiary under Eskom Holdings. Bondholder consent was one of several key approvals required ahead of the operationalisation of the NTCSA, officially scheduled for April 1, alongside the appointment of an independent board and licensing approvals from the regulator.
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Draft IRP 2023 falls short on every aspect, says Just Share

As government considers the public comments made on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2023 up to March 23, shareholder activism organisation Just Share has called for a remodel of the policy, with “updated data and correct assumptions”.
The organisation says the draft IRP does not comply with a single one of the aims of an IRP.
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Zambia, Zimbabwe to retender $5bn Batoka hydropower plant

Zambia and Zimbabwe are retendering a $5-billion project to build a hydropower plant they previously awarded to General Electric Co. and Power Construction Corp. of China, and expect to select new bidders by September next year, an official said. The Zambezi River Authority — a joint venture between the countries that maintains the Kariba Dam complex — expects to receive bids from potential developers by April 2025 and select bidders five months after that, ZRA Chief Executive Officer Munyaradzi Munodawafa said by email.
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