South Africa’s Energy Regulator has taken another set of decisions opening the way for the operationalisation of a separate grid company in South Africa ahead of the far-reaching legislative changes approved by the National Assembly last week. On March 11, the Energy Regulator consented to the transfer of powers and duties, from Eskom Holdings to the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), relating to power purchase agreements with independent power producers (IPPs) concluded in line with Section 34 of Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) of 2006.
The South African Wind Energy Association’s (SAWEA’s) formal response to the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) questions both the modelling and assumptions used to determine the vastly diminished allocation for wind energy in the period to 2030 when compared with the prevailing plan. It will also call for an overhaul of the document, including its post-2030 Horizon Two, given the lack of transparency in the current version regarding the modelling constraints employed, as well as the embedded policy adjustments and their associated costs.
Solar power solutions company Sungrow has unveiled its three-phase inverter and battery energy solution in South Africa, featuring four inverter models and two battery options suited for both residential and commercial or industrial applications. For residential applications, the three-phase inverters come in three sizes: 6 kW, 10 kW and 25 kW. For commercial and industrial applications, the company now offers a 125 kWh string inverter.
South Africa moved a step closer toward creating a competitive electricity market after legislation that establishes the framework cleared another hurdle. The Electricity Regulation Act Amendment Bill, which will facilitate the opening of the national power grid to private generators, was approved by the National Assembly on Thursday. The bill provides for the creation of an independent transmission system operator, a precursor to the establishment of an electricity-trading platform.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the reasons for the extension of the bid submissions deadline for Bid Window 7 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, what this could mean for other procurement rounds and the anticipated outcome of Bid Window 7.
South Africa is facing a monumental challenge as it seeks to end years of rolling electricity outages that have hobbled the economy: It needs to build and fund a R390-billion expansion of the national grid so it can connect more power plants. The transmission system is owned, managed and maintained by Eskom, which supplies more than 80% of the country’s electricity and has failed to properly maintain its plants or expedite the process of building enough new ones to avert energy shortages. The State utility plans to build 14 218 kilometers of power lines over the the next decade, more than three times what it has installed over the past 10 years. It will also have to increase its transformer capacity six-fold and build other infrastructure.
Demand for drive solutions specialist SEW-EURODRIVE’s energy efficient product offering is currently strong and increasing steadily with end-users in the growing food and beverage industry and the original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) that supply them, says SEW-EURODRIVE Cape Town branch manager Dwane Jacobs. The industry continues to grow with expanding population numbers creating greater demand for continuous production, requiring more energy efficient and reliable production lines to improve operating costs.
The creation of a formal public-private platform to assess solutions to a pending “gas cliff” for industrial consumers in South Africa points to the fact that the issue is finally being taken seriously by all stakeholders, Industrial Gas Users Association of South Africa (IGUA-SA) executive director Jaco Human tells Engineering News. The task team is being led by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy and includes IGUA-SA and its members, as well as Eskom, the Central Energy Fund (CEF) and Sasol.
Shanghai-listed solar photovoltaic company Trina SOLAr, renewable energy project developer SOLA and civil engineering and construction company WBHO Construction will build the 135 MW Merak 1 SOLAr project to power a South African mining operation owned by African Rainbow Minerals (ARM). SOLA and WBHO formed a joint venture to execute the Merak 1 project and Trina Solar will supply 205 161 panels of its advanced Vertex modules for the project.
Although gas is widely regarded as a necessary part of South Africa’s future energy mix, Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) head of mitigation Steve Nicholls is not convinced that a reliable source of local gas supply will be brought to bear in time for the approaching “gas cliff”. The country is, therefore, likely to have to import gas from abroad at higher prices, he noted during a webinar on the role of gas in South Africa’s energy transition, hosted by Creamer Media on March 13.
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