A coalition of civil society organisations from Indonesia, Senegal, South Africa and Vietnam on June 10 launched their ‘Principles for a Fair Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP)’, which emphasises the integral need for accountability, transparency and equity in climate finance. International renewable energy advocacy organisation 350.org said the guiding principles were identified with the input of Global South communities.
The Republic of Guinea has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Russian State-owned nuclear energy and technology group Rosatom to explore the use of sea-based floating nuclear reactors to generate electricity for the coastal West African country. The MoU was signed at last week’s St Petersburg International Economic Forum, in Russia. “The cooperation involves joint work on developing a power supply solution both to industrial and domestic consumers in the Republic of Guinea, deploying floating nuclear power units with RITM-200 reactors, which have already proven efficient,” explained Rosatom Mechanical Engineering Division Deputy Head Vladimir Aptekarev. “The power supply issue in the African region is urgent, and our main task is to provide a fast reliable and environment-friendly solution for our partners.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa has underlined the importance of the new government – which is yet to be formed after no single party secured an outright majority in the recent elections – continuing with the economic reforms under way in the electricity, logistics, water and telecommunications sectors. Writing in his weekly newsletter days after the national executive committee of the African National Congress (ANC) agreed that it should initiate talks with other parties on the formation of a possible government of national unity (GNU), Ramaphosa insisted that there was “broad support for the continuation of economic reforms” that have been spearheaded under Operation Vulindlela.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer reflects on Dan Marokane’s first 100 days in office as Eskom CEO and the direction Eskom is taking under his leadership.
Industry organisation the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and the German Wind Energy Association (Bundesverband Windenergie or BWE) signed a memorandum of understanding on June 6 with the mutual goal of promoting wind energy and advancing renewable energy solutions globally. The South African and German markets are expected to attract investment and facilitate knowledge exchange, with South Africa learning from Germany’s extensive experience in wind energy technology and infrastructure, SAWEA said in a statement.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane reports that a decision has been made to “decouple” the closure of its coal stations from the building, in partnership, of new renewable energy generation capacity linked to its goal of being a net-zero emitter by 2050 and the just energy transition strategy. In an address to members of the South African National Energy Association, Marokane also revealed that a board decision had been made for Eskom to participate directly in renewables projects on land adjacent to its existing power stations rather than releasing those grid-ready sites to private generators.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane has rebuffed persistent suggestions that the utility is keeping loadshedding at bay owing to an “excessive” reliance on the diesel-fuelled open cycle gas turbines, reporting that it spent R285-million on diesel during May compared with R2.8-billion in the same month last year and against a budget for the month of R1.7-billion. Addressing the South African National Energy Association AGM against a backdrop of deep suspicion about how Eskom has managed to avoid resorting to rotational power cuts for 71 days, including over a highly competitive election period, Marokane attributed the stabilisation to the Generation Recovery Plan, which had been under way since March 2023.
Local integrated energy company NOA Group Holdings has entered into a 25-year energy supply agreement with NYSE-listed titanium dioxide pigment manufacturer Tronox Holdings for its South African operating sites. Under the terms of the agreement, NOA will supply Tronox’s operations in KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape with 497 GWh of renewable energy.
Early in May, King Philippe of Belgium was on the edge of the Namib desert to inaugurate a project that aims to help decarbonize European industry, and which might just enable one of Africa’s smallest economies to hit the clean-energy big time. It was a humble start for such grand designs, as Namibian President Nangolo Mbumba hosted the king at an unfinished site near the port of Walvis Bay on the southern Atlantic Ocean, the baking rust-colored dunescape silent except for an occasional truck passing on the new roadway.
Investment in clean energy technologies will climb to $2-trillion this year, almost double the amount spent on fossil fuels, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Two-thirds of the record $3-trillion invested in energy sources in 2024 will be devoted to sectors such as renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear power, grids, storage and efficiency, even as higher financing costs hinder projects, the Paris-based agency said. The remaining $1-trillion will go to coal, gas and oil — a level that’s still too high to conform with global climate goals.
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