Power grids vital to expanding access to energy in Africa and transitioning to cleaner sources are poised for a growing wave of funding that governments should prepare for, according to the UK development bank British International Investment. “Transmission in terms of capital needed is the next evolution that is waiting to really take off,” Chris Chijiutomi, BII’s managing director and head of Africa, said in an interview in Cape Town Thursday. That’s because grid upgrades on the continent were typically financed with loans from the World Bank or other agencies, “but as the governments’ fiscal position has got worse” there’s been a realization that there aren’t enough funds, he said.
The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced the opening of applications for the 2025 Wind Industry Internship Programme (WIIP). The initiative supports South Africa’s goal of achieving a low-carbon economy and a climate-resilient society through creating jobs, aligning with South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), and the South African Renewable Energy Master Plan (Sarem).
A new matchmaking platform to directly link providers of grant funding pledged to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) with domestic beneficiaries is aiming to ensure the disbursement of at least R600-million in grant funding to 20 projects in 2025 and facilitate disbursements of R1.5-billion to 50 projects in 2026. Grant recipients could include local small firms, trade unions, municipalities, as well as community-based and nongovernmental organisations.
Energy storage company Balancell has cut the ribbon on its new R80-million assembly plant in Ndabeni, Cape Town. The lithium ferro-phosphate battery assembler’s previous facility was limited to 250 MWh capacity a year, with the new operation scaled up to 1 GWh.
South Africa is in talks with its international climate-finance partners over the provision of guarantees for loans for the construction of energy-related infrastructure. “We are managing, in particular, issues with our international partners” around guarantees, said Joanne Yawitch, head of the project management unit for the $9.3-billion pact within the South African presidency, at an event in the eastern town of eMalahleni on Friday. “We are on the edge of seeing some of that finance flowing.”
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses government’s review of the current framework through which electricity capacity is procured from independent power producers; the reasons for the review; and what changes are being considered.
(Virtual Showroom): The completion of the solar borehole system in the Roots community, in Brits, located in South Africa’s North West province, spearheaded by pump supplier AxFlow AQS Liquid Transfer, has had a transformative impact on the lives of about 3 000 households. This initiative, backed by various stakeholders, has provided a reliable and sustainable water source, addressing a critical need in the community, marketing manager Melani du Plessis says.
Despite enthusiasm for the development of a hydrogen economy from the public and private sectors, there remains a significant lack of coordination to effectively implement projects and bring the dream of a green hydrogen economy to life, according to energy technology company Mitochondria Energy System CEO and founder Mashudu Ramano. “What I think is necessary, is a coordinated effort throughout the various government entities and departments to have a single sort of point of contact coordinating these developments,” he said during a webinar hosted by Creamer Media earlier this month.
Real estate investment company Fortress Real Estate Investments Limited (Fortress) continues to invest significantly in renewable-energy and green technologies to achieve its ambitious energy security strategy and decarbonisation targets. Data released in the company’s financial report for the year ended June 30, shows that Fortress has invested a total of R337.9-million in its solar roll-out programme to date, which has enabled it to generate 22 180 MWh of the 246 141 MWh the company consumes each year.
The removal of the licensing threshold for embedded generation has boosted the renewable-energy market by allowing private-sector companies to procure energy directly from independent power producers (IPPs) and thereby facilitating greater investment across the renewable-energy landscape, says financial services company Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking (CIB). The company highlights that it will continue to scale up its historical commitment towards the renewable-energy sector, in line with the need to support socioeconomic development objectives while driving the transition to a zero-carbon energy system, thereby also advancing energy security and affordability.
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