Zero Carbon Charge (Charge), in partnership with the Automotive Industry Development Centre Eastern Cape (AIDC-EC), and together with the Eastern Cape provincial government, has broken ground on what it describes as an off-grid, ultra-fast, green electric vehicle (EV) charging network. Once completed, the network in the Eastern Cape should consist of 29 sites, 18 of which will be dedicated to electric passenger and light commercial vehicles (LCVs), while 11 will be off-grid electric truck charging stations.
The City of Cape Town (CoCT) has started construction on a R200-million, 7 MW solar PV plant, located in Atlantis, with the first electricity to be delivered by the end of next year. The tender for the engineering, procurement and construction of the plant has been awarded to the Lesedi Technoserve Consortium.
In this opinion article, Industrial Gas Users’ Association of Southern Africa CEO Jaco Human makes the case for pursuing gas aggregation on a non-profit basis, while also urging Eskom and Sasol to collaborate with industry in crafting a solution that is in the national interest.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed confidence that government and the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) are close to finding the “sweet spot” that will facilitate the integration of private Independent Power Transmission (IPT) projects. Such projects could help accelerate the expansion of the grid, which has emerged as a bottleneck for new renewables projects in particular, and help unlock 53 GW of mostly renewables generation in the coming ten years. In South Africa, IPT projects are also referred to as Independent Transmission Projects, or ITPs.
South Africa’s overall emissions will reach their peak this year and will be followed by a downward trend that will culminate in the lowest emissions this decade in 2030, the draft first ‘Biennial Transparency Report’ (BTR) shows. The BTR, which was published by Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Dr Dion George on October 7 for public comments, provides critical insights into the country’s progress in implementing and achieving its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement.
Independent power producer (IPP) Yellow Door Energy (YDE) has inaugurated a large solar PV and battery energy storage microgrid system at a commercial farm of Waterberg Boerdery, in Limpopo.
Waterberg sought to increase energy reliability and reduce costs, having signed a power purchase agreement with YDE as a risk-free method for the farm to transition to clean electricity without incurring any capital expenses.
In this article, DG Capital African Green Alpha director Shaun Nel takes a critical look at how and why renewables tax incentives need to be better leveraged in the Just Energy Transition (JET) and South Africa’s economic recovery, and how the looming EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism makes this imperative that much more urgent.
South Africa is far behind in its work to transition to a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050, and the significant proposed electricity tariff increases being sought by State-owned Eskom could lead to some businesses and industrial hubs being closed down, mining companies have warned. The companies have pointed out during discussions at this year’s Joburg Indaba that Eskom’s current proposed 36% increase in electricity tariffs is several times greater than inflation.
Eskom has been using diesel-fuelled auxiliary turbines extensively to stave off power cuts in South Africa following delays in restoring some generation capacity. The utility fired up the units after 2 685 megawatts of capacity failed to return to service on September 23 as planned, Eskom said in a reply to questions. “Additionally, higher-than-expected electricity demand driven by cold weather has contributed to this situation,” it said.
Future security of supply is of major concern to pipeline operator Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Investments Company’s (Rompco’s) as gas supply from the Pande and Temane gasfields, operated by energy company Sasol in Mozambique, is expected to decline from 2026. The Pande and Temane gasfields have an anticipated 25-year lifespan. Production began in 2004, making Pande the first gas production field in Mozambique, followed by Temane in 2009.
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