TNPA signs 25-year operator agreement for South Africa’s first LNG import terminal

South Africa’s State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a 25-year terminal operator agreement with Zululand Energy Terminals (ZET) for the development of the country’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the Port of Richards Bay’s South Dunes precinct. ZET is a JV between Vopak Terminal Durban and Transnet Pipelines, which was selected in 2024 as the preferred bidder to develop, construct and operate a new LNG terminal at the deepwater KwaZulu-Natal port.
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Business cautiously optimistic on SoNA commitments, but execution will be critical

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA), delivered on February 6, has been met with cautious optimism. The Bureau of Economic Research (BER) commended the SoNA’s focus on the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP), which aims to boost economic growth to over 3% through large-scale infrastructure investment.
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Business cautiously optimistic of SoNA commitments, but execution will be critical

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA), delivered on February 6, has been met with cautious optimism. The Bureau of Economic Research (BER) commended the SoNA’s focus on the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP), which aims to boost economic growth to over 3% through large-scale infrastructure investment.
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Geopolitics, reforms key themes of the 2025 SoNA

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses some of the key themes of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s first State of the Nation Address since the establishment of the Government of National Unity; whether the SoNA reflected the fact that Cabinet now includes multiple political parties; how the President navigated some of the brewing geopolitical storms; and some of the key takeaways on the economy and for business.
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Nersa’s carbon tax decision may signal extension of prevailing approach to electricity price …

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) recent decision to disallow Eskom from raising revenue through the tariff for carbon taxes may indicate that the National Treasury has opted to extend the electricity price neutrality approach used during the first phase of the tax by a further five years to 2030. In its sixth multiyear price determination application (MYPD6), Eskom applied for carbon tax revenue of R5.5-billion in 2025/26, R21.3-billion in 2026/27 and 18.9-billion in 2026/27 in anticipation of the implementation of the second phase of the carbon tax on January 1, 2026.
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New Nordex head says South Africa remains key market, despite recent headwinds

Newly appointed Nordex Energy South Africa MD Robert Timmers says that South Africa is poised to be one of the multinational’s largest markets outside of North America and Europe in 2025. This, despite recent public procurement disappointments arising from the country’s well-documented grid constraints and delays in the introduction of new curtailment rules. In an interview with Engineering News, Timmers indicated that the demand gap left by the last two Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPPP) bidding rounds was currently being partially closed for Nordex by two large private projects in the Eastern Cape, with a combined capacity of 631 MW.
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Bate still expects to play role in green transition following IDC departure

Former Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) COO Joanne Bate, who departed the development financier at the end of January, expects to continue to play some role in South Africa’s green energy transition but has not yet taken up any specific new position. Having worked for the IDC in the late 1990s, Bate rejoined the State-owned entity on a five-year contract in February 2020, following a period in the commercial banking sector that included stints with HSBC and Barclays/Absa.
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Africa50 to set up off-grid power, green infrastructure funds

Africa50, a pan-continental infrastructure investor, is setting up the first region-wide investment vehicle dedicated to off-grid power companies and plans a $500-million fund to invest in climate-friendly projects. The new funds at the investor, whose shareholders include the African Development Bank and Morocco’s central bank, come amid a drive by regional governments to boost access to electricity and shield against the impact of adverse weather caused by climate change. The World Bank and AfDB last month convened a conference to give momentum to a program to bring power to 300-million Africans by 2030.
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World Bank lifts South Africa GDP forecast on energy, logistics

The World Bank raised its economic-growth forecast for South Africa because of a sustained recovery in its energy and logistics sectors, while warning that the nation will struggle to achieve a pace of expansion needed to reduce poverty and unemployment. The Washington-based lender boosted its gross domestic product growth projection for 2025 to 1.8%, from 1.3% previously, according to its South Africa Economic Update report published on Tuesday. The bank expects growth to accelerate to 2% by 2027.
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Wind turbines on their way to Ummbila Emoyeni facility

Nine turbines, including 27 blades and other components, are being transported on the N2, from Richards Bay to Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni wind energy facility in Bethal, Mpumalanga. The turbines and components started moving on February 3. The convoy, managed by Vanguard, will be 335 m long and take three days to complete its journey.
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