JUWI building 340 MW of solar PV to supply South African corporates

Leading global builder and operator of renewable-energy projects JUWI Renewable Energies has announced that it is building three utility scale solar PV projects in South Africa with a combined capacity of 340 MW and an investment value of R6-billion. Once in operation the independent power producer (IPP) projects will produce more than a million megawatt-hours yearly and supply green electricity to companies in the mining, data centre, and energy sectors, including Glencore, Teraco, Sasol, and Air Liquide.
/by

Faith-based eco-justice organisation calls for reforms to SA’s electricity pricing

As Eskom seeks approval from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for a 36% electricity tariff increase, faith-based eco-justice organisation, the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI), is calling for reforms to South Africa’s electricity pricing system. SAFCEI warned that approving the hike would push many households deeper into energy poverty and said the focus should rather be on addressing Eskom’s shortcomings.  
/by

Discovery Green concludes five wheeling deals across the resources, property and hospitality sectors

South African electricity trader Discovery Green has confirmed that is has signed supply agreements for wheeled electricity with five companies in the mining, property and hospitality sectors, where the appetite for clean energy and price certainty remains strong despite the lowering of the loadshedding risk. Having confirmed a five-year power purchase agreement with platinum miner Implats on January 27, the Discovery Group company reported that it had also signed agreements with KP Lime, The Capital Hotels and Apartments, Balwin Properties, and Fortress REIT Limited.
/by

Dry Zimbabwe hit by blackouts, but renewables still underfunded

Loveness Madangawa prepares lunch over an open fire in Mutare in eastern Zimbabwe – she has an electric stove, but power cuts caused partly by drought hitting the main hydropower station means she has no choice. “It is not easy, but I am now used to it,” the 35-year-old mother-of-three told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in the densely populated suburb of Dangamvura.
/by

World Bank’s Banga seeks $85bn to leverage Africa’s youth

World Bank president Ajay Banga said boosting access to electricity is the key to unlocking the demographic dividend in the world’s youngest continent. Banga, who spoke in an interview at the Mission 300 Africa Energy Summit in Tanzania, laid out a plan that could see the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank and private investors spend about $85-billion to bring power to 300-million people by 2030.
/by