An influential South African government agency recommended the country phase out coal-fired power stations on Thursday as it published a ten-year study which found that people living near them were 6% more likely to die than their peers elsewhere. South African officials and citizens are debating whether and how fast the country should embark on a partly donor-funded programme to switch to sun and wind energy from coal. The fossil fuel provides three quarters of national power and employs 90 000 people in jobs unions are fighting hard to protect.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed exasperation and disappointment over the most recent implementation of Stage 3 loadshedding by Eskom over the weekend starting March 7, saying there should be consequences for the recent failures at the utility. Having reduced rotational power cuts dramatically since early 2024 after an intense few years when loadshedding was implemented almost daily, Eskom has again resorted to using the growth- and confidence-sapping practice three times since January 31.
A decision on a disbursement by the World Bank-linked Climate Investment Funds that would trigger a $2.6-billion green-finance package for South Africa may be made as early as Friday, people with knowledge of the matter said. The CIF, which is backed by money from 15 of the world’s richest nations, is considering a $500-million payment to South Africa to help it transition away from the use of coal, the dirtiest fossil fuel. If granted, that would unlock a further $2.1-billion in funding from multilateral development banks and other sources.
Eskom again resorted to Stage 3 loadshedding on Friday, after a loss of 2 700 MW in 14 hours, including Koeberg Unit 2, which was taken offline on March 2 and was meant to have been returned to service within two days. Implementation began at 14:00 on Friday March 7 and was scheduled to continue until 5:00 on Monday, March 10, the utility said in a statement.
The UK has approved £330 000 in funding to facilitate a study by the Energy Council of South Africa into the reforms still needed to implement a wholesale electricity market in South Africa. The funding was announced during a visit to Cape Town by UK Special Representative for Climate, Rachel Kyte.
The Presidency has confirmed that it has been formally informed that the US has withdrawn from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), to which it had initially pledged more than $1.5-billion of grant and commercial funding. The Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU) indicated that the withdrawal was communicated on February 28 by the US Embassy, citing the executive orders issued by President Donald Trump on January 10 and February 7.
Local smart home technology startup Sensor Networks has secured a strategic partnership with Italy-based geyser manufacturer Ariston to bring smart water heating solutions to South African households this year. The partnership follows months of rigorous product development, refinement and certification, culminating in the rollout of Ariston geysers integrated with Sensor Networks’ smart geyser devices to plumbing retailers in South Africa, Sensor Networks says.
After the conclusion of a year-long electricity ‘wheeling’ pilot project, the City of Cape Town is opening its electricity grid to private electricity sales and trading. During the pilot phase, 562 800 kWh of renewable electricity was successfully wheeled.
Emerging electricity retail brand Earth & Wire is aiming to achieve financial close on a R40-billion renewables and storage cluster in the Eastern Cape by the third quarter of 2027 and begin supplying green electricity to multiple customers by 2030. Known as EnergyFields, the facility is planned for construction south of Somerset East in the Blue Crane Route municipality on the western side of the N10, and will blend 700 MW of wind and 800 MW of solar PV with a battery energy storage system (BESS) facility of between 400 MW and 500 MW in size with four hours of storage.
Transitioning to the use of clean energy, and in particular clean energy for cooking, is especially important for women in Africa. So highlighted South African Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Jane Graham-Maré, in her keynote address to the Women in Energy breakfast at Africa Energy Indaba 2025, being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Clean cooking had to be a focus for African women, she affirmed. More than 600 000 women and girls died in Africa every year, from indoor pollution caused by having to use biomass fuel for cooking.
INDUSTRY NEWS
WHERE TO FIND US
Address
9 Yellow Street
Botshabelo Industrial Area
Botshabelo, Free State
Call / Email Us
Tel: +27 (0) 51 534 1651
Email: info@transfix.co.za
