The South African government is advertising for a new head of the Independent Power Producers Office (IPPO), a position that has been held by Bernard Magoro since April 2020. In an advert published over the weekend, it was indicated that a new IPPO head would be given a five-year fixed-term contract and be based in Centurion, Tshwane.
The Western Cape government says it remains on track to reach its target of generating 5 700 MW of its own energy by 2035, and could even become a net exporter of renewable energy by 2032. Premier Alan Winde this week provided an update on the progress his government had made in building up the province’s energy and water security capabilities.
Nonprofit trade body Global Solar Council (GSC) finds in its latest market report that Africa’s solar installations are set to soar over the next four years, with 23 GW projected to be installed. With solar installations on the continent poised to grow by 42% this year, GSC says the region is “on the verge of a solar breakthrough”; however, more solar capacity is often held back by high capital costs and insufficient financing.
As part of its long-term “Shape Tomorrow” strategy, petroleum company MOL Group has successfully produced and tested a diesel fuel containing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava, Slovakia. The biodiesel HVO is produced using the oil in cashew nut shells, which is combined with crude oil to produce the biocomponent.
Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré reports that the long-awaited South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) is currently wending its way through the Cabinet Committee process and has expressed optimism that it should be adopted “within the month”. Speaking during a EE Business Intelligence Webinar, Graham-Maré acknowledged that the approval process had been awaited for more than two years and said she was adamant that it now needed to be signed off.
Norwegian renewable energy company Scatec has started commercial operation of the first 60 MW of the 120 MW Mmadinare Solar Cluster, in Botswana.
The power plant is Scatec’s first installation in the country.
Renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket has reached financial close on the first 242-MW phase of the Overberg Wind Farm, being built near Swellendam in the Western Cape. The project, which is expected to begin commercial operations in early 2027, will deliver an estimated 750 GWh yearly of wheeled electricity to the Rio Tinto Group’s Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is holding off on decisions to finance the $760-million Ruzizi III hydropower plant in Central Africa, due to fighting between Rwandan-backed rebels and the Democratic Republic of Congo, a spokesperson said. Europe is ramping up pressure on the adversaries following January’s blitzkrieg by Congolese rebels that saw them overrun the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu, attacks condemned by African leaders and Western countries.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) is worried about a “possible bloodbath of job losses” across multiple sectors, including steel, transportation, ferrochrome and mining, on the back of concerns about the 2025 Budget, problems faced by steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) and State-owned logistics company Transnet, along with an underwhelming performance in the mining sector. At the NUM national executive committee (NEC) meeting, held on February 27 and 28, the various issues were discussed, ranging from reflections on President Cyril Ramaphosa’s recent State of the Nation Address to concerns about the South African National Defence Force – something which is arguably outside of the NUM’s purview.
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.
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