IDC mulls bigger AMSA stake after granting R1.68bn loan to halt longs closure for six months

Steel group ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has confirmed that the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is considering taking a larger equity stake in the JSE-listed group and will conduct a due diligence over the coming six months to assess its position. This, after a deal was reached to again defer the winding down of AMSA’s long-steel businesses – this time for six months.
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Pilot procurement of 1 164 km of powerlines from private investors to be launched in Nov

South Africa intends launching a pilot programme for the procurement of 1 164 km of 400-kV powerlines, involving seven corridors in three provinces, in November as part of an initiative to mobilise private investment to address a grid backlog that is currently constraining new projects in high potential renewable-energy regions. The pilot independent transmission project (ITP) request for proposals will be overseen by the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO), which has managed South Africa’s public renewables procurement since 2011, and will be preceeded by the release of a request for qualification in July.
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Standard Bank sets new sustainable finance target of R450bn by 2028

Financial services provider Standard Bank has updated its group sustainable finance targets and aims to mobilise more than R450-billion by 2028 for energy and infrastructure development on the continent. This compares with its previous sustainable finance target of R250-billion by 2026 and builds on the R177-billion financed since 2022, with R50.6-billion in sustainable finance mobilised in 2023 and R74.3-billion in 2024.
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Botswana seeks new Eskom power deal as supply crisis deepens

Government officials from Botswana will meet with South Africa’s electricity ministry this week after power-import costs more than doubled, worsening a supply crisis. Breakdowns at Botswana’s main plant, the 600 MW Morupule B facility, have caused blackouts that last as many as four hours. South Africa’s state-owned power company fills the shortfall, but Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd. has raised tariffs significantly, Botswana’s energy minister, Bogolo Kenewendo, told lawmakers Monday.
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