Big few months ahead in countdown to South African Wholesale Electricity Market

The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) has provided a detailed breakdown of the steps being taken in preparation for the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) – a key evolutionary step in the development of a fully competitive electricity supply industry in South Africa. The aspirational launch date of April 1, 2026, remains in place, but NTCSA senior manager for market operations Keith Bowen has again underlined that the timeline faces several risks.
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Summit considers implications of an equitable, just energy transition

Amid a global emphasis on a just energy transition to help mitigate the impacts of climate change, issues such as exclusion and inequality should be addressed to ensure the transition is equitable. During the fifth instalment of the Standard Bank Climate Summit, held on September 9, Standard Bank Group CEO Sim Tshabalala argued that, in the context of climate policy, exclusion and inequality slow down the transition in the Global South and create intense and effective resistance to transition in the developed world.
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IFC seeks $300m to fund electricity mini-grids in Africa

The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is setting up an entity aimed at lowering the cost of mini grids in Africa, to accelerate plans to connect 300-million Africans to electricity by 2030. The vehicle targets a first financial close of approximately $300-million before the end of 2025, with a long-term capitalisation goal of $1-billion, according to Andrew Herscowitz, the CEO of the so-called Mission 300 Accelerator.
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Ethiopia launches massive hydropower dam against bitter Egyptian opposition

Ethiopia officially inaugurates Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam on Tuesday, a project that will provide energy to millions of Ethiopians while deepening a rift with downstream Egypt that has unsettled the region. Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous nation with a population of 120 million, sees the $5-billion Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) on a tributary of the River Nile as central to its ambitions for economic development.
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