The strategic partnership between energy and environmental solutions provider John Thompson, a division of electromechanical equipment manufacturer and distributor ACTOM, and biomass energy projects developer and supplier Berkeley Energy Corporate Solutions (BECS), will deliver profitable biomass energy solutions for African industries. Together, the companies aim to accelerate the deployment of reliable, renewable steam solutions to industrial clients across Africa.
Eskom veteran Monde Bala has been appointed as CEO of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), effective October 1, having served in the position on an interim basis for the past two months. Bala took over from Segomoco Scheepers, who played a central role during the separation of the NTCSA from the rest of Eskom, and who will retire from the State-owned entity at the end of December.
Having finally announced the completion at the end of September of its generation build programme, which included two mega coal projects that ran years behind schedule and tens of billions over budget, Eskom has outlined plans for a R320-billion investment programme for the coming five years. The programme includes greenfield generation projects, which Eskom has been disallowed from pursuing since 2023 without the explicit permission of the Finance Minister as part of the terms of a R230-billion debt-relief package, under which it is still trading.
Eskom CFO Calib Cassim warns that municipal arrear debt owing to Eskom could exceed R300-billion by 2030, while once again highlighting the failure of the current National Treasury initiative to arrest the crisis. Cassim, who will retire from Eskom in 2026, reported at the group’s results presentation that debt owed to Eskom by municipalities had increased by 27% to R94.6-billion in the year to March 31, 2025, and had since climbed to above R103-billion.