Renewable energy developer Seriti Green on November 26 officially handed over the Vunumoya Main Transmission Station (MTS) to State-owned power utility Eskom. The infrastructure will now become an asset of Eskom subsidiary the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA).
The Energy Regulator, which is the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) highest decision-making body, has made three landmark decisions in support of the country’s legislated commitment to transition to a competitive electricity market from one historically monopolised by Eskom. At its meeting on November 27, it approved the granting of a Market Operator licence to the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), a precursor to the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) in 2026, alongside new Grid Capacity Allocation Rules to facilitate fair and non-discriminatory access to the network.
Fund manager the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) has approved a landmark Strategy on Natural Gas, marking a pivotal step towards bolstering South Africa’s energy security and accelerating the country’s decarbonisation agenda. The strategy is engineered to help secure a stable gas supply, directly supporting South Africa’s critical transition towards cleaner energy sources, it says.
The Copper Mark and the Solar Stewardship Initiative (SSI) have signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes a framework for collaboration aimed at promoting responsible production and sourcing of copper across the solar energy value chain. The organisations said on November 27 that copper was a major component in solar energy generation and transmission and that rising demand for renewable energy was increasing the need for cooperation between stakeholders involved in copper mining, processing and manufacturing.