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Eskom says delaying update to tariff structure will entrench incorrect price signals

Eskom has appealed to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) not to again postpone the implementation of a new retail tariff plan (RTP), warning that any delay would further entrench prevailing incorrect price signals to consumers. However, this appeal came amid warnings that the changes being proposed by Eskom could carry unintended consequences for municipal distributors and their customers, undermine nascent efforts to unlock new generation through wheeling, and penalise households and firms that have invested in rooftop solar systems.
January 24, 2025 by

Energy debate likely to shift from availability to affordability – Cape Town mayor

With power utility Eskom breaching 300 days without loadshedding, the national energy debate is likely to shift from availability to affordability, says Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. Addressing the Cape Town Press Club this week, he said “every, single MW” the city was buying from sources other than Eskom was cheaper than the electricity on offer from the State-owned entity – and this was before the up-to-44% tariff hike application Eskom had lodged with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa for the 2025/26 financial year.
January 24, 2025 by

South Africa’s patchwork climate plans risk widening inequality

Inconsistent government and corporate climate strategies may see poorer regions left behind in the transition away from polluting industries to green jobs, according to new research. Wealthier cities like Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg, have more advanced plans to cut emissions and adapt to climate impacts than less affluent regions, said the analysis of more than 50 government and corporate entities by South African non-profit SouthSouthNorth (SSN).
January 24, 2025 by

Outa outlines alternative to Eskom’s proposed retail tariff plan ahead of hearings

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has released an alternative to Eskom’s proposed retail tariff plan (RTP) ahead of public hearings into the plan, which proposes far-reaching changes to the residential tariff structure that some warn could penalise households with rooftop solar. The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) will host virtual hearings into Eskom’s proposed RTP on January 23, having postponed the hearings from the initial December 18 date set.
January 23, 2025 by

WEF calls for ‘constructive optimism’ amid global tensions

Addressing a gathering of global leaders on January 21, World Economic Forum (WEF) founder and chairperson Klaus Schwab called on the global community to embrace “constructive optimism”, urging stakeholders from all sectors – government, business, civil society and academia – to unite in crafting solutions to shared challenges brought about by the transition from the industrial to the intelligent age. “This [transition] is occurring at an exponential pace, carrying unprecedented risks for humanity as we strive to prepare and adapt for its complexities. Yet, it also offers significant opportunities to transcend our current challenges and spark a new renaissance – one defined by advancements in knowledge, health, culture and societal welfare,” he said at the fifty-fifth yearly meeting in Davos, Switzerland, highlighting the theme of the gathering: ‘Collaboration for the intelligent age’.
January 22, 2025 by

Sasol plots new route to emission goal after refocusing on coal

Sasol CEO Simon Baloyi is seeking a new path for South Africa’s second-largest polluter to reach its emissions target after doubling down on coal to run its fuel and chemicals production. The Johannesburg-based company plans to boost the use of renewable energy to counter the growing dependence on coal, Baloyi said. The firm has faced increasing pressure to lower greenhouse gases – mainly from the production process at its Secunda plant, the world’s biggest single site for emissions.
January 22, 2025 by

Mulilo gears up for big year of execution as it accelerates transition to integrated IPP

With several new renewables and battery storage projects under construction or being advanced to financial close, 2025 is poised to be a significant year in Mulilo’s ongoing transition from an entrepreneurial developer, which took minority stakes in projects, to a leading South African integrated independent power producer (IPP). Towards the tail-end of last year, the Cape Town-headquartered company was awarded five projects during the second bid window of South Africa’s battery storage procurement programme, as well as a 240 MW solar PV project under South Africa’s seventh renewables bid window. Earlier, it concluded a private power purchase agreement (PPA) with Air Products South Africa for a 75 MW solar PV project in the Northern Cape.
January 21, 2025 by

Eskom now targeting full year loadshedding-free milestone as it breaches 300-day mark

Eskom group executive for generation Bheki Nxumalo says the utility is focussed on ensuring that South Africa achieves a full year without loadshedding at midnight on March 26, after the 300-day milestone was breached on January 21 – one that was last achieved in June 2018. Nxumalo, who has been leading the Generation Recovery Plan since March 2023 that is credited for facilitating a reduction in unplanned breakdowns, attributed the turnaround to Eskom’s 40 000 employees.
January 21, 2025 by

Global gas markets set to remain tight in 2025 – IEA

Global natural gas markets reached an all-time high last year and are set to remain tight in 2025 despite an ongoing rebalancing following the supply shock of 2022/23, the International Energy Agency (IEA) states. In 2024, global gas demand rose by 2.8%, or 115-billion cubic metres, which was well above the 2% average growth rate between 2010 and 2020. At the same time, below-average growth in liquefied natural gas (LNG) output kept supply tight, while extreme weather events added to market strains.
January 21, 2025 by

Ramokgopa to showcase South Africa’s energy investment prospects at Davos

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that South Africa’s energy market reforms and investment opportunities will be showcased at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week. In a statement, the Minister said that the energy delegation would share the reforms that have taken shape in the electricity sector to end loadshedding and which have modernised the electricity market in a way that encourages private sector participation and competition.
January 20, 2025 by