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Gas users call for fiscal guarantees to advance gas-cliff avoidance projects to …

Industrial Gas Users Association South Africa (IGUA-SA) CEO Jaco Human has called for the urgent finalisation of a fiscal guarantees framework to help progress, to a “transactional level”, the infrastructure required to mitigate an impending gas supply crisis. In a presentation to the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy, Human welcomed recent shifts in government thinking regarding the future role of gas, including using gas-to-power (GtP) projects to anchor demand for the importation of liquefied natural gas (LNG).
June 4, 2025 by

African economies need to spend one-third of their GDPs by 2030 to meet renewable energy SDGs, …

Frontier economies, mostly located in Africa, would need to spend one-third of their GDP by 2030 to achieve renewable power generation goals under the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) scenario, compared with about 11% of GDP for other emerging markets and 4% for G7 economies, credit rating agency S&P Global president Yann Le Pallec has pointed out. “We need to address the transition and adaptation financing gap in low-income countries, which, in our view, is a major issue. Absent a strong global mobilisation from all stakeholders, the financing gap will continue to grow,” he said on June 4 at the 2025 S&P Global Ratings’ South Africa Conference, in Johannesburg.
June 4, 2025 by

Godlimpi defends Transformation Fund while admitting it’s no empowerment ‘silver bullet’

While defending the controversial launch of a R100-billion Transformation Fund, Trade, Industry and Competition Deputy Minister Zuko Godlimpi has also urged lawmakers not to view the proposed instrument as a “silver bullet” for all the prevailing problems associated with the implemention of broad-based black economic empowerment (BBBEE) policies. Much of the criticism of the fund has hitherto centred on the potential for creating a new avenue for corruption by establishing a State-led fund, as well as whether an aggregated fund would prove more effective than the individual efforts of private companies seeking BBBEE credit for their enterprise supplier development (ESD) investments.
June 3, 2025 by

‘Landmark’ Discovery Green offtake deal with Red Rocket unlocks 150 MW wind project

Electricity trader Discovery Green has signed a power purchase agreement with Red Rocket that unlocks the second phase of the independent power producer’s (IPP’s) 150 MW Overberg Wind Farm, located 12 km west of Swellendam in the Western Cape. The offtake agreement is the first to be concluded by Discovery Green, which is part of the larger JSE-listed Discovery Group.
May 30, 2025 by

Mulilo and Scatec emerge as preferred bidders for R9.5bn battery storage projects

Independent power producers (IPPs) Mulilo and Scatec have been named as preferred bidders to develop 616 MW/2 464 MWh of new battery storage capacity at a cost of R9.5-billion across five substation sites in the Free State province. Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa made the announcement following the conclusion of the third bid window of South Africa’s Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which was launched on March 28 last year.
May 30, 2025 by

From geological data to policy, Africa still has big critical-minerals gaps to close

As the world shifts towards a low-carbon future in response to unrelenting climate change, demand is surging for minerals essential to this transition, many of which are found in abundance across Africa, which boasts an estimated one-third of the reserves. But growing attention is turning to a critical question: Can the continent turn this natural wealth into a lever for its own development, while securing its place as a key supplier to global markets? In an analytical note, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) forecasts that the continent stands to generate cumulative revenue of about $2-trillion from the four main critical minerals – copper, critical for electrification; nickel, key for battery cathodes and stainless steel; and lithium and cobalt, both critical for battery manufacturing – over the next 25 years.
May 30, 2025 by

GE Vernova leads Africa’s energy revolution

Energy equipment manufacturing company GE Vernova caught up with Engineering News on the sidelines of Enlit Africa 2025 in Cape Town to discuss the role that GE Vernova plays in the global energy sector. “GE Vernova supports the entire electricity value chain from generation to distribution, focusing on decarbonisation and electrification,” GE Vernova Grid Solutions commercial director for power transmission in sub-Saharan Africa Eric Amoussouga said during the interview, highlighting the profound impact of the company on Africa’s energy landscape.
May 29, 2025 by

Koeberg emergency siren inadvertently activated during routine maintenance

Power utility Eskom on May 28 confirmed that an emergency siren was inadvertently activated during routine maintenance and assured the public that there was no emergency. “At approximately 14:00 today, Siren 913 – located in the green belt opposite West Coast Village in Sunningdale – was inadvertently activated during routine maintenance. The siren emitted a brief alarm tone,” the utility noted in a statement to the public.
May 29, 2025 by

Lawmakers updated on plans to procure first independent transmission projects

The Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office has confirmed that a request for qualification will be issued in July in preparation for the first phase of the procurement of independent transmission projects (ITPs), a tender for which is scheduled to be launched in November. The IPP Office has been given the responsibility to oversee the initial procurement and a Ministerial determination for the first phase of the programme was Gazetted on March 28 for the procurement of 1 164 km of 400 kV transmission lines across seven projects in three provinces, together with 2 630 MVA of transformers.
May 28, 2025 by

Schneider Electric launches 2025 Go Green competition

Energy management and automation company Schneider Electric is inviting students and young entrepreneurs to present innovative, affordable and sustainable energy solutions for its 2025 Go Green competition. This year’s theme, Renewable Energy for Life & Livelihood, focuses on solar-powered agriculture, including pre/post-harvest activities, storage and processing; and solar-powered microbusinesses in sectors such as retail, services, refrigeration, manufacturing and production.
May 28, 2025 by