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Urgent electricity bill – key to solving SA’s power crisis – finally tabled after delays

The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill, an urgent piece of legislation that is key to overcoming South Africa’s energy crisis, has finally been tabled in Parliament nearly five months after being approved by Cabinet. There are significant doubts that the bill, which is a crucial next step in the unbundling of Eskom and establishing a competitive electricity market, will be processed through Parliament before the end of the current administration. According to Zet Luzipo, chair of the mineral resources and energy portfolio committee, this is due to the possibly “highly contested” nature of the legislation and the number of lengthy and likely politicised public hearings that need to occur.
August 24, 2023 by

Sasol produced first green hydrogen from Sasolburg electrolyser in June

JSE-listed energy group Sasol reports that it produced its first green hydrogen in Sasolburg in June, during the commissioning phase of a project to repurpose an operational electrolyser to use renewable electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen. Sasol has set aside R350-million for the pilot Free State project, which is expected to produce up to 5 t of green hydrogen daily.
August 23, 2023 by

Secunda refinery’s post-2030 output cut as Sasol struggles to pin down gas supply

Energy and chemicals group Sasol says it is continuing to assess several technology and feedstock solutions to bolster post-2030 liquid fuels and chemicals volumes at its Secunda refinery, in Mpumalanga, while still meeting its commitment to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by 30% by the end of the decade. None of these alternatives have advanced to maturity, however, and the JSE group has, therefore, revised the refinery’s post-2030 yearly production guidance to only 6.7-million tons from the 7.5-million-ton-plus output achieved previously.
August 23, 2023 by

Sasol posts 13% rise in annual profit

South African petrochemicals major Sasol posted a 13% rise in annual profit on Wednesday as better operations in the second half offset the impact of weaker crude prices. The company said its headline earnings per share (HEPS), a profit measure, was 53.75 South African cents for the 12 months ended on June 30, up from 47.58 cents posted a year ago.
August 23, 2023 by

AWPower approved as MFC-financed residential solar provider

Cape Town-based renewable energy solutions provider AWPower has been selected as an approved residential solar energy solutions provider for financial services provider Nedbank’s vehicle finance division MFC. “[This] allows us to offer our customers even greater value and faster access to tailored solar energy solutions that suit their unique needs . . . delivering a personalised service and designing tailormade systems that prioritise their energy requirements and budget,” AWPower MD Christiaan Hattingh says.
August 22, 2023 by

M&R to sell stake in Aarden Solar

Engineering and contracting group Murray & Roberts (M&R) will sell its 80% interest in Aarden Solar to Main Road Centurion 30311 for R73-million. Aarden Solar is a wholesaler of solar panels, inverters, batteries and related green energy products. It provides its clients with an efficient procurement service for products suitable for solar installations, generally ranging from 3 kW to 10 MW.
August 22, 2023 by

Eskom gets R16bn tranche of State help with debts

South Africa’s Treasury has paid R16-billion to heavily indebted power utility Eskom, the first tranche of a debt relief package that will wipe off more than half its liabilities, acting CEO Calib Cassim said on Tuesday. The Treasury offered a total of R254-billion to the State-owned company in February so it can pay its debts to global financial institutions, which currently top 423 billion rand.
August 22, 2023 by

IAEA assures that it will monitor, on site, the discharge of treated water from Fukushima

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi on Tuesday gave the assurance that the agency would provide a continuing, objective, independent and impartial safety review during the discharging of treated water, currently stored at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (NPP), into the sea. He assurance followed the announcement, also on Tuesday, by the Japanese Government that it had asked Tokyo Electric Power Company (Tepco) to proceed promptly with its …
August 22, 2023 by

Bank of China, IDC sign agreement on R10bn funding package

South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Bank of China (BoC) have signed a framework agreement that could unlock a R10-billion funding package over the next five years to support regional projects in energy, infrastructure, manufacturing, agriculture, and mining. Signed ahead of the Brics summit in Johannesburg, BoC CEO Dr Longjian Chen said the agreement highlighted the bank’s resolution to partner with South Africa in sustainability, just energy transformation and other funding initiatives.
August 22, 2023 by