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SAFCEI critical of govt’s new nuclear procurement plans

Multifaith environmental justice organisation, South African Faith Communities Environment Institute (SAFCEI), has decried the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) plans to procure more nuclear power as a step in the wrong direction. The organisation has cited the long build times and lengthy over-runs as ineffective in urgently dealing with the energy crisis the country is facing.
May 26, 2023 by

President transfers powers to procure new electricity generation from Mantashe to Ramokgopa

Following more than two months of uncertainty and reported Cabinet infighting, President Cyril Ramaphosa has transferred the Ministerial powers relating to the procurement of new electricity generation to Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa. Until now Ramakgopa has had no formal Ministerial powers, despite having been appointed on March 7 and despite the President having indicated that he intended using Section 97 of the Constitution to grant such powers.
May 26, 2023 by

Property owners view rapid solar roll-out as key to navigating loadshedding crisis

As the energy crisis in the country incrementally worsens, the ramifications are considerable for property owners, who are having to resort to various options to limit the impact of prolonged periods of outages, future-proof their assets and ensure business continuity. However, this is not enough to contain the fallout, and property owners are also calling for efforts to be bolstered, through other solutions, to resolve the energy challenges.
May 26, 2023 by

Patel outlines ‘step change’ investment, export and jobs targets for 2023/24

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel outlined firm investment, localisation, export and manufacturing jobs targets in his 2023/24 Budget Vote address to Parliament this week. In a speech prefaced by what the Minister described as a world in in the midst of ‘polycrisis’, or the simultaneous occurrence of several catastrophic events, Patel said his department’s central mission was to build a more resilient economy that was able to grow and transform “despite extraordinary headwinds and challenges”.
May 25, 2023 by

Renewables alone will not solve energy crisis – NUMSA

The belief that renewable energy is the sole answer to South Africa’s energy crisis is irrational, National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA) general secretary Irvin Jim has said.

“You can’t run a factory by wind or sun. What happens when there is no wind and the sun is behind a cloud? It is like lying to children by telling them you can do a braai with a torch,” he quipped to delegates attending the Metal Industries Collective Bargaining Summit in Johannesburg on May 25.

May 25, 2023 by

At $1bn a day, solar investment to outpace oil for first time in 2023

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is forecasting that investment in solar will rise to more than $1-billion a day, or to some $380-billion for 2023 as a whole, increasing spending on the renewable technology to above upstream oil for the first time ever. The agency’s World Energy Investment also indicates that more than $1.7-trillion of the $2.8-trillion to be invested in energy globally this year, will be directed towards clean technologies, including renewables, electric vehicles, nuclear, grids, storage, low-emission fuels, efficiency improvements and heat pumps.
May 25, 2023 by

Namibia signs agreement opening way for feasibility study of $10bn green ammonia project

Namibia has taken another step towards the creation of a green hydrogen industry, after President Hage Geingob’s Cabinet agreed this week to sign a feasibility and implementation agreement (FIA) with Hyphen Hydrogen Energy for a $10-billion project to produce two-million tonnes of green ammonia yearly by 2029. Hyphen, which is a Namibian-registered joint venture between Nicholas Holdings Limited and Enertrag, was awarded preferred-bidder status on the project, earmarked for development on some 4 000 km2 of land within the Tsau //Khaeb National Park, near Lüderitz, in November 2021.
May 25, 2023 by

To unlock scarce grid capacity South Africa begins rethinking approach to curtailment

With insufficient grid capacity having been identified as the main constraint to the public procurement of the 28 GW of new electricity capacity allowed for by 2030 under various Ministerial determinations, IPP Office head Bernard Magoro reports that several new options are being considered to unlock existing grid capacity, including accepting some level of curtailment. Addressing the South African National Energy Association’s annual general meeting, Magoro reported that a cost-benefit analysis would be undertaken into whether curtailment should be factored into to future procurement rounds so as to unlock grid capacity, while additional transmission lines and substations are developed in parallel.
May 24, 2023 by

South Africa weighs extending lives of larger coal power plants

South Africa is considering extending the lives of some of its biggest coal-fired power plants as the government seeks to bolster the country’s long-term energy security amid a deepening crisis. Kendal and Lethabo, two plants that represent about fifth of the State-owned power utility’s current capacity, are possible candidates, according to people familiar with the matter. Officials tasked with ending the crisis and making sure it doesn’t recur are looking at all options, the people said, asking not to be identified as the plans aren’t yet public.
May 24, 2023 by