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EIUG outlines supply- and demand-side options for easing loadshedding crisis

The Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG) has confirmed that its large mining and industrial members have a 4 GW-plus pipeline of generation projects that can be connected to the grid over the next five years to help close the electricity supply gap. However, it argues that other supply- and demand-side interventions are urgently required to reduce the intensity of both loadshedding and load curtailment. “We are of the view that Eskom and government alone will not be able to resolve these issues soon and, hence, other options need to be explored considering that this is a crisis and business-as-usual contributions are no longer adequate,” CEO Fanele Mondi tells Engineering News.
January 17, 2023 by

Industry bodies warn Germany that they need support to fulfil offshore wind power plans

The VDMA, the largest association for machinery and equipment manufacturers in Europe, has joined other industry associations to warn European countries in general and Germany in particular that massive offshore wind power expansion projects need secure supply chains and skilled workforces if they are to succeed. Currently, Germany plans to create more than 20 GW of offshore wind energy capacity by 2030. The country reportedly had, as of June last year, a total installed wind power capacity of …
January 17, 2023 by

Drakenstein municipality formally objects to Eskom’s approved 18.65% tariff increase

Drakenstein mayor Conrad Poole has raised a formal objection against the 18.65% electricity tariff increase that was approved for State-owned power utility Eskom from April 1, asking that the increase not be higher than the country’s inflation rate of 7.4%.

The tariff increase was granted to Eskom by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for the 2023/24 financial year.

January 17, 2023 by

AEC supports Symbion DRC biogas-to-power project

Industry organisation the African Energy Chamber (AEC) says it strongly supports the Makelele biogas project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), which includes a 60 MW gas-to-electricity system to connect consumers in the Goma and North and South Kivu provinces through existing trading hubs. The AEC recognises this development as a critical step to unlocking a new era of energy resilience and industry growth on the back of biogas development and exploitation.
January 17, 2023 by

AfriForum sues Eskom

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has decided to take legal action against ailing power utility Eskom for not making public the contract information for its service providers. AfriForum wants information on active contracts that Eskom has with various service providers, including coal suppliers and transport companies.
January 17, 2023 by

Wind Industry Internship Programme doubles placements for 2023

The second Wind Industry Internship Programme (WIIP) will be doubling its placements this year, in addition to offering supplementary work readiness training for the first time. The programme supports the development of specialist skills that are needed to facilitate the exponential growth of the wind energy industry and support economic growth in South Africa.
January 17, 2023 by

South Africa plans new law to accelerate power capacity

South Africa’s National Energy Crisis Committee, a body run by the office of President Cyril Ramaphosa, expects record power outages to ease as measures put in place, including a new law to fast-track plant development, take effect. The committee, of which several cabinet ministers are members, told business and labour leaders on Monday that a range of interventions have been made at a time when South Africans was enduring blackouts of as much as 12 hours a day.
January 17, 2023 by

South Africa plans to end loadshedding in 12-18 months – Godongwana

South Africa has a plan to improve energy provision that will end the need for any power cuts within the next 12-18 months, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said on Monday. “Eventually in the next 12-18 months we will be able to say load-shedding is a thing of the past. That is the target,” Godongwana, told Reuters on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Swiss resort of Davos.
January 17, 2023 by

Eskom, Treasury at odds over diesel funds as loadshedding crisis deepens

As chronic loadshedding continues indefinitely, a behind-the-scenes dispute has broken out between National Treasury and Eskom over where the money should come from to buy more diesel.  The only immediate way to reduce loadshedding is for Eskom to burn diesel to power its open-cycle gas turbines. All other possible solutions to reduce loadshedding have a longer lead time of at least 18 months to two years. 
January 17, 2023 by