Entries by

R400m energy fund launched to help finance backup power solutions for SMEs

Small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) financier Business Partners has launched a R400-million Energy Fund aimed at helping SMEs finance viable sources of alternative electricity and thereby keep them in business during loadshedding.

According to data published by the South African Reserve Bank, the accumulative loss business of Stage 6 loadshedding amounts to between R204-million and R900-million a day, with a portion of these losses incurred by thousands of small businesses that do not have the resources to install back-up sources of energy.

April 20, 2023 by

Outa calls on National Treasury to abandon Eskom exemption

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has submitted written comments to the National Treasury on its proposal to exempt State-owned utility Eskom from disclosing irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure in its yearly financial statements for 2022/23 and the following two years. A Government Gazette notice granting the exemption from the relevant section of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) and Treasury regulation was published on March 31; however, following public outcry, it was withdrawn on April 6 and replaced by a call for comments on a proposed exemption.
April 20, 2023 by

Ramaphosa affirms climate goal amid coal push

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa pledged to meet the nation’s net-zero carbon emission target despite a push to keep coal-fired power plants open. Ramaphosa met with the Presidential Climate Change Commission on Wednesday to review reports it produced after its members met with communities and other stakeholders over the impact of the country’s climate goals, said Crispian Olver, executive director of the panel.
April 20, 2023 by

Untapped renewable resources in Africa should receive more attention – RES4Africa

As the majority of the world embraces a shift in electricity generation away from fossil fuels towards greener, renewable sources of energy, Africa faces several challenges in attracting investment capital to undertake a significant energy transition, renewable energy support foundation Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa (RES4Africa) secretary general Roberto Vigotti stated on April 19.

Speaking during the first of RES4Africa’s Online Lab series, he said Africa’s energy sector was faced with five main decisions about its green energy trajectory, including its ambitions to achieve universal access to energy, meeting energy demand growth and building a reliable power system.

April 19, 2023 by

Standard Bank online platform is supporting customers seeking to adopt solar energy

South African financial institution Standard Bank has highlighted that its online “home knowledge hub” LookSee provides extensive information regarding the choice, installation, financing and support of solar power systems for homeowners. (Standard Bank is not to be confused with UK-based multinational Standard Chartered Bank; the former ceased to be a subsidiary of the latter in 1987.) “Sunny South Africa gets more than 2 500 hours of sunshine a year and it ranks among the top three countries in the world in average direct solar radiation,” pointed out Standard Bank digital and eCommerce head Andrew van der Hoven. “Furthermore, as an infinite resource, solar power doesn’t just offer a way to keep the lights on, it also helps the environment by greatly reducing carbon emissions.”
April 19, 2023 by

Eskom’s plan to bypass pollution controls could kill hundreds, study shows

A plan by South Africa’s state power utility to circumvent pollution controls at one of its two biggest coal-fired plants to enable it to bolster its generation capacity may lead to hundreds of deaths, according to the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Eskom Holdings’ application to partially bypass its flue-gas desulfurization unit at the Kusile station for just over a year could see it emit 280,000 extra tons of sulfur dioxide, while mercury emissions would jump 40%, the Helsinki-based pollution research nonprofit said in a report sent to Bloomberg News. It estimates that about 680 people could die as a result.
April 19, 2023 by

Ramaphosa calls urgent Cabinet meeting to discuss new plan for old coal power stations

President Cyril Ramaphosa will chair a special Cabinet meeting on Wednesday to examine a plan by electricity minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa to slow the decommissioning of old coal power stations as the country battles with energy supply. News24 understands that the special Cabinet meeting was called after the African National Congress’ (ANC’s) national working committee (NWC) on Monday approved a plan that would slow down the retirement of old coal power stations. 
April 19, 2023 by

Plentify, Cellucity partner to bring energy-saving product to stores

Climate technology company Plentify and independent dealer Cellucity have announced a partnership to bring Plentify’s flagship energy-saving HotBot product to select Cellucity stores nationwide, as well as its online ecommerce website. HotBot is a smart energy device that uses machine learning and the Internet of Things technology to control electric geysers, intelligently turning them on and off, reducing energy use by about 30% while still providing hot water when needed.
April 19, 2023 by

Nersa to host hearings into electricity determinations opening way for procurement of 3 800 MW

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) will host virtual hearings on May 19 ahead of it providing concurrence with determinations opening the way for the procurement of 3 800 MW of emergency and cross-border electricity capacity. In February, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe granted Eskom an exemption from the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity to proceed with three procurement programmes, including:
April 18, 2023 by