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For DMRE, just energy transition requires security of energy supply, while industry needs …

Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) director-general Jacob Mbele has given his department’s conception of what a just energy transition would look like. He was responding to a question during a panel discussion at the Windaba 2022 conference, on Wednesday morning, in Cape Town. The energy transition refers to the global move away from high carbon-emitting energy sources to low- or even zero-carbon emitting energy sources. “For us, as the DMRE, we’re responsible for the security of energy supply,” he pointed out. “So, a just transition for us is a transition in which there is a secure energy supply, and that energy supply is sustainable [including regarding the environment and climate change], that energy supply is affordable, [and] reliable. Those for me are the key parts of what would be just.”
October 12, 2022 by

Renewables will not provide South Africa with 100% of its power, for the foreseeable future

Mineral Resources and Energy Department director-general Jacob Mbele has warned that supporters of renewable energy could actually undermine the sector in South Africa. He was participating in a panel discussion at the Windaba 2022 wind-power conference, in Cape Town, on Wednesday morning. “The renewable energy sector must avoid overpromising and underdelivering,” he cautioned. The industry had to keep a careful eye on those who, in their enthusiasm for renewable energy, exaggerated its capabilities. Such exaggeration did more harm than good, and when “reality hits”, critics of renewables would claim that they didn’t work.
October 12, 2022 by

Nersa cancels hearings into its concurrence on procurement of 18 771 MW

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) cancelled two days of planned hearings called to receive public comment on the regulator providing its concurrence to three Ministerial determinations opening the way for the procurement of 18 771 MW of new electricity capacity. Nersa said that the hearings had been cancelled as no requests were received from stakeholders to make representations on the matter.
October 12, 2022 by

Knowledge Pele, Bio2Watt Energy partner on renewables skills training for vulnerable youth

Industrial-scale biogas waste-to-energy independent power producer Bio2Watt Energy has entered into a partnership with research and development advisory firm Knowledge Pele to offer skills development in solar photovoltaic (PV) system design and installation in the Kanana community in Bronkhorstspruit, Gauteng. The partnership was concluded in July, with funding provided by Climate Investor Two, a fund managed by Climate Fund Managers (CFM) from the Netherlands.
October 12, 2022 by

Ramaphosa prepares for intensive period of economic diplomacy

President Cyril Ramaphosa is preparing for an intense period of economic diplomacy, including participation in the G20 Summit in Bali, Indonesia, and the COP27 climate negotiations to be held at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt. In a statement, the Presidency reported that Ramaphosa would participate in a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements during October, November and December, describing economic diplomacy as a key lever for the realisation of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan to rebuild the economy.
October 11, 2022 by

Eskom coal supply mine Arnot OpCo placed under business rescue

The South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg has placed Arnot OpCo into business rescue just months after the shuttered mine revived operations and supply of coal to Eskom. In a judgment handed down on Monday, the Salungano Group – the 50% owner of Arnot –  was granted its application to have the operation placed under supervision and business rescue proceedings in terms of the Companies Act.
October 11, 2022 by

Court upholds environmental authorisation for Eskom gas plant

The North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria has dismissed a bid to have the environmental authorisation for Eskom’s proposed gas power plant in Richards Bay overturned, but has taken aim at the deficient public participation process. In the judgment handed down by Judge Anthony Millar last week, the court dismissed a landmark application brought by two environmental justice NGOs – the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance and Groundwork – to review and set aside the Department of Environmental Affairs’ decision to grant Eskom’s proposed power plant an environmental authorisation.  
October 11, 2022 by

Presidency says load-shedding likely to persist for another 18 months

The Presidency insists that progress is being made to implement the plan outlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 25 to tackle load-shedding, which breached 4 100 GWh by the end of September – a level that is materially worse than the 1 776 GWh shed in 2021, the country’s previous worst load-shedding year. However, The Presidency’s Rudi Dicks cautions that rotational power cuts are likely to remain a reality for at least another 18 months.
October 11, 2022 by

Germany says new funding of R6.2bn will help support South Africa’s just energy transition

Germany has announced that its new funding commitment of R6.2-billion (€355-million) for South Africa includes funding for the country’s “just transition towards climate neutrality”. The announcement of the two-year funding commitment follows government-to-government negotiations, led on South Africa’s side by the National Treasury, on South African-German development cooperation, which took place on October 5 in Pretoria.
October 7, 2022 by