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AMEA announces newest PPA for 85 MW of solar in South Africa

Dubai-based renewable energy company AMEA Power has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with GreenCo Power Services, based in Zambia, for the energy offtake from an 85 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) power plant in South Africa.

The 85 MW solar PV power plant will be financed by Standard Bank of South Africa and based in North West.

April 25, 2023 by

Mantashe doubles down: Loadshedding can be over by year-end – but take Karpowership ‘seriously’

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe still believes loadshedding could be over by the end of the year if emergency power procurement through Karpowership, along with other measures, are taken “seriously”. The minister said in an interview with Talk Radio 702’s Clement Manyathela on Tuesday morning that by rejecting Karpowership, “Eskom must not pretend to be having electricity when it does not”. “Loadshedding can be attended to effectively and be reduced – almost eliminated if we focus on the right things,” Mantashe said, explaining that these measures involve re-looking at Karpowership, improving the energy availability factor of stations, and importing energy from neighbouring countries. Earlier this year, in an interview with eNCA, Mantashe said that loadshedding could be addressed in six to 12 months. At Davos this year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana similarly said it would take 12 to 18 months to say “loadshedding is a thing of the past”. After his comments on Tuesday, Manyathela confronted Mantashe with comments by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa that ending loadshedding soon was not technically possible.
April 25, 2023 by

No immediate clarity on how coal extensions will be aligned to R254bn debt-relief conditions

No immediate clarity has been provided as to how the current proposal to extend the life of certain coal stations beyond their scheduled retirement dates has been aligned with the conditions of a R254-billion Eskom debt-relief package, which was unveiled by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in February. During a Standing Committee on Appropriations briefing convened in Parliament on the Eskom Debt Relief Bill, Eskom interim CEO Calib Cassim confirmed that the conditions prevented Eskom from investing in any new greenfield power generation, including renewables.
April 25, 2023 by

SAPVIA says latest govt intervention will ensure more solar comes online quicker

The South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has welcomed government’s launch of a public consultation process in relation to its plans to exclude the development and expansion of certain solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage facilities from the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation.

Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy on July 22 last year announced that projects that are in areas considered to be of low or medium environmental sensitivity may be potentially exempt from environmental authorisation, to get more energy generation capacity on line quicker.

April 25, 2023 by

South Africa weighs mega renewable-energy tender to curb outages

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa proposed a “mega bid window” for the procurement of renewable energy to curb rolling blackouts, even as previous plans to build clean power generation have been delayed. Ramokgopa recommended buying a minimum of 15 000 MW of energy, in addition to other measures that go beyond a seventh round of auctions for renewable-power supply that’s already planned. The proposal is evidence of the country’s commitment to green power, the minister said at a solar-energy conference in Johannesburg on Tuesday, even as he pushes to extend the life of coal-fired electricity plants.
April 25, 2023 by

Ramokgopa to fight outages with diesel

South Africa’s electricity minister proposed a plan to stave off deeper power cuts by increasing the use of diesel turbines along with building more storage capacity to store the fuel. State-owned utility Eskom Holdings will need to increase its budget for diesel, Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said, according to a copy of a presentation seen by Bloomberg. A special dispensation could reduce the cost by allowing Eskom to directly purchase the fuel, the plan showed.
April 25, 2023 by

The rich world’s plan to help developing countries go green is floundering

It was meant to be the climate justice blueprint, the deal that showed how rich countries could help developing economies end their reliance on coal and go green. Almost 18 months on, South Africa’s $8.5 billion transition showpiece looks more like a cautionary tale. Only one coal-fired power plant has been closed since the so-called Just Energy Transition Partnership was unveiled to great fanfare at the COP26 climate talks in Glasgow. Now, some South African politicians are pushing to keep others open longer than planned — potentially for years — as the country struggles to end daily blackouts that are angering voters and turning off foreign investors.
April 25, 2023 by