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Eskom: NUM, Numsa deals with divisions, allege ‘fake news’ as members reject 7% increase

After a week of protests at Eskom operations that no one has claimed responsibility for plunged the country into Stage 6 load-shedding, two unions are now dealing with members who are pushing for an outright rejection of a new wage offer. The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa), the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and Solidarity are expected to return to wage talks at the Central Bargaining Forum (CBF) on Friday. Several reports have said Eskom has upped it’s offer to 7%, though there has been no official confirmation on that. 
June 30, 2022 by

Reunert targets renewable energy market

JSE-listed industrial group Reunert has set its sights on capturing a critical market in South Africa and beyond: renewable energy. The group, during its investor day showcase on June 28, highlighted its renewable energy strategy execution, which leverages its renewable energy cluster that spans solar energy embedded generation engineering, procurement and construction; solar energy asset ownership through a build-own-operate (BOO) model; high performance, ultrareliable, locally manufactured storage solutions; and smart energy control and management solutions.
June 30, 2022 by

IEA backs nuclear life extensions as Koeberg pushes ahead with 20-year plan

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has come out in support of nuclear plant lifetime extension programmes, as Eskom pushes ahead with its plans to extend the life of the Koeberg nuclear power station, in the Western Cape. A new IEA report, titled ‘Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions’, argues that life extensions are a “cost-effective source of low-emission electricity, estimated at less than $50/MWh for a 10- to 20-year extension”.
June 30, 2022 by

Sasol concludes major equity divestment from Rompco pipeline

JSE-listed petrochemicals group Sasol says South African gas development company iGas and Companhia Mocambiçana de Gasoduto (CMG) have exercised their pre-emptive right to acquire a 30% equity interest in the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline Company (Rompco) pipeline.

The companies exercised this right after Sasol announced in May last year that its subsidiary, SSA, had agreed to sell a 30% equity interest in Rompco to an acquisition vehicle beneficially owned by a consortium.

June 29, 2022 by

Amid load shedding pain, more than 50% of Soweto residents are illegally connected to grid – …

As Soweto residents marched to the office of Johannesburg Mayor Mpho Phalatse last week to demand a more sustainable and consistent electricity supply, they did so against the backdrop of an area plagued by illegal connections and residents who can’t or won’t pay for power. Eskom says 50% of customers in Soweto are “zero buyers”. Only 40% of the residents buy and pay for electricity, according to the parastatal.
June 29, 2022 by

‘It’s unfair’ to blame me or govt for Eskom crisis – Mantashe on defensive at urgent Cabinet meeting

A Cabinet committee was meeting urgently on Wednesday to deliberate on the crises at Eskom after the power utility plunged the country into stage 6 load-shedding on Tuesday. No Cabinet meeting had been scheduled for Wednesday. Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe told News24 it was disingenuous to blame the government for the crisis. Mantashe and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan have come under harsh criticism, particularly from the DA, for having failed to prevent the deterioration at Eskom.
June 29, 2022 by

Stage 6 load-shedding from 16:00 as maintenance backlog could take ‘weeks to clear’

Stage 6 load shedding will kick in again from 16:00 until 22:00 on Wednesday evening, Eskom said in a statement. This is despite the fact that striking employees have started returning to work. Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented from 22:00 until midnight, and then reduced to Stage 2 until 05:00 on Thursday morning. From 05:00 until 00:00 on Thursday loadshedding will be at Stage 4.
June 29, 2022 by

147 MW Karusa Wind Farm enters commercial operation

The 147 MW Karusa wind farm, in the Western Cape, has entered into commercial operation, raising Enel Green Power South Africa’s installed capacity to 1.2 GW across ten wind and solar projects. Located in a remote part of the Laingsburg local municipality, the €200-million wind farm incorporates Vestas V136-4.2MW wind turbines, which are reportedly the largest on the African continent to date.
June 29, 2022 by