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Cabinet officially lifts PBMR from care and maintenance

Cabinet has officially approved the lifting of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) nuclear technology from care and maintenance. “This decision provides the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) with a legal basis to engage with potential international partners and investors for the revival and further development of the project,” Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said in a post-Cabinet briefing.
November 13, 2025 by

Industrial gas users call for Presidency-led intervention to avert ‘gas cliff’

The Industrial Gas Users Association–South Africa (IGUA-SA) is calling for the creation of a new structure under The Presidency to coordinate the actions needed to avert the ‘gas cliff’ faced by industrial consumers by 2030 and to lay the foundations for longer-term security of supply and demand growth. The proposal for the establishment of a National Gas Project Team, which would operate along lines similar to structures established to tackle the electricity and logistics crises, is included in a new ‘Gas Roadmap’ document released by IGUA-SA on November 12.
November 12, 2025 by

Treasury confirms support for distribution agency agreements as Eskom arrear debt rises

The National Treasury has confirmed that a scheme established to enable municipalities to write of arrear debt owing to Eskom by meeting various conditions, including keeping their current accounts up to date, is failing to arrest the crisis. “While 24 municipalities have qualified for the first one-third write-off after 12 consecutive months of payments and 21 have generally maintained payments, as of 7 May 2025, 47 municipalities remain in default,” a section in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement confirms.
November 12, 2025 by

Age of Electricity is here, IEA declares as it highlights energy security threats

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has declared that the “Age of Electricity is here” in its latest World Energy Outlook, which again underlines that electricity demand will grow much faster than overall energy use in all three scenarios outlined in the report. “Last year, we said the world was moving quickly into the Age of Electricity – and it’s clear today that it has already arrived,” executive director Fatih Birol says, highlighting that rising electricity consumption is no longer limited to emerging and developing economies.
November 12, 2025 by

Growthpoint to provide renewable energy certificates for 26 Nedbank branches that are using its …

JSE-listed real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties will provide verified renewable energy certificates (RECs) to 26 branches of financial services firm Nedbank that use the power Growthpoint’s renewable energy small-scale embedded generator (SSEG) plants generate. The bank will offset its Scope 2 emissions across the branches located in Growthpoint-owned shopping malls and offices in five provinces, which together cover 8 200 m2 of retail space.
November 7, 2025 by

Ramokgopa chides coal industry for its silence in energy debate

Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has scolded South Africa’s coal industry for remaining largely silent during national debates over the country’s energy future, saying its absence has allowed anti-coal sentiment to dominate public discourse. Speaking at a coal industry colloquium hosted by coal advocacy organisation FFF Carbon, in Johannesburg, on November 7, he said the sector had failed to advocate for its continued role in South Africa’s energy mix.
November 7, 2025 by

Consultancy calls for creation of ‘Just Transition Worker Fund’ to address climate-linked …

Research and consulting firm PBS Development Consulting has recommended the establishment of a dedicated ‘Just Transition Worker Fund’ to ensure South Africa’s climate transition addresses inequality, employment precarity and uneven municipal capacity. Speaking at the Just Transition Labour Centre’s (JTLC’s) inaugural Annual Policy Conference, in Sandton, on November 6, PBS researcher Mamokete Modiba said the fund should enable differentiated access across stakeholders and municipalities, particularly those in rural areas that are less resourced than metropolitan counterparts.
November 7, 2025 by