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Batteries and decentralised power seen as key way to boost security of supply

Industry body the South African Energy Storage Association chairperson Mikhail Nikomarov emphasises the importance of a decentralised power system and the benefits it can provide, and how this can be supported using battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the local market. “Energy storage through batteries doesn’t have to be centralised like other forms of storage such as pumped storage hydropower.”
July 1, 2022 by

Company to triple battery, solar energy storage electronics capacity

Energy technology company General Electric (GE) is tripling manufacturing capacity for its solar and battery energy storage power electronics systems by the end of this year to 9 GW/y, linked to strong growth in backlogs over the past few months and a robust demand outlook. The systems are manufactured at GE’s newly launched Renewable Hybrids factory in Vallam, near Chennai, India.
July 1, 2022 by

Cesa challenges Sanral’s decision to cancel tender

Industry body Consulting Engineers South Africa (Cesa) is challenging the decision by the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) board to cancel critical infrastructure tenders worth R17.5-billion on the basis that the adjudication process was flawed owing to the involvement of design engineers in the tender adjudication process.
July 1, 2022 by

Growthpoint struggles to secure diesel amid power cuts

Growthpoint Properties, South Africa’s largest real estate investment trust, said its running out of diesel to operate generators at some of its buildings as the country grapples with the worst electricity shortage since 2019. In a letter to customers at one of its sites in Johannesburg the company said it suppliers are struggling to keep up as Eskom Holdings, the national power utility, cuts as much as 6 000 megawatts from the national grid after a pay strike disrupted operations.
June 30, 2022 by

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