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Eskom says power cuts to resume on Thursday

Power utility Eskom will again implement rotational power cuts from 117:00 to 22:00 on Thursday, as it struggles with breakdowns at its generating units. Eskom said in a statement the outages will be under Stage 2, which requires up to 2 000 MW to be cut from the national grid.
May 12, 2022 by

Eskom sets August 2024 target date for return of damaged Medupi 4

Electricity utility Eskom has set a target date of August 2024 for the return to service of Medupi Unit 4, the generator of which was “catastrophically” damaged during an explosion on August 8, 2021. Acting generation MD Rhulani Mathebula, who has stepped into the role following the resignation of Phillip Dukashe, says assurance and forensic investigations have been completed and that management expects to institute consequence management against those involved by the end of May.
May 12, 2022 by

Talk must make way for action if ‘SA Inc’ is to navigate looming 22 GW coal exit

Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer has appealed for urgent and coordinated public-private action to close an immediate electricity shortfall of up to 6 000 MW and to prepare the way for the replacement of 22 000 MW of coal capacity that will be shut over the coming 14 years. Speaking during a system briefing and amid persistent bouts of power cuts, Oberholzer said the time had come to stop talking and begin acting as ‘South Africa Incorporated’ to tackle the immediate crisis and to prepare for the longer-term transition from coal.
May 11, 2022 by

Busa welcomes Operation Vulindlela progress, but calls for further advances

Business organisation Business Unity South Africa (Busa) says in a statement that business has taken note of the report from Operation Vulindlela on the progress made in implementing some of the structural reforms required to attract investment and put the country on a path to sustained and inclusive economic growth. “Business has supported the work of Operation Vulindlela, and we consider this to be a successful bilateral arrangement between government and business to enable progress and implementation.
May 11, 2022 by

Law firm suggests govt recognise role of storage in energy regulation

As South Africa takes its first steps towards a just transition and as decarbonisation becomes a strategic imperative for heavy electricity users, the role of energy storage and hybrid technologies is becoming more relevant, says law firm Allen & Overy South Africa.

Electricity storage paired with renewable energy generation can contribute to many of the challenges faced by the country’s electricity infrastructure.

May 11, 2022 by

Eskom confirms winter load-shedding risk and warns on diesel costs

Electricity utility Eskom has again highlighted the risk of load-shedding during the current winter period, during which it will rely heavily on the country’s expensive diesel-fuelled open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) to either avoid rotational cuts or reduce the intensity of such cuts. Transmission MD Segomoco Scheppers again confirmed that there could be as many as 104 days of load-shedding during the period from May to the end of September, with the utility having already implemented 32 days of load-shedding from January 1 to May 11.
May 11, 2022 by

South Korea to again boost nuclear power

New Republic of (South) Korea President Yoon Suk-yeol (inaugurated on Tuesday) is committed to his policy of strengthening the country’s nuclear power sector, reversing his predecessor’s policy (adopted in 2017) of phasing nuclear power out. Investing in nuclear energy formed part of the platform on which Yoon fought the election. The President’s position was reaffirmed by his nominee for the post of Industry Minister, Lee Chang-yang, during his parliamentary confirmation hearing. “I will seek measures to reasonably utilize nuclear energy, which is a major means of energy security and carbon neutrality, and to boost the competitiveness of the sector to actively support its exports,” he affirmed.
May 11, 2022 by

How to speed up the rollout of small nuclear power plants

Building big, conventional nuclear power plants is slow and expensive. That’s one reason the industry is staking its future on a new generation of smaller advanced reactors. Still in development, these offer the promise of carbon-free energy and could back up the ebbs and flows of renewable power in clean grids of the future. As Russia’s war in Ukraine galvanizes Western countries to break their reliance on Russian energy exports, in part by accelerating green technologies that will replace fossil fuels, one solution could be boosting the deployment of nuclear energy. Advanced nuclear startup Oklo Inc. says it could build a new plant in about one year. It wouldn’t be big, but it could be ready quickly if the US was willing to fast-track the regulatory process, said Oklo’s CEO Jacob DeWitte.
May 11, 2022 by

Uganda acquires land for East Africa’s first nuclear power plant

Uganda said it acquired land for the construction of East Africa’s first nuclear power plant as the continent’s top exporter of coffee beans attempts to expand its electricity generation capacity multi-fold. The Minister of State for Energy Okasai Sidronius Opolot made the announcement in a statement without identifying the site. The nation in 2017 said that it planned to build a 2 000 MW nuclear power plant by 2032.
May 11, 2022 by