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Nersa aims to decide on Eskom’s 62c/kWh ferrochrome tariff offer by end of June

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has confirmed that it received an application from Eskom on April 10 in relation to a 62c/kWh tariff offer for the ferrochrome sector and has indicated that the Energy Regulator is aiming to reach a decision by the end of June. Nersa’s electricity subcommittee is scheduled to approve, on April 17, the publication of a consultation paper on the amendment to the Negotiated Pricing Agreements with the Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture and Samancor Chrome ferrochrome smelters to provide the tariff relief.
April 16, 2026 by

IMF says war should spur faster adoption of renewable energy

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) says the war in the Middle East, which has precipitated an energy crisis similar in scale to the 1970s oil crisis, should spur countries to accelerate their adoption of renewable energy to strengthen their resilience to energy shocks. Speaking at the release of the latest World Economic Outlook (WEO), chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas said the diversification of energy sources to protect economies from price hikes and supply disruptions was one of the key lessons from the 1974 crisis.
April 15, 2026 by

Wetility’s free municipal grid reliability tool points to stark differences

Solar energy company Wetility has released a free-to-use interactive lookup tool that allows anyone to search their municipality and view a detailed electricity outage profile, including average duration, monthly trends and how their area compares with the national average. South African households experienced an average of six to nine grid outages a month in 2025 and more than 91 000 unique outages were recorded during the year, the company says.
April 15, 2026 by

Mulilo says Middlepunt PV plant to supply cheapest REIPPPP-procured electricity

South African independent power producer Mulilo reports that its 337 MWdc Middlepunt solar PV plant will deliver electricity at R458/MWh when it enters into commercial operation in the coming 24 months – the cheapest electricity procured to date under South Africa’s public bidding rounds. Located near Welkom in the Free State, Mulilo CEO Jan Fourie reports that the R4.4-billion project is also the first project procured under Bid Window 7 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, or REIPPPP, to have advanced to financial close.
April 14, 2026 by

Mkango subsidiaries to collaborate in UK grant-funded project to develop recycled magnets

Aim- and TSX-V-listed rare earth elements and associated minerals company Mkango Resources’ subsidiaries HyProMag and Mkango Rare Earths UK have been named as collaborative project winners of the Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE35) research and development (R&D) competition – an initiative of the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to support the UK automotive industry through £4-billion of capital and R&D funding. HyProMag is leading the three-year £6.5-million Rare Earth Automotive Circular Technologies for the UK (REACT UK) project to establish and deliver a full circular UK supply chain comprising recovery, recycling and remanufacturing of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets from end-of-life hybrid and electric vehicles.
April 14, 2026 by

Cummins launches BESS for Southern Africa

Integrated power solutions company Cummins on April 10 launched its battery energy storage system (BESS) offering for the Southern African market, with its South African head office in Midrand set to host a C1500B5ZE BESS unit. Speaking to Engineering News at the launch, Cummins new energy solutions director Ismael Chang said this unit is slated to be operational in about five months.
April 13, 2026 by

Cresco warns of potential energy security risk if diesel supply for OCGT is constrained

South Africa’s power utility Eskom, which uses diesel in its open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) generators to meet peak demand, may have to start implementing Stage 1 or 2 loadshedding in a scenario of constrained diesel supply, warns financial advisory firm Cresco Project Finance Energy Strategy advisory partner Dominic Goncalves. About 57% of South Africa’s total refined diesel supply is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, and only two of five local refineries in South Africa are operational.
April 10, 2026 by

Vodacom calls for collective action to decarbonise Africa’s digital economy

A new research report published by telecommunications group Vodacom highlights Africa’s high vulnerability to climate change, with decarbonisation efforts hampered by critical energy challenges. The White Paper, ‘Decarbonising Africa’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector’, shows that weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints within utilities, complex regulatory environments and unreliable electricity supply continue to slow the adoption of renewable energy across the continent.
April 10, 2026 by