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Subscriptions-based power model helps shore up energy security

Solar energy solutions company GoSolr is giving schools and small- and medium-sized businesses access to subscription-based solar power, thereby reducing their reliance on the national grid for power supply. GoSolr CEO Andrew Middleton says that it is important for South Africa to increase the percentage of solar-based generation in its energy mix, as this will ensure that businesses can avert the negative effects of increased tariffs and the unreliability and carbon emissions associated with supply from State-owned power utility Eskom.
September 5, 2025 by

Solar trade bolsters supply, promotes cost-efficiency

The growing trade of solar power by independent power producers (IPPs) is playing a pivotal role in South Africa’s rapidly deregulating electricity market. By diversifying the energy mix and increasing competition for the State-owned power utility, solar trading is setting the stage for a cleaner, more cost-efficient grid. “Trade in solar energy has laid the groundwork for a more open and competitive electricity market, shifting away from a single-buyer model towards a dynamic, multi-actor environment that supports competitive pricing,” says Enerweb CEO Santego Govender, whose company specialises in digital solutions for energy markets.
September 5, 2025 by

EMS solutions reduce grid pressure, enhance supply

Innovations in solar energy, such as off-grid energy solutions company Blockpower’s Blackbox, an energy management system (EMS), allow for energy savings and cost-efficiency, as well as system longevity for households, businesses and heavy-duty industries, says Blockpower engineering head Timothy Mahlangu. An EMS offers several benefits, including optimising surplus solar energy through intelligent hot-water control solutions and managing high inrush consumption by staggering equipment startup. This is particularly appropriate for South African households and hospitality industries, as it helps ease the load on the national grid, which is frequently unable to keep up with increasing demand and ensure the timely provision of electricity.
September 5, 2025 by

New independent directors must be appointed for Necsa board to be quorate

Following the resignation of five board members from the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) last week, Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa will need to appoint new independent directors to ensure that the board is quorate. Necsa chairperson Dave Nicholls, who has not resigned, confirmed with Engineering News that the five individuals resigned because of their unhappiness with the implementation of salary increases for senior executives.
September 4, 2025 by

Mavuso slams Eskom’s tariff system as ‘farcical’, calls for urgent electricity sector reform

There is no greater sign of the urgent need for reform of the electricity sector than the way State-owned utility Eskom’s electricity tariffs are set, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso has asserted. “The whole system is far from the way prices should be set – through a competitive market in which firms aim to sell to consumers by offering them better value than others,” she said in the latest edition of her weekly newsletter, published on September 1.
September 1, 2025 by

Public hearings to be held on NTCSA’s application for electricity market operator licence

A public hearing into the National Transmission Company South Africa’s (NTCSA’s) application for a market operator licence will be hosted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on September 30. The licensing of the NTCSA as the independent market operator is viewed as a key milestone for the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM), which has been tentatively set for April next year.
September 1, 2025 by

Nersa registered 111 generation facilities in the April to June quarter

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) says it has, for the quarter ended June 30 – the first quarter of the 2025/26 financial year – registered 111 generation facilities, with a total capacity of 1 916 MW and an estimated investment value of R51.91-billion. This brings the total number of generation facilities registered with Nersa since 2018 to 2 056, with a total capacity of 12 757 MW and a total investment cost of R293-billion.
August 29, 2025 by

AfriForum probes legality of Nersa settlement with Eskom

Lobby group AfriForum said on Friday that it will consult with its legal team about the constitutionality of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) behind-closed-doors settlement with State-owned entity Eskom. The settlement agreement relates to errors made by the regulator in its sixth multiyear price determination (MYPD6) revenue decision, which was revealed by online publication Moneyweb.
August 29, 2025 by

Eskom supplier receives 12-year prison sentence; to repay R2.6m

Power utility Eskom welcomes the sentencing handed down by the Middelburg Specialised Commercial Crimes Court, in Mpumalanga, earlier this month relating to a case of fraud and corruption at the Tutuka power station. In 2020, Eskom’s investigations uncovered a syndicate that was paid to deliver three containers to the power station, but only one container was delivered. It also failed to meet the utility’s specifications.
August 29, 2025 by