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Portfolio Committee halts plan to hold inquiry into alleged RMIPPPP corruption

The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has rescinded a decision taken last year to conduct an inquiry into allegations of corruption and malfeasance during the process to appoint preferred bidders in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). This resolution was taken following legal opinion from the Parliament Legal Service Division, which referred to a High Court judgment that dismissed, with costs, an application to set aside the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) decision to appoint preferred bidders for the RMIPPPP.
March 8, 2022 by

Residents of eMalahleni highlight air pollution, health concerns to commission

People in communities next to coal mines and power stations in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, on March 7 told members of the Presidential Climate Commission of their experience of the impacts of air pollution. The commission was holding its first community consultation and, according to civil and environmental organisations Vukani Environmental Movement and GroundWork Friends of the Earth South Africa, many community members said they were suffering from poor health and were concerned for the future of their children.
March 8, 2022 by

Gautrain looking into solar panels to power its stations

Gauteng’s express railway system Gautrain is working on greening its operations, and plans to have solar power solutions for its stations, says CEO of Gautrain Management Agency, William Dachs. Dachs participated in an online discussion hosted by Arena Holdings on the importance of environmental sustainability in business. He shared Gautrain’s efforts to respond to environmental and socioeconomic challenges. Asked about the Gautrain’s plans to adopt greener energy, Dachs shared that two areas are being targeted – the train itself, which is difficult, and its facilities like the stations. Gautrain is working on greening stations currently to get them powered by renewable energy or solar power solutions, as is seen with some shopping malls that rely on solar rooftops.
March 8, 2022 by

ANC sinks Parliamentary ‘witch hunt’ into Karpowership, emergency power contracts

The African National Congress has voted to scrap a planned Parliamentary investigation into the state’s much-delayed plan to fast-track the building of emergency power plants. Parliament’s oversight committee on mineral resources and energy voted in August last year to launch a probe into the Risk Mitigation IPP Procurement Programme, an initiative to add 2 000 MW of new power to SA’s grid quickly. The inquiry’s terms of reference were agreed on in December. The inquiry was set to probe problems relating to the programme as well as allegations surrounding the awarding of a R22-billion contract to Turkish-led consortium Karpowership SA, which faced subsequent litigation.
March 8, 2022 by

Steeply rising diesel prices may increase load-shedding risk as Eskom warns of difficulties in …

State-owned utility Eskom says it is still in the process of quantifying the likely impact of surging diesel prices on the cost of producing electricity at its open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) facilities but has cautioned that continued steep price rises will be difficult to absorb in light of its financial constraints. Eskom had been relying heavily on its OCGT plants, as well as those operated by independent power producers, ahead of its most recent decision to implement Stage 2 load-shedding on Monday – a decision that has since been extended to 5:00 on Saturday March 12.
March 8, 2022 by

Eskom defers steam generator replacement at Koeberg Unit 2 to Aug 2023

Eskom has announced the deferral of a project to replace three steam generators at Koeberg Unit 2 to August 2023 following a review, conducted together with Framatome, which indicated that the replacements were unlikely to be completed within the six-month timeframe allocated for the project. COO Jan Oberholzer said that certain facilities, including the completion of the building that will house the radioactive steam generators being removed, were not deemed to be fully in place to ensure that the replacement could be completed within the expected quality and schedule parameters.
March 4, 2022 by

AEC shares ambitions for universal electricity access in Africa

The African Energy Chamber (AEC) has hosted a prelude launch of its Team-Energy Africa initiative before the high-level launch event scheduled for May 17 to 19 in Rwanda.

The initiative, which AEC is embarking on in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the Secretariat of Sustainable Energy for All, aims to mobilise private sector financing for accelerated clean energy deployments in Africa.

March 4, 2022 by