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Workers must play central role in shaping just energy transition, unions insist

As South Africa continues on its journey towards realising a just energy transition (JET), workers and unions have expressed their support for the move and for alternative sources of energy to be part of the energy mix, provided that labour plays a significant role, that its views are taken on board and that a social-ownership model is pursued. Associated Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) organisational development head Krister Janse van Rensburg emphasises that a transition to a low-carbon development path is crucial to addressing climate change and resolving “the deep crisis” the South African economy finds itself in.
June 10, 2022 by

Ramaphosa outlines six steps to tackle electricity deficit in disrupted Budget Vote speech

President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined six steps for addressing the country’s electricity shortfall in a Budget Vote speech that was delayed and disrupted by opposition Members of Parliament who objected to the address from proceeding in light of a criminal complaint having been lodged against Ramaphosa in relation to the alleged theft of foreign currency from his Limpopo farm in 2020. Speaking against the backdrop of an intensification of load-shedding, Ramaphosa said government was “seized with the need to get as much new generation capacity on to the grid as possible, as quickly as possible”, confirming Eskom’s estimate that the shortfall could be as large as 6 000 MW.
June 9, 2022 by

Eskom completes 80% of boiler defect rectification work for Medupi and Kusile

State-owned power utility Eskom’s actions to rectify major boiler defects at its newly-built Medupi and Kusile power stations is improving the plants’ energy availability factor (EAF), in some cases almost doubling it from when the first boiler’s fires were lit.

The major boiler defects relate mainly to load losses as a result of issues with the boiler’s pulse jet fabric filter (PJFF) plant, gas air heaters and mills.

June 9, 2022 by

SANEDI releases first technical assessment towards Clean Coal Roadmap

A new report from government organisation the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) on clean coal technologies has presented a case for potential opportunities and challenges associated with adopting these in a roadmap towards 2030. The report constitutes Phase 1 in a roadmap towards providing an overview of the current energy carbon landscape in South Africa, the fossil fuel value chains and a high-level qualitative approach to ranking various technologies, SANEDI explains.
June 9, 2022 by

Here’s one idea for ending load-shedding within two years

As Eskom consults a range of experts to assess potential solutions for resolving the load-shedding crisis, independent energy analyst Clyde Mallinson has a proposal that he believes will end rotational power cuts in two years without creating stranded assets or increasing tariffs. The proposed solution is based on detailed modelling of the performance of the current system, which a new Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report shows to be relying increasingly on rotational cuts of between 1 GW and 4 GW to balance supply and demand.
June 9, 2022 by