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South Africa targets cable thieves holding economy to ransom

South Africa’s government intends making it mandatory for all metal traders to get licenses and prevent them from dealing in cash, a measure aimed at combating a massive illegal trade in cables and wiring stripped from rail, power and telecommunication lines. Traders will also be required to conduct due diligence on their customers and track the origins of their products, the National Treasury said in the annual budget review, which was published in Cape Town on Wednesday.
February 24, 2022 by

DSI’s Maserumule reiterates South Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions

South Africa is looking to build out funding opportunities and partnerships with international donors and countries that are aiming to decarbonise their own economies through the use of green hydrogen, Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) hydrogen and energy chief director Rebecca Maserumule said this week. In an address at the Energy & Mines virtual summit, on February 23, she outlined the highlights of South Africa’s newly released Hydrogen Society Roadmap, which was unveiled by Higher Education, Science and Innovation Minister Blade Nzimande earlier in the month.
February 24, 2022 by

Local nuclear technology conference to be held next month

The Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa (Niasa) has confirmed that it will co-host a nuclear conference next month. Called the Nuclear Technology Imbizo 2022, the conference’s other co-hosts will be the South African Young Nuclear Professionals Society, Women in Nuclear South Africa, and the Southern African Radiation Protection Society. The Imbizo will be held at the Cape Town International Conference Centre and take place on March 16 and March 17. The association highlighted that South Africa had suffered from “massive loadshedding” (power cuts or outages) imposed by the State-owned national electricity utility Eskom over the past couple of years, including during this year already. Most of the breakdowns that triggered this loadshedding had occurred and were occurring in the utility’s fleet of coal-fired power stations. Further, under the Integrated Resource Plan 2019, 11 500 MW of this coal capacity would have to be decommissioned from 2030 on.
February 24, 2022 by

Ending load-shedding, training experts among measures that can improve South Africa’s energy …

South Africa needs to undertake six measures to improve its energy and electricity security and sustainability, as well as ensure it can meet ongoing electricity demand, FutureEnergy CEO Andy Calitz said on February 23.

Speaking at a webinar on South Africa’s Energy Transition Journey, hosted by EE Business Intelligence, he said that ending load-shedding was “more important than achieving net-zero emissions”.

February 23, 2022 by

Godongwana urges Eskom to sell assets as he confirms R88bn in new support

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana confirmed that Eskom will receive a further R88-billion in government support until 2025/26 and that a comprehensive debt solution was still being explored for the financially unsustainable State-owned electricity producer. The support comes in addition to the R136-billion already provided or committed to enable the utility to pay back its debt, which currently stands at close to R400-billion.
February 23, 2022 by

Govt signals reduction or elimination of guarantees for REIPPPP projects

A government study is currently under way to explore alternative support for the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the National Treasure states in its 2022 Budget Review. “This is expected to result in a reduction or elimination of guarantee requirements for the programme, reducing the stock of contingent liabilities,” the documents adds, while stressing that contingent liability risks for independent power producers (IPPs) represents a low risk to the fiscus.
February 23, 2022 by

Iamgold reports on impact of doubling of Essakane solar plant

The 22 ha solar photovoltaic plant at gold producer Iamgold’s Essakane mine, in Burkina Faso, produces 25 000 MWh/y of electricity, while also reducing carbon dioxide equivalent emissions by 16.5 t, eliminating 5.5-million litres of fuel use a year and 120 fuel delivery trucks a year to sustain the mine’s 400 000 oz/y of production, Essakane GM Mohamed Ourriban has said. “The inflation in logistics costs has added another advantage arising from our use of clean, renewable energy on site,” he notes.
February 23, 2022 by

Mining industry progressing with energy transition to zero-emissions mines

Energy and mining industry experts this week detailed how the mining industry is grappling with the technical challenges of transitioning existing, and preparing new, operations to become more efficient and integrating renewable energy sources to, eventually, facilitate net-zero emissions from the mining and production of mineral resources. The solutions highlighted during the Energy and Mining Summit on February 22 included the use of renewable energy sources, and the associated challenges and opportunities; battery and heat energy storage; liquefied natural gas; coal-bed methane; and a focus on energy efficiency.
February 23, 2022 by

Scatec calls for comprehensive update on Eskom restructuring in Godongwana’s Budget speech

Independent power producer Scatec is calling on Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to provide a comprehensive update on the restructuring of power utility Eskom during hits maiden Budget speech this afternoon. Scatec sub-Saharan Africa GM Jan Fourie says the market needs an update on the utility’s restructuring, as concerns about grid availability, transmission, energy procurement and regulation are critical to the structuring and development of public and private sector companies in the future.
February 23, 2022 by

Eskom considers selling assets as bailout prospects fade

Eskom Holdings, South Africa’s indebted power utility, is considering selling distribution assets as prospects of the government taking over about half of its R392-billion obligations dim, people with knowledge of the matter said. State-owned Eskom, which supplies almost all of South Africa’s power, has said that it needs to cut its borrowings to about 200 billion rand to be sustainable, and the idea of the government taking a chunk of the debt has been discussed for several years.
February 23, 2022 by