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DA urges ‘anti-competitive’ Eskom to withdraw legal proceedings against Nersa

The Democratic Alliance (DA) on Thursday urged State power utility Eskom to withdraw its “futile and costly” legal dispute and support the transformation of South Africa’s energy sector. Eskom has approached the High Court to review the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) decision to grant four trading licences in what it describes as its area of supply.
October 31, 2024 by

South Africa seeks billions in climate funds as it keeps coal plants open

South Africa pledged to slash emissions across its fleet of coal-fired power plants in a bid to secure $2.6-billion in climate finance. That’s despite seeking to alter the terms of a 2022 agreement by delaying the outright closure of three of the facilities. The plan, which involves the reduction of emissions at a number of units at the 14 plants operated by the state utility Eskom, was submitted to the World Bank affiliated Climate Investment Funds on Wednesday, South Africa’s presidency said in a response to queries. The country has now said it will close the Grootvlei, Hendrina and Camden plants at a later stage after initially agreeing to begin shutting them down from as early as next year.
October 31, 2024 by

In another shock move, Eskom seeks review of Nersa decision to issue four new trading licences

In another surprise move, Eskom has taken the seemingly regressive step of approaching the High Court for a review of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) decision to grant four trading licenses in what it describes as its area of supply. In a statement released a day after the Energy Regulator, Nersa’s top decision-making structure, approved trading licences in favour of CBI Electric Apollo, Discovery Green, Green Electron Market and GreenCo Power Services, Eskom reiterated objections first raised during public hearings on July 18.
October 31, 2024 by

R390bn in electricity investment ‘tangible evidence’ of benefits of reforms

The first phase of Operation Vulindlela, which was set up jointly by the Presidency and the National Treasury to oversee structural economic reforms, unlocked R390-billion worth of investment in the electricity sector. The investment figure is included in the Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement released on Wednesday by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, who indicated the second phase would seek to build on previous efforts.
October 30, 2024 by

NTCSA revises latest TDP considering uptick in expected generation capacity

The National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) has hosted its inaugural Transmission Development Plan (TDP) briefing since starting commercial operation in July this year, with the 2024 TDP reporting higher required transmission capacity installations compared with the prior TDP, in line with expected generation capacity increases.

NTCSA interim CEO Segomoco Scheppers says the prior TDP projected that 53 GW of new generation capacity would be online by 2032, with nearly 39 GW of the capacity coming from renewable energy. That would have required 4 200 km of high-voltage transmission lines and 170 transformers providing 105 000 MVA of capacity.

October 30, 2024 by

Clean energy technology market to rival crude oil market value by 2035

Based on the current policy environment, the global market for clean energy technologies is set to rise from $700-billion in 2023 to more than $2-trillion by 2035, close to the value of the current global crude oil market, a new International Energy Association (IEA) report shows. The latest edition of the IEA’s ‘Energy Technology Perspectives 2024’ (ETP-2024) report, which was published on October 30, states that trade in clean technologies is also expected to rise sharply. Within a decade from now, it will more than triple to reach $570-billion, more than 50% larger than current natural gas global trade figures.
October 30, 2024 by

Batting away Eskom objections, Nersa approves four new electricity traders and first private …

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved four new electricity trading licences, the issuance of which had been opposed by Eskom, along with the country’s first-ever private import/export licence. The Energy Regulator, which is Nersa’s highest decision-making body made the approvals during their meeting on October 29, agreeing with the approval recommendation agreed to by the Electricity Subcommittee on October 1.
October 29, 2024 by

Renewables, wheeling agreements could help local manufacturers

The success of the manufacturing sector, which plays an important role in economic development and is important for job creation, depends on reliable, stable and affordable energy supply. Manufacturers in South Africa could benefit from investing in renewable energy to not only provide that energy, but also to reduce carbon emissions, consulting firm BMA director Meghan King told delegates at the recent Manufacturing Indaba.
October 29, 2024 by