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Nersa sets timetable for adjudication of Eskom’s 20.5% tariff application

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has finally initiated public consultations on Eskom’s 2022/23 revenue application, following a long delay that culminated in a December 3 court order instructing the regulator to make a tariff determination by no later than February 25. The paper has been released together with Eskom’s fifth multiyear price determination (MYPD5) revenue application, which covers a three-year period, but the adjudication will be confined to the coming financial year, in line with the High Court judgment.
December 8, 2021 by

Up to 72 000 energy transition jobs could be created in Mpumalanga by 2030, study shows

South Africa’s Mpumalanga province can compensate for a large share of the job losses that will arise in its declining coal sector and lay the foundations for the creation of a new clean-energy hub for the country by scaling up investments in renewable energy and accelerating coal decommissioning, a new study shows. Published by the International Energy Transition and the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies, of Potsdam in Germany, the study assesses the co-benefits of a transition from coal to renewable energy.
December 8, 2021 by

Coal-fired power project commissioned in Senegal

The Sendou coal-fired power project has started delivering commercial power to the national grid of Senegal after its successful recommissioning, investment company Barak Fund Management confirms.

The project is a partnership between Barak, the Senegalese government and State-owned power company Senelec.

December 8, 2021 by

LHDA awards Katse village, lodge upgrade construction tenders

Development agency the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) has awarded a M131-million construction contract for upgrades to the Katse Village and increased capacity at Katse Lodge. The Katse Village upgrades contract is the first of four housing construction contracts to be awarded as part of the broader Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase 2.
December 8, 2021 by

Portfolio committee agrees on in-principle terms of reference for RMIPPPP inquiry


The Portfolio Committee on Mineral Resources and Energy has resolved, in principle, on the terms of reference that will guide an inquiry into allegations of corruption and malfeasance during the process of appointing preferred bidders in the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP).
 
Eleven successful bidders were selected by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) to provide 1 995 MW of additional electricity generation capacity through a variety of energy sources.
December 8, 2021 by

Liquidity crunch again held up as key impediment to Eskom’s maintenance roll-out

Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer has once again highlighted the utility’s liquidity crunch as a key constraint to the execution of its much-vaunted reliability maintenance programme, which is seen as key to reversing the poor operational performance of its aged coal fleet. The fleet’s energy availability factor has fallen to 64% year-to-date, resulting in 2021 becoming South Africa’s worst year yet for load-shedding.
December 7, 2021 by

Decarbonisation roadmap highlights economic benefits and international support for South Africa

Europe-Africa energy cooperation foundation Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa’s (Res4Africa’s) ‘Decarbonisation Roadmap for South Africa’ report highlights the economic benefits of modernising and decarbonising the country’s economy and demonstrates the broad international financial and technical support South Africa is receiving for raising and achieving its decarbonisation ambitions. These were some of the sentiments shared during the launch of the decarbonisation roadmap by regulators, researchers, financiers and energy industry representatives on December 7.
December 7, 2021 by