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SANEDI develops new strategic plan to address modern energy issues

Various challenges in the South African energy sector must be addressed for wider socioeconomic advancement – for which the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) has developed a new strategic plan, positioning it to address key energy sector issues. SANEDI interim CEO Lethabo Manamela explains that since SANEDI was established as an agency of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy in 2011, it has been directing applied energy research and implementing energy efficiency measures in the country, working with local and international partners.
August 23, 2021 by

South Africa aims to bring pilot carbon capture project online in 2023

South Africa has started geological mapping at the country’s first carbon capture and storage (CCS) site, where it plans to inject vast quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) deep underground from 2023, a senior Council for Geoscience official said. The project will be based around the town of Leandra, Mpumalanga province, in South Africa’s north east, a carbon emissions hotspot and home to several coal-fired power stations as well as Sasol’s Secunda coal-to-liquids fuel plant, the world’s largest.
August 23, 2021 by

Outa notes with concern Nersa subcommittee’s recommendation to approve 2 500 MW of new …

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) reports with “extreme concern” that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) electricity subcommittee has conditionally indicated approval, on August 20, of the government’s proposal that South Africa should build another 2 500 MW of nuclear power generation capacity.

Outa points out that the Nersa subcommittee’s decision is only a recommendation to the Nersa board, which will then take the final decision.

August 20, 2021 by

Ability to sell electricity to multiple customers made explicit in updated 100-MW reform amendment

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has gazetted an updated version of the amendment to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act that he first gazetted on August 12. The update, which is dated August 19, makes it clear that electricity sales from sub-100 MW projects, which are exempted from licensing with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), can be to “one or more customers”.
August 20, 2021 by

US moves to secure critical minerals for EV supply chain

Modern civilisation was built on fossil fuels, with the invention and commercialisation of the internal combustion engine during the 1800s setting the stage for petroleum-based vehicles to be dominant worldwide for the next 150 years. Various oil majors continue to produce huge volumes of oil and natural gas, owing to fossil fuels still being used to meet the majority of the world’s energy requirements.
August 20, 2021 by

Repower, repurpose plans under way for utility

State-owned power utility Eskom is progressing with plans to repower and repurpose some of its coal power stations, build greenfield power plants with cleaner technologies and invest in necessary grid infrastructure to support these plans. Repowering and repurposing the Komati power station, in Mpumalanga, is being prioritised by Eskom this year.
August 20, 2021 by

Court decision could increase electricity prices, revenue

National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) is appealing a High Court application that State-owned power utility Eskom brought against Nersa last year, which states that Nersa exceeded its boundaries regarding the determination on tariff adjustments requested by Eskom. Energy sector law firm LNP Attorneys CEO Nikita Lalla explains that Eskom’s argument – that Nersa had “gone beyond its statutory or regulatory regime in regard to determining tariff increases and the information the regulator was allowed to take into consideration in that endeavour” – was upheld by the courts.
August 20, 2021 by

Energy study on grid capacity to assist Eskom

Stellenbosch University (SU), in the Western Cape, is conducting a study to examine grid capacity and determine ideal locations for renewable-energy projects that will support the grid. The study is funded by global organisation the European Climate Foundation (ECF); SU reports on the results of the study to the ECF and State-owned power utility Eskom.
August 20, 2021 by