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South Africa’s reliance on Inga 3 hydropower project ‘a grave risk’, organisations warn

Civil society organisations International Rivers and WoMin African Alliance have published a report that they say provides, for the first time, an independent and authoritative account of the true cost of the Inga 3 hydropower project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo for South Africa.   The report’s conclusions are “dire yet clear” in that offtaking hydropower from Inga 3 will be “too costly and an unmitigated disaster” for the country, the organisations state. South Africa intends to procure at least 2 500 MW of hydropower produced at Inga 3, but construction on that project has yet to start.
June 29, 2021 by

SANEDI encourages consumers to save energy

Modified consumer behaviour and the implementation of energy-efficient solutions can reduce electricity demand, while also enabling South Africans to save money on their energy bill, says South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) energy efficiency and corporate communications GM Barry Bredenkamp. Considering the constrained energy supply, every individual must play his or her part in reducing electricity use and help reduce the pressure on the national electricity grid, he says.
June 29, 2021 by

Efficiency policies to mitigate the electricity crisis in South Africa, says SANEDI

The South African government is raising efficiency levels for high-consumption electrical products,  like street lights, in an effort to reduce the energy burden on the national grid, especially as State-owned utility Eskom continues to face constraints in supplying electricity. With experts recommending the country should brace for a protracted period of intermittent power cuts, or load-shedding, for at least another five years, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (MRE) and the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI) are developing minimum energy performance standards (MEPS) for streetlights.
June 28, 2021 by

Ramaphosa says separated grid company will ‘promote purchase of lowest-cost electricity’

The creation of a separate State-owned transmission entity, as part of the restructuring of Eskom into three separate entities responsible for generation, transmission and distribution, has been held up by President Cyril Ramaphosa as key to promoting the purchase of the lowest-cost electricity for businesses and households. In his weekly newsletter, which is dedicated to the reforms under way across State-owned enterprise (SOEs), the President said that the transmission company, which is schedule for establishment by year-end as the Independent System and Market Operator (ITSMO), would be able to purchase power from a broader range of providers, both private and public.
June 28, 2021 by

State gas companies move to exercise pre-emptive rights over Moz-SA pipeline

The State-owned gas companies of South Africa and Mozambique have announced that they have exercised their pre-emptive rights to acquire, for R4.15-billion, the 30% equity stake in the Republic of Mozambique Pipeline (Rompco) hitherto owned by Sasol. The announcement follows on from Sasol’s May 14 announcement of a sale and purchase agreement (SPA) – subject to the pre-emptive rights held by Central Energy Fund subsidiary iGAS and Empresa Nacional de Hidrocarbonetos subsidiary Companhia Mocambiçana de Gasoduto (CMG) – with a Reatile-led consortium.
June 28, 2021 by

SAPVIA welcomes Italian investment in local solar PV inverter manufacturing capacity

Industry association the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has welcomed the investment decision by Italian-based firm Enertronica Santerno to expand its manufacturing activities in South Africa.  The Italian firm, which has been an active player in South Africa over the past  ten years, will be investing up to R17-million to enhance its capacity to manufacture inverters for solar photovoltaic (PV) applications, including storage solutions, with a maximum initial production capacity of more than 500 MW a year, gradually ramping up to higher capacity targets.
June 25, 2021 by

Dept refuses enviro authorisations for Karpowership SA projects

Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s decision to refuse to provider Karpowership SA environmental authorisations for its proposed powership projects; Karpowership’s response; and what this means for the Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
June 25, 2021 by