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Mulilo says Middlepunt PV plant to supply cheapest REIPPPP-procured electricity

South African independent power producer Mulilo reports that its 337 MWdc Middlepunt solar PV plant will deliver electricity at R458/MWh when it enters into commercial operation in the coming 24 months – the cheapest electricity procured to date under South Africa’s public bidding rounds. Located near Welkom in the Free State, Mulilo CEO Jan Fourie reports that the R4.4-billion project is also the first project procured under Bid Window 7 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, or REIPPPP, to have advanced to financial close.
April 14, 2026 by

Mkango subsidiaries to collaborate in UK grant-funded project to develop recycled magnets

Aim- and TSX-V-listed rare earth elements and associated minerals company Mkango Resources’ subsidiaries HyProMag and Mkango Rare Earths UK have been named as collaborative project winners of the Driving Research & Investment in Vehicle Electrification (DRIVE35) research and development (R&D) competition – an initiative of the UK Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to support the UK automotive industry through £4-billion of capital and R&D funding. HyProMag is leading the three-year £6.5-million Rare Earth Automotive Circular Technologies for the UK (REACT UK) project to establish and deliver a full circular UK supply chain comprising recovery, recycling and remanufacturing of neodymium-iron-boron (NdFeB) magnets from end-of-life hybrid and electric vehicles.
April 14, 2026 by

Cummins launches BESS for Southern Africa

Integrated power solutions company Cummins on April 10 launched its battery energy storage system (BESS) offering for the Southern African market, with its South African head office in Midrand set to host a C1500B5ZE BESS unit. Speaking to Engineering News at the launch, Cummins new energy solutions director Ismael Chang said this unit is slated to be operational in about five months.
April 13, 2026 by

Cresco warns of potential energy security risk if diesel supply for OCGT is constrained

South Africa’s power utility Eskom, which uses diesel in its open-cycle gas turbine (OCGT) generators to meet peak demand, may have to start implementing Stage 1 or 2 loadshedding in a scenario of constrained diesel supply, warns financial advisory firm Cresco Project Finance Energy Strategy advisory partner Dominic Goncalves. About 57% of South Africa’s total refined diesel supply is shipped through the Strait of Hormuz, and only two of five local refineries in South Africa are operational.
April 10, 2026 by

Vodacom calls for collective action to decarbonise Africa’s digital economy

A new research report published by telecommunications group Vodacom highlights Africa’s high vulnerability to climate change, with decarbonisation efforts hampered by critical energy challenges. The White Paper, ‘Decarbonising Africa’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector’, shows that weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints within utilities, complex regulatory environments and unreliable electricity supply continue to slow the adoption of renewable energy across the continent.
April 10, 2026 by

Diesel generation remains key energy source

Amid a challenging energy landscape, diesel-based power generation remains one of the predominant standby energy sources across the African continent, despite diesel generator demand slowly plateauing, says global diesel and alternative fuel generators manufacturer Cummins power generation markets Europe, Middle East, India and Africa executive director Ignacio Gonzalez. Although there is a need for a “sensible balance” between global decarbonisation efforts and Africa’s need for reliable power, in practice, energy security continues to “come first” across most African markets.
April 10, 2026 by

Generators continue to offer value

Amid South Africa’s evolving energy landscape, generators and standby power solutions remain highly relevant, provided that they are deployed intelligently through proactive fuel and load management, and hybrid solutions, says UK based diesel and hybrid power solutions manufacturer AJ Power business development director Andrew Pigott. While a significant drawback of using generators is the high costs associated with diesel fuel, the key driver for generator use is mitigating downtime rather than avoiding associated costs.
April 10, 2026 by

Coega, Eskom to ensure new nuclear build leads to inclusive growth, skills development

State-owned special economic zone (SEZ) developer the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) and State-owned Eskom have established a three-year strategic framework for cooperation in support of South Africa’s Nuclear New Build Programme (NNBP). The two State-owned entities will collaborate across key focus areas, including infrastructure development, industrialisation and localisation, regulatory and site readiness, skills and supplier development, logistics coordination and socioeconomic investment initiatives.
April 9, 2026 by

Cape Town to buy power from waste-to-energy producers

The City of Cape Town (CoCT) intends to procure bulk electricity, depending on the commercial viability, of at least 5 MWac from waste-to-energy independent power producers (IPPs) through power purchase agreements (PPAs) for up to 20 years. For the contract to be commercially viable, the city says that the energy pricing must be lower than Eskom’s equivalent tariff, and emissions must also be lower than Eskom’s grid emissions factor.
April 9, 2026 by