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Risks loom despite loadshedding pause – Energy Council

Industry association Energy Council of South Africa is confident that South Africa will remain out of sustained loadshedding for the next three to four years, owing to the rapid growth in electricity generation. However, risks remain, particularly State-owned utility Eskom’s fleet reliability and any “catastrophic failures” as have been seen in the past.  
March 21, 2025 by

Policy coherence seen as key to scaling up SA’s circular economy

With increasing pressure being placed on South Africa’s municipal dumps amid growing waste generation, promoting a circular economy could provide valuable solutions while potentially creating new business opportunities. Although South Africa has relevant policies in place regarding circularity – such as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, which require producers to take responsibility for their packaging waste throughout its life cycle – policy coherence and accountability are needed to ensure successful implementation.
March 21, 2025 by

US stalls $2.6bn climate finance package for South Africa

he US is stalling the distribution of $2.6-billion in climate finance to South Africa, stoking concerns the money might be blocked outright, people familiar with the situation said. At a meeting earlier this month, US representatives prevented the World Bank-linked Climate Investment Funds from approving a $500-million disbursement to South Africa, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because a public announcement hasn’t been made on the matter.
March 20, 2025 by

Eskom describes implementation of structural tariff changes as necessary shock to system

Eskom has acknowledged that there will be differentiated tariff impacts for various categories of electricity customers following the regulator’s approval of a new retail tariff plan (RTP) for implementation on April 1, alongside the 12.74% tariff increase approved for the 2025/26 financial year. Eskom regulation GM Hasha Tlhotlhalemaje has described the restructuring associated with the RTP as a necessary “shock”, as it begins aligning Eskom’s tariff structure with underlying system costs and changes to the electricity supply industry, while removing unintended cross-subsidies.
March 19, 2025 by

Gaia acquires an interest in solar PV, wind plants

Cape Town Stock Exchange-listed Gaia Renewables 1, has acquired an interest in three renewable-energy plants from the IDEAS Renewable Energy Fund, which is managed by African Infrastructure Investment Managers. The deal, initially funded with debt and equity, will see the fund gaining a 10% holding in each of the Linde and Kalkbult solar PV plants, in the Northern Cape, as well as a 21% stake in the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, in the Eastern Cape.
March 19, 2025 by

CSIR, AFD discuss enterprise development opportunities for solar PV, battery storage

Research institution the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and French public agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on March 12 hosted a dissemination workshop to share the findings of the study titled ‘Value chain analysis for identification of opportunities for enterprise development’. This collaboration included a study examining the localisation potential and enterprise development opportunities for solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage value chains.
March 18, 2025 by