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Eskom Kusile R745m corruption matter postponed for more than 3 months

The case against two former Eskom executives who were allegedly involved in a R745-million corruption case at the Kusile power station has been postponed for more than three months.   Former Eskom Group Executive for the Group Capital Division Abram Masango and former contracts manager France Hlakudi appeared in the Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sitting in Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday. 
February 23, 2021 by

Just energy transition remains priority to ensure sustainable future

South Africa’s energy sector needs to broadly embrace a just energy transition to ensure it improves energy security and stability, as well as meets its obligations towards mitigating climate change, says nonprofit economic research institution Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies senior economist Gaylor Montmasson-Clair. He says a fair and equitable energy transition away from fossil fuels, and coal in particular, and towards renewable energy and other forms of less carbon intensive energy needs to embrace three key dynamics.
February 23, 2021 by

Eskom’s tariff restructure not all that bad, says energy solutions provider

Eskom’s recently tabled tariff restructure programme, which proposes changes such as charging consumers a fixed connection fee, may indeed improve the landscape for renewable energy in South Africa, says Energy Partners Intelligence business development head Tygue Theron.

He tells Engineering News that while there has been a fair amount of criticism levelled against the State-owned utility’s proposed plan, as well as recent developments that are expected to result in a 15.63% increase in tariffs from April 1, there is another way to look at the situation.

February 23, 2021 by

NGO International Rivers calls on SA not to support Grand Inga scheme

International rivers and river communities rights nongovernmental organisation International Rivers has called on South Africa to withdraw its agreement to offtake electricity from the Inga 3 hydropower project being built in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). South Africa continues to uphold its commitment to procure power from the delayed Inga 3 hydropower dam, but the power imported from Inga is expected to cost R175-million a year more than domestic power generation, the NGO avers.
February 23, 2021 by

SALT doubles grid-tied solar system, supported by year-long test

The Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), in the Northern Cape, has added a new 53 kW solar installation to its grid-tied 40 kVA solar rooftop system. This follows after a system installed on the workshops of the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) provided one year of operational data that convinced the SALT board that a similar-sized system would work on the SALT stores roof.
February 22, 2021 by

Botha nears end of solo transatlantic row

South African adventurer and former naval officer Zirk Botha is days away from finishing his solo transatlantic ocean row, from Cape Town to Rio de Janeiro, during which he will have covered 7 200 km, or 4 000 nautical miles. Botha left Cape Town on December 19, 2020, and is set to arrive in Rio de Janeiro on the weekend of February 28, 2021.
February 22, 2021 by

Sasol upscales renewables roll-out ambition to 900 MW, starts plotting big green-hydrogen role

JSE-listed Sasol announced on Monday that it would pursue a 900 MW renewable-energy roll-out at its Secunda and Sasolburg complexes by 2030, raising its initial deployment target of 600 MW by 50%. President and CEO Fleetwood Grobler said that the upscaled plan would be pursued in partnership with others, including Air Liquide, which recently acquired Sasol’s 16 air separation units at Secunda for R8.5-billion.
February 22, 2021 by

Ocean energy fund expected to boost sector

Ocean energy professional network Ocean Energy Europe (OEE) has appointed risk and insurance consultancy Renewable Risk Advisers to carry out the design of a brand new European and European Union-funded insurance fund for the ocean energy sector as part of the OceanSET project. The project is expected to cut the costs of the first commercial projects and accelerate the roll-out of this new industry.
February 19, 2021 by