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Upheaval is coming to South Africa over the shift away from coal

A photograph in the entrance hall at Komati Power Station shows the plant in better times, its nine generating units belching steam and smoke into the night sky. Those days are never coming back: Komati’s sole remaining working unit is facing closure within two years under plans by state power utility Eskom Holdings SOC to shut about a quarter of its coal-fired capacity by 2030. Next door at the Goedehoop mine, arrays of solar panels line the main access road, a sign of what may be to come for South Africa’s coal belt.
February 16, 2021 by

Lifting distributed-generation cap ‘one of the easier decisions’ facing government – De …

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has described the plan, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in his State of the Nation (SONA) address, to lift the licence-exemption threshold for distributed-generation plants as “one of the easier decisions” government could make in the near-term to alleviate stress on the utility, which is having to resort to regular load-shedding to mitigate supply shortfalls. Asked during a virtual event hosted by the Free Market Foundation if there were any immediate changes that government could make to help address the crisis, De Ruyter argued that lifting the licence exemption to well above the current 1-MW threshold “could assist us in unlocking additional capacity quickly by leveraging private capital – that is probably one of the easier decisions, hopefully, that government can take”.
February 15, 2021 by

Eskom, regulator says cracks in Koeberg containment structures not serious

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) has assured the public that the Koeberg nuclear power station, in Cape Town, is not discharging harmful radiation into the environment.

The NNR was responding to media coverage suggesting that the outer shell of the containment building at the power station were damaged and were not effectively protecting the environment from radiation.

February 15, 2021 by

Afsia publishes inaugural solar outlook report

Industry body the Africa Solar Industry Association (Afsia) has published its first yearly ‘Africa Solar Outlook’ report, which provides clear and concise information about the solar dynamics in each country in Africa to help solar professionals make decisions, says Afsia CEO John van Zuylen. The report reviews the key drivers for successful solar developments in each country and provides snapshots of their statuses and latest developments.
February 15, 2021 by

Ramaphosa’s SoNA holds bold promises, but lacks finer details, says BLSA

In his February 13 State of the Nation Address (SoNA), President Cyril Ramaphosa highlighted factors that will serve to lift the economy, tackle Covid-19 and boost ailing electricity infrastructure, says Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso.

Of particular interest, she says, was the four priorities of defeating Covid-19, driving an economic recovery, making reforms to improve inclusive growth and a rapid expansion of energy generating capacity were “spot on”.


February 15, 2021 by

Smoothing the path for distributed generation investment

Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement in his State of the Nation Address that the regulatory framework governing distributed-generation power projects will be amended and how this will help South Africa at a time when it is still facing electricity supply constraints and load-shedding.
February 12, 2021 by

Solutions light up local lodge

Lighting products supplier BEKA Schréder has supplied exterior lighting solutions to Skukuza Safari Lodge, which was officially opened last November. Located in one of the largest game reserves in Africa, the Kruger National Park, the newly built lodge offers tourism facilities for local and international visitors, and boasts 128 units.
February 12, 2021 by

Company expands lighting range

International lighting solutions provider Signify has expanded its Philips Hue portfolio in the US. This expansion includes an outdoor light to further personalise gardens and porches, a new wall switch module that makes existing light switches smart, and a redesigned Philips Hue dimmer switch. The outdoor set consists of the new Philips Hue Amarant linear wall wash light, which enables users to bathe outdoor walls with light to create the right ambiance in their yard no matter the season. The wall washing effect of vibrant light in millions of colours is intensified by the metal shield and spices up the look and feel of a blank wall in yards, patios, and terraces or on balconies.
February 12, 2021 by

Range provides dependable power distribution

Electrical and digital building infrastructure provider Legrand’s range of Zucchini busbars includes the LB PLUS range of busbar trunking systems, designed for the distribution of power from 25 A to 63 A. This durable busbar trunking system is an efficient single product solution for dependable lighting and power distribution, that replaces the need for multiple components in industrial and commercial installations.
February 12, 2021 by

Electricity regulations to be amended to raise licence-exemption cap for distributed generation …

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act would be amended within the next three months to increase “the licensing threshold for embedded generation”. The current licence-exemption cap is set at 1 MW, with projects above that size required to follow a licensing process with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa that has been designed primarily for utility scale investments.
February 11, 2021 by