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Gas is the new coal with risk of $100bn in stranded assets

Natural gas is falling out of favor with emissions-wary investors and utilities at a quicker pace than coal did, catching some power generators unaware and potentially leaving them stuck with billions of dollars of assets they can’t sell. Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are among the banks that strengthened their financing restrictions on thermal coal under pressure from shareholders wanting to avoid the fuel, and the expectation is that gas is next. Executives at some western European companies say they’re already struggling to sell gas-fired facilities.
April 19, 2021 by

City Power to clear electricity lines servitudes of encroaching objects

City of Johannesburg utility City Power will embark on a three-week programme to patrol and clear electricity lines servitudes of encroaching objects, it said on April 15. An investigation conducted by City Power into the cause of frequent power outages affecting the north-eastern corridors, especially the Greenstone area, found that, while most of the outages were owing to vandalism and cable theft, a worrying number were owing to faults on the overhead lines caused by encroaching objects, including trees and buildings.
April 16, 2021 by

Electricity grids to benefit from IoT

Embracing renewable energy, adapting business models, reducing operational expenditure and using Internet of Things (IoT) technologies can lead to effective power generation and transmission, says University of Pretoria (UP) associate professor Raj Naidoo. While the energy model for electricity generation is evolving at a rapid rate globally, South Africa’s initiatives to integrate renewables sourced power into the coal-dominated generation programme have been slow.
April 16, 2021 by

Sector gets skills development boost

The off-grid energy sector is continuing to grow, with shifts towards using standalone off-grid and renewable-energy-powered minigrid systems, as such systems can provide electricity in areas where current grid infrastructure cannot reach. However, despite the growth in the sector, there has been little focus on skills development programmes for local human capital.
April 16, 2021 by

Solar to offer relief for the grid

Southern Africa is familiar with low levels of electricity access and frequent electricity power cuts, owing to dilapidating infrastructure and its inadequacy to provide electricity in rural areas. However, using alternative and more affordable energy sources, such as solar, wind and waste-to-energy solutions, will enable rural communities to have access to electricity, says advisory firm Birguid’s associate and chief financial officer Kudzaishe Chivandire.
April 16, 2021 by

Tenders awarded to connect Lesedi gas, solar project to Botswana grid

Southern African energy development company Tlou Energy has awarded tenders for the construction of transmission lines and substations to connect the coal-bed methane Lesedi power project to the Botswana national electricity grid at Serowe, the company said on April 14. Botswana electrical engineering company Zismo Engineering was awarded the tender to build the 100 km overhead line, while construction and mining contract multinational Murray & Roberts subsidiary OptiPower will build the substations at Lesedi and Serowe.
April 15, 2021 by

Electricity, water price hikes pose risk to inflation outlook – central bank

Above-inflation increases to South Africa’s electricity and water prices pose a risk to the consumer inflation outlook and could trigger a rise in lending rates, the central bank said on Wednesday. “These risks, should they materialise, could drive headline above the 4.5% target midpoint and possibly dislodge inflation expectations away from the midpoint,” the bank said in its bi-annual Monetary Policy Review.
April 15, 2021 by