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Renergen drilling programme back on track

Emerging domestic natural gas and helium producer Renergen’s re-drill of the inclined drilling programme (referred to as P2V2) at its flagship Virginia gas project, in the Free State, is expected to be at, or be close to, target by the end of the first week of November. In a statement on October 21, the JSE- and ASX-listed company confirmed that the re-drill had completed setting of the intermediate casing and that it was on track to drill through to the base of the Karoo and the targeted gas-bearing fault structures.
October 21, 2020 by

Ministerial Renewable Energy Sector Engagement Forum structure ratified

The second meeting to establish a stakeholder-based Ministerial Renewable Energy Sector Engagement Forum (Resef) and associated Resef Working Group was held online on October 20, during which attendees voted overwhelmingly to ratify the structure of the forum and the names proposed by the renewable energy sector stakeholders for the seats on the forum. The ultimate intended purpose of the Resef is to establish a legitimate, ongoing platform of communication and engagement between the renewable energy sector and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and Minister Gwede Mantashe around identified renewable energy issues, in the national interest.
October 20, 2020 by

Massive grid investment needed to unlock IRP’s 30GW-by-2030 vision

State-owned electricity utility Eskom is warning that a significant and accelerated expansion of South Africa’s grid infrastructure, beyond that catered for by its current R118-billion investment plan to 2030, is required to integrate the 30 GW of mainly wind and solar generators that will have to be introduced by the end of the decade to ensure security of supply. Group executive for transmission Segomoco Scheppers confirmed on Tuesday that Eskom’s grid-related investment plans had been “moderated” in light of financial constraints and that a significant amount of additional investment would be required to accommodate the new generation outlined in the Integrated Resources Plan of 2019 (IRP2019).
October 20, 2020 by

Eskom moves to secure R23bn granted by High Court for 2021, despite Nersa appeal

Eskom has launched a fresh legal bid to ensure that the automatic reintroduction of a R23-billion equity injection to its allowable revenue in 2021/22, as granted by the High Court in July, is not negated by the fact that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has been granted leave to appeal of the judgment. In her July 28 judgment, Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane ruled that Nersa had acted illegally in 2019 when it removed a R69-billion government equity injection from the State-owned utility’s allowable revenue when adjudicating Eskom’s fourth multiyear price determination (MYPD4).
October 19, 2020 by

Eskom to resume construction of 400 kV line in SA’s KwaZulu-Natal province

Eskom said on Monday work was set to resume on the final leg of an approximately 123 km transmission power line running through the uMgungundlovu and uThukela district municipalities of KwaZulu-Natal province. In a statement, the state power utility said final construction of the 47 km leg of this power line would start from the existing Venus substation in Estcourt and end at the existing Ariadne substation in the provincial capital Pietermaritzburg.
October 19, 2020 by

Kepco cancels investment in South African coal energy plant

South Korea’s State-owned power utility Kepco will either cancel its investment in coal-driven South African independent power producer Thabametsi, or transition the project to gas. A statement issued on Friday by the South Africa desk of the Global Strategic Communications Council (GSCC), an international network in the field of climate and energy, said Kepco announced on Thursday night it would no longer invest in overseas coal projects, a move which would also impact the Sual 2 venture in the Philippines.
October 16, 2020 by

Scatec Solar advances growth strategy through hydropower developer acquisition

European photovoltaic (PV) company Scatec Solar will be acquiring 100% of the shares in hydropower developer and independent power producer (IPP) SN Power from Norwegian investment fund Norfund for just over $1.1-million. The acquisition forms an important part of Scatec’s broadened growth strategy, with an ambition to become a global large-scale player in solar, hydro, wind and storage solutions, and an integrator of high-value infrastructure solutions.  Scatec and SN Power have a unique and complementary portfolio of assets, geographical footprint and capabilities, and will together hold a large project pipeline across solar, hydro, wind and storage, the companies noted in an October 16 statement.
October 16, 2020 by

Electricity regulations amended to allow municipalities to develop or buy power

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has gazetted amendments to the electricity regulations for new electricity generation capacity, opening the way for “municipalities in good financial standing to develop their own power generation projects”.  The Gazette notice amends the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity in terms of Section 35(4) of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA), of 2006, and has been published a day after President Cyril Ramaphosa released government’s Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, which lists the rapid expansion of energy generation capacity as a top priority.
October 16, 2020 by

Recognition of LPG benefits in energy mix growing

For many years, the benefits of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) for South Africa “have been largely, frustratingly, moot”, according to a statement from industry association LPG South Africa (LPGSA). The doubt surrounding LPG’s benefits stems from an historically inconsistent and unreliable supply of LPG in South Africa, but LPGSA says LPG availability in South Africa is on the rise.
October 16, 2020 by

Natural gas to play important role in the energy future

Energy solutions company GE expects gas power to play an increasingly important role in the medium- to long-term future of the country’s energy mix as government continues to pursue decarbonisation through balancing the demands between a coal-fired past and a renewables future. GE Gas Power regional executive Nosizwe Dlengezele says major recent gas discoveries will provide supply in the long term, while local and regional gas resources, including liquified natural gas (LNG), will provide fuel options in the short term. 
October 16, 2020 by