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Two BW6 solar projects with a combined capacity of 360 MW reach commercial close

Two solar photovoltaic (PV) projects selected as preferred bids under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) renewable energy procurement programme reached commercial close on April 30. The projects, which were part of a group of six PV projects to advance to preferred-bidder status for a 1 000 MW allocation in 2022, have a combined capacity of 360 MW and a combined investment value of R4.9-billion.
April 30, 2024 by

City Power seeks funding, manufacturing partners for informal settlement ‘energy box’

Johannesburg’s City Power is seeking manufacturing and venture capital partners to further develop and pilot a rugged ‘energy box’ concept in one of the city’s 312 informal settlements as a possible greener and safer alternative to the illegal connections that currently predominate. Chief engineer for renewable energy Paul Vermeulen says the idea is to locate 3 kWh energy storage boxes – linked to lighting, charging and cooking appliances – within individual dwellings and link these to a centralised solar photovoltaic generator securely located on a nearby warehouse or factory rooftop.
April 30, 2024 by

Eskom warns political parties against placing posters on electrical structures

Ahead of the upcoming May 29 elections, State-owned power utility Eskom has cautioned all political parties against the “dangerous practice” of placing election posters on electrical structures. The utility said in the past there had been incidents of electrocution whilst posters were being put up, which it said contravened the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
April 29, 2024 by

Draft Gas Master Plan released amid supply ‘cliff’ warnings

South Africa’s much-delayed draft Gas Master Plan (GMP2024) has been released for public comment by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, amid indications that the gap between demand and supply will grow steeply from 2026 onwards when Sasol ceases to supply Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal industrial customers with gas imported from Mozambique. The document includes four scenarios, including a base case that shows that gas demand will far exceed supply in the short term and that the gap, which has been described as an anticipated ‘gas cliff’, will worsen as demand grows.
April 29, 2024 by

Without rooftop solar investments, loadshedding would be worse, study shows

Amid the energy challenges facing South Africa, residential solar energy company GoSolr says radical steps must be taken to secure the country’s energy supply and notes that solar energy will have a key role to play in ensuring security of supply.

In its inaugural quarterly solar update, or Light Paper, the company points out that South Africa experienced 68 days of loadshedding in the first quarter of this year.

April 29, 2024 by

Eskom says generation recovery plan gathering momentum

During a State of the System address hosted on Friday, Eskom confirmed its generation recovery plan (GRP) is making tangible progress, with various coal-fired power station units having been refurbished, repaired or optimised. Launched in April 2023 following extensive stakeholder engagements, including with power station managers, the GRP aims to address challenges affecting South Africa’s energy availability factor (EAF) within a two-year timeframe.
April 26, 2024 by

Eskom anticipates limited winter loadshedding amid generation improvements

Newly appointed Eskom group CEO Dan Marokane has provided assurances that loadshedding during the upcoming winter months will likely be contained at Stage 2, thanks to improvements in generation performance across the coal-fired power station fleet.

As of April 26, Eskom has marked 30 consecutive days without loadshedding, which Marokane said on Friday was a “good moment” to reflect on. He attributed the achievement to the success of the generation recovery plan (GRP) implemented by the State-owned power utility since April 2023.

April 26, 2024 by