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Seriti Green appoints Motloung as COO as projects move into operation

Renewable energy independent power producer Seriti Green has appointed Chabisi Motloung as COO, as the company’s projects, including the giant Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm in Mpumalanga, move into operation. The first three faces of Ummbila Emoyeni are now under construction, and involve wind projects with a combined capacity of 465 MW, as well as a new main transmission substation. The full 900 MW development will involve five wind farms, a solar PV generator and a battery storage facility.

Experts unpack pertinent grid constraint issues

South Africa’s electricity transmission grid constraints pose challenges such as delaying projects and hampering electricity investment; however, the impact of this is fully understood by stakeholders, and therefore, interventions are under way to mitigate this, with collaboration pivotal to this process. This was indicated by speakers participating in Creamer Media’s “Investing in South Africa’s Electricity Transmission Grid” webinar on February 3. The panel – facilitated by Brian Day, and …

African countries pushing forward with nuclear energy programmes

African countries are aiming to achieve a total nuclear power generating capacity of 15 GW by 2035, most of it in West Africa. This would require a capital investment of $105-billion. This was highlighted at a recent webinar organised by the Nuclear Business Platform consultancy, with the participation of officials from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Burkina Faso, Ghana and Nigeria. More than 15 African countries had formal nuclear energy programmes, at different stages of development. These ranged from the adoption of the necessary policies to the development of regulations, and from site selection to discussions with vendors.

AfDB has launched Phase II of continental electrification programme

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched the next stage of the Mission 300 initiative, which is a joint AfDB-World Bank programme to connect 300-million Africans with electricity by 2030. This latest stage is designated AESTAP Mission 300 Phase II. It is a $3.9-million technical assistance project, which directly builds upon the $1-million AESTAP Mission 300 Phase I, which was launched in December. Phase II of the programme will benefit 13 countries, namely Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauretania, Namibia, Nigeria, Tanzania and Uganda. It will assist these countries to implement their National Energy Compacts, which are national plans to expand electricity access, attract investment and reinforce power sectors in each of the participating countries. (Dozens of African countries have developed such compacts.)

Nersa registered 147 new power generation facilities in the Dec quarter

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) registered 147 new electricity generation facilities in the quarter ended December 31 – the third quarter of the 2025/26 financial year – adding total capacity of 1 960 MW and an investment of R33.39-billion. The regulator processed these registrations within an average of nine working days, a notable improvement from the third quarter of the 2024/25 financial year when 117 applications were processed in an average of 14 working days.

Operation Vulindlela again lists Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area ‘facing significant …

The latest update on progress being made in implementing the structural reforms that have been prioritised under Operation Vulindlela has again identified Eskom’s restructuring as a reform area “facing significant challenges” and where intervention is required. Lagging restructuring progress at Eskom is one of only three reforms highlighted as facing difficulties, even though several others are listed as experiencing delays.

Eskom ups wage hike offer in ongoing union talks

State-owned power utility Eskom has raised its salary increase offer to trade unions to 5.5% from the 3.5% it proposed last year, a document seen by Reuters showed, though it remains well below what unions are demanding. Eskom has been a long-term drag on Africa’s biggest economy through its electricity cuts and financial woes. But a sharp improvement in the performance of its coal-fired power stations has allowed it to stop implementing nationwide blackouts. It reported its first full-year profit in eight years last financial year.