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UCT, Solarise Africa partner in installing backup power project

The University of Cape Town (UCT) and Solarise Africa, together with partners ACES Africa and WEG South Africa, have launched the UCT Faculty of Health Sciences backup power project at the Health Sciences Campus in Observatory. Designed to secure uninterrupted power for the healthcare, research and teaching facilities, the project also lays the foundation for the integration of renewable energy into the existing power supply in future phases.
November 3, 2025 by

BLSA welcomes Operation Vulindlela progress, but calls for increased implementation momentum

The launch of Operation Vulindlela’s Phase II second-quarter report last week showed that, while it has delivered important results, critical work still remains, business organisation Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso writes in her latest weekly newsletter. Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the National Treasury, aimed at achieving more rapid and inclusive economic growth through a programme of far-reaching economic reforms.
November 3, 2025 by

Operation Vulindlela Phase II progressing

The second phase of Operation Vulindlela is progressing across the various reforms, it was highlighted during a Phase II progress report for the second quarter, on October 31.   Operation Vulindlela is a joint initiative of the Presidency and the National Treasury, aimed at achieving more rapid and inclusive economic growth through a programme of far-reaching economic reforms.
October 31, 2025 by

Amid delay to private grid tender, Ramokgopa indicates willingness to pay ‘premium’ to …

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Rampkgopa has indicated that South Africa should be willing to pay a premium to ensure that the multi-billion-rand expansion of the electricity grid is used to leverage industrialisation and transformation. “We must be very decisive. We are prepared to pay the price and the premium for growing the South African economy … I know industry is ready,” Ramokgopa said, during an engagement with manufacturing and construction stakeholders in Sandton on October 31.
October 31, 2025 by

Release signs new solar, battery lease agreements in Liberia and Sierra Leone

Solar and battery leasing company Release, which is majority-owned by renewable energy company Scatec, has signed new lease agreements totalling 64 MW of solar power and 10 MWh of battery storage in Liberia and Sierra Leone. In Liberia, Release has entered into a 15-year lease agreement with the State-owned Liberia Electricity Corporation for the development of a 24 MW solar plant combined with a 10 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Duazon, near Monrovia.
October 31, 2025 by

Facility to address energy inefficiencies

The formation of the African Energy Efficiency Facility (AEEF), a legacy project of South Africa’s G20 presidency, was announced earlier this month by Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré at the opening of the G20 Energy Transitions Working Group side event. The AEEF framework has been developed by the Department of Electricity and Energy and the African Energy Commission – a specialised agency of the African Union (AU) –in collaboration with the UN Environment United for Efficiency Programme. The framework also supports a continental market shift to producing higher-efficiency lighting products and appliances.
October 31, 2025 by

Constant investment maintains beneficial partnership

Having made significant investments in its distribution, engineering facilities and technical skills, industrial solutions provider BMG’s dedicated variable-speed drive (VSD) workshops in Cape Town, Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal remain the approved warranty centres for renowned brands – including Danfoss, VACON and Synergy – in South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa. BMG’s range of Danfoss electronic, mechanical and intelligent ‘mechatronic’ devices are designed to optimise automation processes and reduce energy consumption.
October 31, 2025 by

Transmission investment lacking in S Africa

South Africa’s transmission network, built for a centralised, coal-based power system, cannot carry the country into a decentralised, renewables-led future, says financial solutions provider Old Mutual Alternative Investments infrastructure debt head Rolf Canto and investment analyst Kabelo Mabaso. In a paper titled ‘Why transmission investment is the missing piece in South Africa’s energy transition’, they stress this, saying South Africa has outgrown its grid.
October 31, 2025 by

Kariba’s rehabilitation lays foundation for another 50 years of hydropower delivery

After several delays since its launch in 2017, the $294-million Kariba Dam Rehabilitation Project (KDRP), aimed at repairing decades of erosion from high-velocity water discharge and refurbishing the dam’s spillway, is now largely complete, with remaining works due to wrap up by September next year. The project’s core components are the reshaping of the dam’s plunge pool, completed in September last year, and the refurbishment of all six sluices in the spillway, the first phase of which is now 99% complete, with finalisation expected before year-end. Phase II, which began in 2024, has progressed to the 26% completion mark, with overall works scheduled to conclude in just under a year.
October 31, 2025 by