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Eskom wins South African appeal to keep five polluting power plants open

South Africa’s State power utility and biggest source of air pollution won an appeal to keep five of its oldest plants open even though they are set to flout incoming emission caps. The plants – which account for almost a quarter of Eskom Holdings’ almost 45 GW of coal-fired generation capacity – will be allowed to operate under current emission limits until the end of March 2030, Barbara Creecy, South Africa’s environment minister, ruled. That will exempt them from more stringent restrictions on pollutants, ranging from particulate emissions to sulfur dioxide, that come into effect in 2025.
June 20, 2024 by

City of Tshwane pushing ahead with plan to procure 1 000 MW by 2026

The City of Tshwane is signalling its intention to proceed with plans to procure and/or revive 1 000 MW of electricity generation capacity by 2026 as part of a strategy aimed at improving security of supply and reducing its dependency on Eskom. Executive Mayor Cilliers Brink told delegates attending the inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit that the city was seeking to find a way to partner with independent power producers (IPPs), as it was not in a financial position to pursue generation projects on its own.
June 19, 2024 by

Only 40% of developing-country utilities are financially sustainable, World Bank warns

The majority of electric utilities in developing countries are ill-equipped to meet growing demand for power and add more renewable energy into the grid, thereby hindering global energy transition goals to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to all, development cooperation organisation the World Bank reports. ‘The Critical Link: Empowering Utilities for the Energy Transition’ report, published this week, showed that only 40% of developing country utilities are able to cover their operating and debt service costs.
June 19, 2024 by

WEF Energy Transition Index at its highest ever, but global progress slowing

The global energy transition to a more equitable, secure and sustainable energy system is still progressing, but has lost momentum in the face of increasing uncertainty worldwide, international economic organisation the World Economic Forum’s (WEF’s) Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2024 shows. The global average ETI scores reached a record high, but the slowdown in the pace of the global energy transition, first identified in 2022, has intensified in the past year.
June 19, 2024 by

TNPA moves to integrate desalination, renewables at Port Elizabeth and Ngqura ports

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has issued requests for proposal (RFPs) for the construction of two solar-powered seawater desalination plants and a hybrid renewables-battery facility to service its Nelson Mandela Bay ports, in the Eastern Cape. TNPA is seeking bidders capable of designing, constructing and operating solar-powered seawater desalination plants with a capacity of 0.8 megalitres and 0.5 megalitres of potable water, respectively, for the ports of Port Elizabeth and Ngqura.
June 18, 2024 by

V&A Waterfront signs deal to raise green-electricity contribution to 70% by 2026

Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has signed a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Etana Energy for 43 GWh of renewable energy yearly, which will result in wind and solar supplying 70% of the iconic mixed-use property’s electricity by early 2026. The PPA follows a similar deal between Etana Energy and Growthpoint Properties for 195 GWh of renewable energy annually, representing 32% of the property group’s total yearly consumption. Growthpoint Properties is the joint owner of the V&A Waterfront with the Public Investment Corporation.
June 18, 2024 by

Eskom targets JETP funds and partnerships for 2 GW clean-energy pipeline

Having recently confirmed a decoupling of its just energy transition strategy from the decommissioning of its coal-fired power stations, Eskom is aiming to finalise business cases for a pipeline of renewable energy and battery storage projects, some of which could be deployed in close proximity to its existing coal stations. CEO Dan Marokane reports that that its so-called repowering and repurposing pipeline includes 50 projects with a combined capacity of 2 172 MW and which could create 1 754 permanent jobs.
June 14, 2024 by

NTCSA on track to begin trading on July 1, Marokane says

Eskom CEO Dan Marokane has confirmed that the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) is on track to begin trading on July 1 and that the new entity was being set up to operate as a fully independent subsidiary even though it would continue to be owned by Eskom Holdings and be located on the Megawatt Park campus. At a briefing hosted to enable Marokane to reflect on his first 100 days and to outline his strategic priorities, the CEO underlined that the NTCSA’s independent board was determined to provide “equal access” to the network as envisaged when the unbundling was initiated.
June 14, 2024 by

South Africa preparing to pilot independent transmission projects to bolster grid’s …

The National Treasury has confirmed that South Africa is moving to pilot a model that will enable the private sector to participate directly in the development and operation of transmission grid infrastructure, drawing lessons from the country’s experience in procuring generation capacity from independent power producers (IPPs). Deputy director-general Mmakgoshi Lekhethe reports that the model, which has been mooted by Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa for some time, is receiving priority attention in light of the scale of the investment required to unlock grid capacity for new renewables investment,
June 13, 2024 by