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NRWDI outlines plan for new facility to store Koeberg spent fuel offsite from 2030

The National Radioactive Waste Disposal Institute (NRWDI) is moving ahead with preliminary designs for a so-called Centralised Interim Storage Facility (CISF) at the Vaalputs site in the Northern Cape to store spent fuel arising from Eskom’s Koeberg nuclear power station. While the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, or Necsa, currently holds the licence to operate the Vaalputs radioactive waste disposal facility, NRWDI is in the process of seeking to have the licenced transferred.
June 19, 2025 by

Lack of belief in Africa’s economic prospects is holding the continent back, Mataboge says

It is not a deficit of resources that is holding Africa back but rather a deficit of belief in Africa’s prospects as a formidable player in the global political economy, African Union (AU) infrastructure and energy commissioner Lerato Mataboge said at the Youth Energy Summit, in Cape Town, on June 18. “This is the antithesis of the AU’s Agenda 2063. Until we internally hold a positive view of ourselves and our continent, the Agenda 2063 moonshots will remain elusive. As the AU, we hold the firm belief of Africa’s positive and impactful role in the global economy, historically, currently and in the future,” she said.
June 18, 2025 by

Nedlac deliberations on IRP to be wrapped up ‘in next week or so’

South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) CEO Dr Titus Mathe reports that consultations at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) on the latest draft of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity are close to being concluded. In a response to questions posed on the IRP during a briefing to the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy on Sanedi’s strategic plan, Mathe deferred questions on when an updated IRP would be Gazetted to the Department of Electricity and Energy (DEE).
June 18, 2025 by

African development needs both electricity and decarbonisation – Ramokgopa

South African Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has affirmed that Africa did not face a choice between decarbonisation and industrialisation. On the contrary, it had to, and could do, both. He was delivering the keynote address at the Africa Energy Forum 2025, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Tuesday evening. “We will not accept the false binary between decarbonisation and industrialisation,” he stated. Decarbonisation could not be used to block African aspirations. It had to support African aspirations.  
June 18, 2025 by

Eskom reports progress on 5 GW ‘repowering’ pipeline as $2.6bn CIF approval is secured

Eskom has confirmed that it has a 5 GW pipeline of so-called ‘repowering’ projects at various stages of development on the sites of six coal power stations, including Komati, which has already stopped operating and where 122 MW of solar PV and 150 MW of battery storage is under development. Addressing the most recent Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) meeting, CEO Dan Marokane said that solar PV, wind and battery storage, or BESS, project development work was also under way at Grootvlei, Arnot, Camden and Hendrina, while a gas-to-power project was being assessed at Kriel, alongside PV and BESS.
June 17, 2025 by

Climate Investment Funds approve $2.6bn coal-exit plan for South Africa

A World Bank-linked climate fund has backed South African plans to cut its reliance on coal, unlocking up to $2.6-billion in financing and giving the nation’s energy transition an unexpected boost. The approval of the updated plan by the Climate Investment Funds, which was stalled after South Africa last year asked to delay the closure of three coal-fired power plants to ease an energy crisis, will see the CIF disburse $500-million to the country.
June 13, 2025 by

City Power calls on poor households to register for free basic electricity

The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) electricity utility City Power has called on all qualifying indigent households across Johannesburg to register for the free basic electricity (FBE) programme – an initiative that aims to provide eligible customers with free electricity units each month. The initiative forms part of City Power’s broader strategy to ensure inclusive access to electricity and improve customer compliance to address electricity theft and equipment damage caused by overloading of the network through illegal connections and tampering.
June 13, 2025 by

Prieska Power Reserve receives formal approval of grant funding from KfW

Northern Cape-based green hydrogen and ammonia project Prieska Power Reserve (PPR) has received formal approval of a funding grant from KfW Development Bank, in partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC). “We are making excellent progress across the project’s technical and financial workstreams. With KfW’s support and our ongoing partnership with the IDC, we are well positioned to reach financial close and move into project execution,” says PPR director Martin Walzer.
June 12, 2025 by