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Second iteration of just transition project framework completed

Nonprofit economic research institution Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) has developed the second iteration of its framework to identify and measure just transition projects in South Africa, and will publish it in March. The first iteration of the framework was used to test theoretical assumptions about just transition projects against projects on the ground. It used an open call and an invitation to 70 companies known to be active in the space to gather data on projects, with the respondents drawn from a broad cross section of industries.
December 8, 2023 by

South Africa set to pick Dan Marokane as new Eskom CEO

Dan Marokane is expected to be appointed as the new CEO of South Africa’s state power utility Eskom Holdings after an almost year-long search for a candidate, according to people familiar with the decision. The company’s failure to boost generation from its old and poorly maintained power plants has led to nationwide electricity outages — implemented to prevent a total collapse of the grid. The worsening situation has weighed on a process to fill the top job at Eskom, which has had 14 leaders since 2007.
December 8, 2023 by

Electricity reform bears fruit with 1 185 generators now registered with Nersa

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) reports that it registered a further 98 generation facilities – with a combined capacity of 908 MW and an investment value of R17.3-billion – during the second quarter of its 2023/24 financial year. These registrations, which took place from July to September, raise to 1 185 the total number of generation facilities registered since 2018.
December 7, 2023 by

Sibanye-Stillwater accelerates decarbonisation with two further renewables projects

The financial close and start of construction of two additional renewable energy projects for Sibanye-Stillwater’s South Africa operations has been announced. The first project, the Witberg wind energy project, located near Matjiesfontein in the Western Cape province with a contracted capacity of 103 MW, will generate renewable energy and supply the South Africa operations via a wheeling agreement with South Africa’s State-owned power utility enterprise Eskom.
December 7, 2023 by

Two more solar projects from delayed BW5 set to begin construction in early 2024

Two 75-MW apiece solar photovoltaic (PV) projects bid under the much-delayed Bid Window Five (BW5) of South Africa’s public renewables procurement programme have officially advanced to commercial close and will enter construction in early 2024. The projects are Grootspruit, in the Free State, and Graspan, in the Northern Cape, and will be built and operated by ENGIE in partnership with Pele Green Energy.
December 6, 2023 by

Pioneering 195 MW solar plant to sell clean electricity to multiple customers nationwide

South African independent power producer the SOLA Group has started construction on a pioneering 195 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in the Free State, which will wheel and sell clean electricity across the country to multiple buyers eager to decarbonised their operations. The R2.8-billion project has already secured an initial three multinational anchor offtakers, but SOLA has reserved a significant portion of the project’s energy for flexible, short-term power purchase agreements with a wide range of customers.
December 6, 2023 by

Eskom, Sasol pollution harms children, government studies find

Two studies ordered by South Africa’s government into the impact of air pollution on community and child health showed emission limits it imposed on companies that emit the toxins are insufficient. The studies were undertaken in key industrial regions by academics at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, a state research agency, and were completed in 2016 and 2019, copies seen by Bloomberg show.
December 6, 2023 by

Red Rocket confirms initial 500 MW of interest in 2 000 MW virtual wheeling renewables scheme

Independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket reports that it has signed up customers for 500 MW of the 2 000 MW of capacity it aims to deploy over the coming three years as part of an innovative scheme designed to provide multiple private offtakers with renewable electricity as from 2026. In recent weeks, the company has been running a national advertising campaign inviting potential customers to make contact regarding its intention to sell “affordable, renewable energy to businesses”.
December 6, 2023 by