Chinese solar and storage solutions manufacturer Sungrow has launched new models of commercial and industrial (C&I) battery energy storage systems (BESS), which improve on their predecessor models, in the South African market. The new ST255 and ST510 systems are designed for larger alternating current (ac) and direct current (dc) C&I applications with grid-forming technology that can ensure stable and secure power supply.
Independent African power company Globeleq has appointed Stefan van Niekerk as its new MD of construction, effective November 1. With more than two decades of experience in the African power sector, he is said to bring a wealth of expertise in renewable energy development, construction and operations to his new role.
China’s state-owned Power Construction Corp (PowerChina) is aiming for significant growth in Africa, focusing on renewable energy projects as part of its overseas expansion strategy, a company executive said. Chinese lending to African governments has fallen sharply from a 2016 peak of about $28-billion a year as Beijing grows more cautious about debt risk, but state-backed companies such as PowerChina are still pushing ahead with new projects, increasingly in renewable energy rather than coal.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has initiated the review process for municipal tariff applications for the 2026/27 financial year, which begins on July 1 2026, setting a submission deadline of December 12 for licensed municipalities and private electricity distributors. Nersa said public consultation processes would be undertaken in November and December to meet the March 15, 2026 deadline for approving municipal tariffs as required by the Municipal Finance Management Act.
Raising gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) to between 18% and 20% of GDP is key to lifting growth to the 3% target, The Presidency’s project management office head Rudi Dicks argues. While also asserting that there are signs that Operation Vulindlela-linked reforms are starting to spur higher levels of capital investment in the economy. Pressed during a PSG webinar to put a figure to the investments catalysed by Operation Vulindlela, Dicks stated that R500-billion had been unlocked mainly in the form of renewable-energy projects, but also in the areas of telecoms, transport and water.
The new regulations requiring buildings to display their energy performance certificates (EPCs), which rate their energy-use efficiency, at entrances come into force on December 7. While undertaking the process to obtain an EPC may seem difficult for building owners and tenants, the first step is to register their buildings and then to take progressive steps to gather the information needed, conduct audits and receive EPCs that display the energy efficiency of the building and its operations.
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane has called for South Africa’s Transmission Development Plan (TDP) to be complemented by a “regional TDP” to support the development of the grid infrastructure required to enable expanded electricity trade across the Southern African Power Pool. Speaking at a B20 side event on the just energy transition hosted by Standard Bank, Marokane reported that the Department of Electricity and Energy, which is Eskom’s shareholder department, was urging Eskom to adopt a regionally focused strategy now that its operational problems had eased.
As South Africa hosts the G20 leadership summit this week, President Cyril Ramaphosa has positioned the moment as evidence of national progress. Yet the broader economic picture remains mixed, with many of the country’s underlying structural problems persisting despite pockets of improvement. Ramaphosa’s upbeat public messaging has been somewhat undermined by the fact that the leaders from several of the world’s leading economies have declined to attend the G20, including US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and Argentinian President Javier Milei. Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s attendance also remains uncertain.
The South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) has indicated that it will move to assess what remains of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR) intellectual property, which was mothballed in 2010, before initiating a process to select a partner to co-develop the nuclear technology. CEO Loyiso Tyabashe has welcomed Cabinet’s decision to lift the PBMR from care and maintenance and transfer custodianship of the small modular reactor (SMR) technology to Necsa.
Engineering group Sandvik’s ‘The future of mining talent: What STEM graduates really think’ report says that, while awareness of mining remains low among young engineers, many are open to joining the sector once they understand its modern realities and role in tackling the global energy transition. While the global mining industry faces a growing shortage of engineering talent, this challenge could be turned into one of the sector’s greatest opportunities, the report states.
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