Diversified natural resources company Exxaro Resources has officially opened the new Mine 1 operation at its Matla coal mine, in Mpumalanga, following a strategic expansion to support continuous mining operations and meet the requirements of its coal supply agreement (CSA) with State-owned Eskom. As part of the expansion, the new Mine 1 operation has been successfully extended to ensure sustained operational efficiency.
In this article, Apollo Africa CEO Nico de Bruyn writes that South Africa’s electricity reform debate often centres on generation, yet these reforms are entirely dependent on the underlying issue of tariffs.
South African specialist engineering company serving the renewable-energy sector Ikamvalethu Engineering Solutions (IES) has launched its certified lifting machinery entity (LME) capability in Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape – a strategic hub for South Africa’s wind energy sector and a key region in the country’s clean energy transition. The certification marks a significant milestone for both the company and the broader renewable-energy industry as South Africa accelerates wind energy deployment and expands its renewable energy project pipeline.
Independent power producer and licensed trader NOA has amplified a recent call for the publication of a Cabinet-endorsed electricity reform roadmap to ensure that the shift to the competitive market structure envisaged in legislation and policy is implemented. NOA head of trading Andrew Taylor argued this week that the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act and the impending launch of the South African Electricity Wholesale Market (SAWEM) offered a credible path to a competitive, green and affordable electricity system, but currently lacked an authoritative, coherent and sequenced implementation plan.
Power utility Eskom and and NYSE-listed grid-scale energy storage solutions provider Energy Vault have signed a strategic development agreement to deploy long-duration gravity energy storage systems (GESSs) in South Africa and, eventually, also the rest of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The first GESS plant will be built at Eskom’s Hendrina power station, in Mpumalanga. The system is expected to provide 25 MW of capacity with four hours of storage, equivalent to 100 MWh, and is designed to be fully scalable up to 4 GW.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that his department will publish a “sequenced” implementation roadmap for the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) so as to address prevailing uncertainty over the transition to a competitive market structure. In his Budget Vote address on Tuesday, the Minister said the SAWEM would introduce clearer price signals, improve dispatch efficiency, allocate balancing responsibilities, improve transparency and reduce long-term reliance on the single buyer model.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved the national Free Basic Electricity (FBE) rate of R2.38/kWh for the 2026/27 municipal financial year, effective from July 1, this year, to June 30, 2027. This rate will be used by State-owned utility Eskom to bill municipalities for the FBE units supplied to qualifying households in the Eskom supply areas.
Diversified miner South32’s Hillside Aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, could continue operating for another 20 to 30 years if a competitive long-term electricity agreement is secured with State-owned power utility Eskom.
This was stated by South32 executives at a gala event to celebrate the smelter’s 30 years in operation.
During a media briefing, South32 CEO Graham Kerr said the decision to build the Hillside Aluminium smelter in the early 1990s required courage and belief in South Africa’s future at a time of political and economic uncertainty, adding that the smelter has since become a key contributor to industrialisation, employment and regional economic development.
South African renewable-energy company Anthem reports that it has reached financial close on the 20 MW Tsamela solar PV project in Eswatini, which is seeking to increase domestic generation capacity so as to reduce reliance on electricity imports. The project is reportedly the first of five developments selected under the Eswatini Electricity Regulatory Authority’s Solar PV procurement programme to reach financial close.
Amid rising fuel prices and dropping temperatures in South Africa, Engineering News editor Terence Creamer joins me to discuss what issues these developments raise for the energy transition and policy.
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