The Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture has confirmed that it has submitted a “final counterproposal” to Eskom in relation to the terms and conditions associated with the electricity utility’s 62c/kWh tariff offer, describing Eskom’s current conditions as “commercially unworkable”. Glencore Merafe confirmed the counter proposal in response to a statement by the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (Numsa), in which it denounced both Glencore Merafe and Samancor Chrome for pressing ahead with Section 189 retrenchment processes despite Eskom’s offer, which was made on February 27.
Eskom Holdings said it has been ordered by the Supreme Court of Appeal to disclose details of its coal, transport and diesel procurement contracts to activist group Afriforum. South Africa’s state power utility said in a statement late Tuesday it will take legal advice before taking any action.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says a revised electricity pricing policy will be released for public comment in the coming few weeks. Delivering a statement to the National Assembly in relation to the steps being taken to eradicate ongoing load reduction, whereby electricity is regularly cut to areas where the network is being overloaded, the Minister acknowledged that the affordability of electricity had become a major concern for many South Africans.
Metropolitan electricity supplier City Power has officially unveiled electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at its offices in Johannesburg for Phase 1 of an EV charging station rollout programme.
During the launch on March 24, Johannesburg Mayor Sello Dada Morero confirmed that the stations were open for use by the public in addition to the service vehicles of City Power and other government entities.
The war in the Middle East is likely to harm the global economy and South Africa’s government needs to support local businesses in the work to contain the impact, business organisation Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso emphasises in her latest weekly newsletter. She highlights concerns about the impact on the fuel price, with the mining sector set to be affected considerably, with costs going up for diesel-dependent road and rail transport, as well as impacting on operating costs at the mines.
As South Africa scales up utility-scale solar, what needs to be done well from the start? Find out from the very highly experienced Derick Botha, the Senior Advisor of GameChange Solar, who shares the learnings of his long solar career, which began in South Africa in 1997 and expanded globally.
Surging electricity demand, ageing infrastructure, and tightening climate commitments are converging into a high-stakes test for utilities, particularly in Africa, and the only viable response is an urgent, end-to-end digital energy strategy, says Martin Kuhlmann, Energy Solutions Digital Head for Hitachi Energy in Africa, a global leader in electrification. At the heart of this energy shift is an unprecedented change in how electricity is generated and consumed.
Africa’s energy transition presents a significant opportunity to expand electricity access, stimulate industrial growth and attract private capital, provided that investment frameworks, grid infrastructure and policy certainty evolve to support long-term deployment, highlights Boston Consulting Group MD and partner Kesh Mudaly. He notes that while substantial global capital is earmarked for the energy transition, emerging markets continue to face structural barriers that slow investment, adding that the challenge is therefore not just the absence of capital scarcity, but the mechanisms required to mobilise and deploy it effectively.
As African countries respond to global pressure to transition to renewable energy while also addressing urgent development and energy needs, the focus should not be on moving away from coal, but rather on decarbonising its industrial use, says University of the Witwatersrand chemical and metallurgical engineering senior lecturer Dr Nandi Malumbazo. The global decarbonisation agenda should extend beyond the power sector, as all industrial sectors reliant on carbon-based raw materials face similar pressures. African governments, she adds, must carefully consider whether and how their economies can afford such a transition.
Africa has the potential to bypass a century of centralised, carbon-heavy power systems and move straight to a digital, distributed and low-carbon grid, but only if project execution matches project ambition, says global energy technology company Schneider Electric Middle East and Africa Zone president Walid Sheta. He argues that electrification, efficiency and smart grid management form the continent’s fastest route to economic growth and, in elaborating on Africa’s energy transition, he says that demand fundamentals create “an historic opening”.
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