Court says it cannot compel CoJ to supply electricity to illegally connected apartment block

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) highlighted on Tuesday that its current debt, which is sitting at close to R48-billion, is unsustainable.   The municipality explained that a lot of the debt owed included money for rates, taxes, sewer, electricity and water, owing to illegal connection of services by businesses, residents and big organisations.
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Solar energy company launches ambitious minigrid rollout initiative for Africa

US-based rural Africa and Asia-focused net-zero energy company Husk Power Systems (Husk) announced on Tuesday the launch of its “Africa Sunshot” solar minigrid roll-out initiative. The initiative was launched at the Africa Climate Summit, currently under way in Nairobi, Kenya. Africa Sunshot is intended to achieve the creation of 2 500 net-zero solar energy minigrids to generate electricity for African communities with no, or only weak, connections with power transmission grids, within five years. The initiative will be funded by $500-million in equity and debt that Husk expects to mobilise.
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Ramokgopa working with DMRE to have updated IRP released for consultation soon

Although persisting with his position that he has the powers to determine the sources of new generation, Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says because the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) updating process is well advanced, he is supporting the department in preparing to release the new Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for public consultation soon. Responding to questions on the IRP during his weekly briefing on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan, Ramokgopa said he would be part of the “Ministerial team” that is currently finalising the document ahead of its approval for release.
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An updated IRP and Eskom’s restructuring make headlines

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s plan to take an updated Integrated Resource Plan through Cabinet processes soon and the latest update from the Department of Public Enterprises on Eskom’s restructuring.
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Resource-rich countries facing a double transition

Resource-rich countries face a double transition – the transition in their energy supplies and the transition in their mining sectors, German Institute for International and Security Affairs senior associate Melanie Müller has said. The growing drive to confront the issues of climate change and other environmental dilemmas is gaining traction, manifesting as a ‘green energy transition’, denoting a pivotal shift from energy sources reliant on fossil fuels to those harnessed from renewable origins such as solar and wind, she pointed out this week during a webinar hosted by The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA).
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Firm installs new boilers to optimise operations

Energy plant operations and maintenance company Associated Energy Solutions (AES) is working on an operational optimisation project for a client in the fishing industry to install an additional 60 t/h of boiler plant capacity. The turnkey boiler project includes a new steam plant, with fuel and ash handling, as well as water and ancillary systems; its completion is expected in April 2024.
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Private sector investment in energy to lift employment, economic growth – report

Solar power investment will reduce loadshedding and increase employment growth in 2024, and jobs are being created on the back of a growing resilience among businesses against the negative impacts of loadshedding, says assurance, advisory and tax services firm PwC South Africa in its eighth ‘South Africa Economic Outlook’ report. Employment is growing at a faster rate than many have expected given the elevated levels of loadshedding. The pipeline for large-scale solar projects is also improving the outlook for economic and employment growth in 2024 and beyond, it says in the report.
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M&R ‘still in race’ to regain RUC as it seeks to rebuild from 2023 shock

Downscaled engineering and contracting group Murray & Roberts (M&R) is continuing with efforts to regain control of RUC, the Australian mining services business it lost when its Australian holding company and Clough entered voluntary administration in December. Speaking at the company’s results presentation, CEO Henry Laas refused to be drawn on the precise nature of processes currently being pursued to recover the company, saying only “we are still in the race”.
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Stage 4 loadshedding to continue until Sunday morning

Power utility Eskom says Stage 4 loadshedding will continue to be implemented daily until 05:00 on Sunday. Thereafter, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented until 16:00. “This is necessary due to the need to recover emergency generation reserves, and the generation maintenance to be implemented in preparation for the coming week,” it states.
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Two more risk mitigation hybrid projects take steps toward financial close

Two more preferred bidders selected as part of the much-delayed Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP), which was launched as an emergency procurement round in 2020, have signed project agreements signalling legal close and have until December to reach financial close. The projects, which have a combined investment value of R14.6-billion, are the 128 MW Oya Energy Hybrid Facility, proposed for development in Matjiesfontein, which straddles the Northern and Western Cape provinces, and the 75 MW Umoyilanga Energy, near Avondale in the Northern Cape and Dassiesridge, in the Eastern Cape.
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