Renewable energy company Scatec says solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity will grow significantly in South Africa this year and will continue to replace fossil-fuel-based traditional energy sources, as more homes and businesses make the switch to solar. Further, solar PV’s installed power capacity is poised to surpass that of coal, becoming the largest power source in the world by 2027, the company adds.
In this opinion article, Mike Levington argues that using renewable energy to meet South Africa’s economic and developmental goals will require a significant shift in thinking about the grid.
Private equity firm Affirma Capital, development finance institution Norfund and Norwegian pension fund Kommunal Landspensjonskasse (KLP) have invested $145-million in Zambian independent power producer and transmission company Copperbelt Energy Corporation (CEC). The aim is to build on CEC’s success by strengthening its leadership in the Africa decarbonisation programme, building additional renewable capacity, extending access to power in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and helping CEC to play a role in the liberalisation and evolution in the electricity market in Southern Africa, the companies say.
South Africa’s new energy generation plan lacks detail and leaves many unanswered questions, according to some energy analysts. The long-awaited draft of the Integrated Energy Plan (IRP) of 2023 was gazetted for public comment this week.
Eskom Holdings said it will no longer reserve the transmission capacity it had agreed to set aside for winners of a South African tender for emergency power provision that didn’t meet a Dec. 31 deadline to complete their financial arrangements. The decision is a blow for Karpowership, the Turkish provider of ship-mounted power plants, and further reduces the likely impact the 2021 program will have in making a dent in the almost daily power outages that are crippling South Africa’s economy.
Technology group Voith reports that it has received an order to supply equipment for the large-scale hydropower plant Caculo Cabaça in Angola.
The order comprises all electrical and mechanical equipment, including the installation of four Francis turbines with an output of 530 MW each, an additional Francis turbine with an output of 52 MW, generators, control and auxiliary systems and a customised training concept.
Independent power producer ENGIE has successfully acquired renewable energy company BTE Renewables in South Africa following the transaction, announced in June, reaching financial close on December 13.
With this transaction concluded, ENGIE, with the inclusion of BTE, will now operate 1.6 GW of assets in South Africa.
The African Development Bank- (AfDB)-managed Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA), on November 21, approved a $9.72-million grant to scale up the Africa Hydropower Modernisation Programme (AHMP) – a one-stop shop that overhauls African hydropower systems to enhance their reliability and flexibility.
With this new funding, AHMP will expand the modernisation of a pipeline of 12 private-sector-led projects in eight countries selected through a competitive process.
Coal-fired power plants operated by South Africa’s state utility are emitting pollutants that primarily cause respiratory diseases such as asthma at almost 42 times the intensity of those in China.
Eskom Holdings, in the second week of December, said in the six months through September, particulate matter emissions deteriorated to 0.92 kg per MWh sent out – the highest since 1992, according to the utility.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has approved an electricity trading licence for Envusa Energy – a joint venture between diversified miner Anglo-American and renewable energy company EDF Renewables South Africa (EDF).
In November, Envusa lodged an application for a licence to trade electricity in South Africa’s Northern Cape, North West, Eastern Cape and Limpopo provinces over the Eskom network.
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