Seifsa launches loadshedding impact survey

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) is conducting a loadshedding impact assessment to assist the organisation in its advocacy initiatives on energy.

“South Africa’s energy crisis is having devastating consequences for the manufacturing sector. As part of quantifying this impact on the metals and engineering sector, Seifsa is conducting a short survey,” the organisation says.

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Determinations opening way for Eskom to procure emergency and cross-border electricity …

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA) is seeking public comment on electricity procurement determinations received from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe that are intended to open the way for Eskom to procure new emergency and cross-border capacity. Mantashe has granted Eskom an exemption from the Electricity Regulations on New Generation Capacity to proceed with all three procurement programmes, which have been named the cross-border procurement programme, the loadshedding reduction programme and the emergency procurement programme respectively.
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Stage 2 and 3 loadshedding over the weekend

Stage 4 loadshedding will continue from 16:00 on Friday until 05:00 on Saturday morning. It will be downgraded to Stage 3 from 05:00 on Saturday until 05:00 on Sunday, after which it will again be reduced to Stage 2 until 16:00 on Sunday.  Stage 3 will be implemented from 16:00 on Sunday until 05:00 on Monday. 
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Industry reacts to the good and the bad of SoNA 2023

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) was delivered amid severe crises across critical economic and social spheres in South Africa, with industry respondents recognising both the good and the bad ideas contained in government’s plans.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa), firstly, expressed concern about the President likening the Covid-19 crisis to that of the energy crisis and saying that the nation will emerge resilient and ever hopeful, when in fact the energy crisis is not a result of natural disaster, but of poor governance and a lack of decisive leadership.

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NECOM secretariat sees State of Disaster yielding procurement, security benefits

The Presidency’s Rudi Dicks, who also heads the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) secretariat, believes the controversial decision to classify the electricity crisis a National State of Disaster will support an acceleration of the implementation of the Energy Action Plan and ensure greater security of electricity assets currently exposed to crime, vandalism and sabotage. Speaking after President Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed in his State of the Nation Address that the ‘Impact of the Severe Electricity Supply Constraint’ had been declared a disaster with immediate effect and that an Electricity Minister would be appointed “to assume full responsibility for overseeing all aspects of the electricity crisis response”, Dicks argued in favour of the more “centralised” approach being pursued.
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Company gets UK grant to help develop new-generation pumped hydro system

Tailings dam material could be one of the waste materials that could be used to create high-density fluids (HDF) that would enable a new-generation and much more capable form of pumped hydro-energy storage system. This technology is being developed by UK company RheEnergise, in partnership the Universities of Exeter and of Greenwich, in England. And on Thursday the company announced that it had won a £1-million (roughly R21-million) grant from the UK Government’s Energy Entrepreneurs Fund (EEF) …
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State of Disaster declaration possibly a disaster within itself, as parties call on courts

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SoNA) on February 9 has evoked mixed responses from trade unions, industry associations, academia and businesses, with some taking to the courts against the State of Disaster declaration in respect of the country’s electricity crisis.

Political party the Democratic Alliance (DA) and trade union Solidarity have announced that they will challenge the declaration in court, describing the declaration as irrational, unnecessary and possibly unconstitutional.

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LHWP II Commercial Centre in the preparatory stages of construction

Preparatory stages of construction of the Polihali commercial centre at Masakong are under way after the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) awarded the M11.3-million contract to Unik Construction Engineering in mid-January. The construction of the centre, which is expected to enhance day-to-day access to goods and services in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase II project area, is expected to be completed by December 2023, along with the bulk of the Phase II advance infrastructure.
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Can SA finally turn the switch on its power crisis in 2023?

Stage 4 to 6 loadshedding has become more commonplace over the past few months, with many analysts expecting it to continue and possibly worsen before South Africa’s energy crisis has abated.   Stage 6 has been the highest level of loadshedding introduced so far, although several economists have made the case that blackouts have actually been worse than that, owing to load curtailment on heavy industrial users.  
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Returning in-person Indaba to host Africa energy discourse

The fifteenth edition of the Africa Energy Indaba (AEI) – which will be hosted from March 7 to 9 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, in the Western Cape – will be hosted as a fully physical event for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and aims to “bring people together to network, engage and learn”. Since the early stages of the pandemic, it was necessary for the company to “think outside the box and challenge the norms” to ensure that Siyenza could continue facilitating progress and collaboration in the energy sector, says event organiser Siyenza Management MD Liz Hart.   
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