Another 13 solar projects sign agreements under delayed BW5

A further 13 solar photovoltaic (PV) projects have signed agreements with Eskom and government raising to 19 the number of projects that are now set to proceed under the much-delayed fifth bid window (BW5) of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). All 19 projects, which have a combined investment value of R34.3-billion, were selected as preferred bidders in October last year, when a total of 25 wind and solar PV projects were named.
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Sacci calls for complete Eskom overhaul

The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) says the solutions that are being thrown at struggling State-owned energy utility Eskom are clearly not solving the problem and both Cabinet members and the Eskom board are not getting on top of the situation.

The entity believes the level of instability in the provision of power has serious negative implications for South Africa, given the country’s high unemployment rate and moribund economy.

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Eskom confirms delay of Koeberg Unit 1 maintenance shutdown

Power utility Eskom has decided to delay the start of the planned maintenance shutdown of Koberg Unit 1 to allow time to stabilise the power system and recover some generation capacity. The unit has been online for 407 days since the last outage and the utility now plans to start the refuelling and maintenace outage on December 10 if grid conditions have recovered to ensure stability of the system.
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Metros strengthen fault response capacity amid Stage 6 blackouts

The city councils of Cape Town and Johannesburg have both deployed additional personnel to ensure the speedy resolution of outages and faults, especially during peak hours, following Eskom’s announcement that it is implementing Stage 6 loadshedding as of December 7.

The State-owned power utility has warned of scheduled blackouts of up to 12 hours a day as energy capacity drops owing to lagging repairs at its fleet of coal-fired power stations.

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Gordhan calls on Eskom to get South Africa out of Stage 6 loadshedding

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has directed the management and board of power utility Eskom to work hard to get the country out of Stage 6 loadshedding with immediate effect. “I met the board of Eskom yesterday. I have directed them to meet and act with a great sense of urgency to ensure that the management of Eskom gets the country out of Stage 6 loadshedding with immediate effect.
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Only six solar projects advance to preferred-bidder status following latest renewables round

In a disappointing development, Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has announced the appointment of only six preferred bidders, with a combined capacity of 1 000 MW, following the evaluation of bids made during South Africa’s latest renewables procurement round. All six are solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, with none of the 23 wind projects submitted under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) advancing to preferred-bidder status.
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Construction starts on Eskom’s first battery energy storage project

Power utility Eskom and Hyosung Heavy Industries on December 7 marked the beginning of construction of the first energy storage facility under Eskom’s flagship Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project. Eskom in July confirmed the award of contracts with a combined value of R4.4-billion to Hyosung, of South Korea, and the Pinggao Group, of China, for BESS projects that will be delivered across several sites by the end of June 2023.
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Eskom agitates for ‘overthrow of the state’ by not dealing with loadshedding – Mantashe

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has accused Eskom of “actively agitating for the overthrow of the state” as it continues to implement load shedding, which hit Stage 6 this week as power plants suffered breakdowns. At a signing ceremony for 13 new independent power projects on Thursday, Mantashe said load shedding was becoming worse than state capture because of how it directly affects citizens and takes a toll on the economy.
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VW says South Africa must end coal dependence for EVs to make sense

South Africa must wean itself off coal if locally produced electric vehicles (EVs) – a key element of the government’s decarbonisation plan – are to be climate friendly, the country head of Volkswagen said on Wednesday. Wealthy nations have already committed $8.5-billion to help Africa’s most industrialised nation cut its emissions. The South African government is seeking roughly ten times that amount, including R128-billion to fund a transition to EVs.
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City of Joburg warns of loadshedding impact on ageing infrastructure, fears increased cable theft

The City of Johannesburg has warned that cable theft will likely increase after Eskom announced the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding. On Wednesday, Eskom reported breakdowns amounting to a staggering more than 20 000MW.
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