Loadshedding to be downgraded thanks to diesel from PetroSA

Thanks to diesel supplied by PetroSA, Eskom will be able to reduce load shedding to Stage 3 from Stage 4 during the night, Eskom said. This is expected to last until Monday morning.  The lifeline from PetroSA was supplied after Eskom recently ran out of funds to pay for diesel, which it uses to supplement generation capacity.
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New govt report calls for ‘solid timeframes’ for updating of IRP2019

A new report into the progress government is making in implementing the current five-year Medium-Term Strategic Framework, from 2019 to 2024, has confirmed that energy unavailability represents the single biggest risk to doing business in South Africa, by undermining investor confidence and constraining industrialisation. It also concludes that government should commit to “solid timeframes” for the review of the Integrated Resource Plan of 2019 (IRP2019) so that electricity demand projections and generating scenarios are more aligned to prevailing circumstances, which have changed materially since the publication of the IRP2019.
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Opinion: Koeberg life extension could flip switch on half a trillion rands of economic damage

In this opinion article, energy analyst and commentator Clyde Mallinson warns that, against the backdrop of persistent and erratic loadshedding, the economic cost of shutting the Koeberg nuclear plant for the extended maintenance that is scheduled to begin within days could be R622-billion, or higher. Having raised these concerns directly in a letter* to the new Eskom board, Mallinson outlines in this article how he has arrived at this cost calculation.
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SA sun and wind, unlike Eskom’s coal, can’t be stolen by ‘sophisticated’ crooks, says De Ruyter

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter has slammed critics of the utility’s move towards renewables, away from coal, arguing that their arguments are not only illogical, but akin to wanting to keep SA stuck in the “Stone Age”. “When a technology reaches the end of its life, it doesn’t make sense to continue to perpetuate it. The Stone Age didn’t end because of a lack of stones. The mere fact that we have a lot of stones in SA doesn’t mean we should have more stone tools,” De Ruyter told Daily Maverick’s The Gathering event in Cape Town on Thursday.
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UK, South Africa to establish Partnership on Minerals for Future Clean Energy Technologies

UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly announced this week that the UK and South Africa were establishing a new Partnership on Minerals for Future Clean Energy Technologies to promote increased responsible exploration, production and processing of minerals in South Africa and Southern Africa. Countries in the Southern African region are among the world’s leading producers of vital minerals used in clean technology, including platinum group metals and iridium for hydrogen production and vanadium and manganese for battery storage.
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CSIR solar PV testing lab ensuring quality standards

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research’s (CSIR’s) solar photovoltaic (PV) module testing laboratory, built on site at its campus, in Pretoria, boasts equipment, expertise and capacity to undertake accelerated reliability stress testing on PV modules to ensure their quality and reliability.
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AIIM to provide R1.6bn to support establishment of renewable energy platform

One of Africa’s largest infrastructure-focused private equity fund managers African Infrastructure Investment Managers (AIIM) has agreed to provide initial equity funding of up to R1.6-billion to support the establishment of a new renewable energy platform NOA Group Holdings to deliver net-zero energy solutions for Africa. The transaction will be financed through a mix of equity provided by AIIM’s South African IDEAS Fund and the latest iteration of AIIM’s dollar-denominated pan-African investment fund AIIF4.
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Another coal truck driver arrested at Camden power station

State-owned Eskom has reported that another coal delivery truck driver has been arrested at the Camden power station, in Mpumalanga, after he was found in possession of subgrade coal destined for use by the power utility.   The truck belongs to a transporter that is contracted to deliver coal to Eskom. Two other truck drivers were arrested two weeks ago at the same power station for being in possession of stolen coal. 
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Coal truck driver apprehended at Eskom’s Camden station a week after ‘sabotage’ arrest

A truck driver was arrested at Eskom’s Camden station on Tuesday for allegedly tampering with coal, just a week after the utility caught a contractor trying to sabotage operations at the same station. The truck belongs to a company contracted to deliver coal to Eskom. Two other drivers were arrested at the same power station while in possession of stolen coal two weeks ago.
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Eskom diesel plan will be announced in the coming days, says Gordhan

A plan to deal with Eskom’s diesel crisis will be announced in the coming days, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan told Parliament on Wednesday. Eskom said last week that it had overspent its budget for diesel and had no more cash to buy new stocks until 1 April. Diesel is used to run Eskom’s two open-gas cycle turbine power plants, each of which can ward off a stage of load shedding.
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