The world, including Africa, is facing a major international political event of “seismic proportions”, South African Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa highlighted in his keynote address to the Africa Energy Indaba 2025 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Tuesday. Although he carefully named no names, he was undoubtedly referring to the dramatic upheavals in international politics being caused by the new administration in the US. He pointed out that these would affect African countries’ interaction around energy and energy security. The impact would be significant, he warned. Multilateral cooperation was under deep strain. Multilateral investment flows remained unequal. Trade had been weaponised, making it more difficult for developing countries to achieve sustainable development. The Paris climate accords were not being achieved.
Emerging electricity retail brand Earth & Wire reports that it is at an advanced stage of developing a 2 GW project cluster in the Eastern Cape called Energy Fields, which will blend utility-scale wind and solar PV generation with large-scale battery storage and sell electricity to multiple customers. Head of strategic business development Thomas Garner reports that Energy Fields is scheduled to enter into commercial operation by late 2029 and that Earth & Wire is
Energy management and automation company Schneider Electric has appointed Hilton Baartman digital energy director for Anglophone Africa.
Baartman is an award-winning executive with a diverse background in professional services, energy, water, engineering, procurement and construction, as well as technology.
South Africa, and Africa as a whole, had to make use of diversified energy resources, to enhance energy security. This was one of the points highlighted by South African Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in his keynote address, at the Africa Energy Indaba at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, on Tuesday. In the case of South Africa, he affirmed that the country’s energy policy was one of “additionality” (adding new energy sources) not “subtraction” (closing down existing energy resources). South Africa (and Africa) was a fossil fuel producer and it would be the “height of folly” to phase this out. “We’re not going to decimate coal.”
TSX-V-listed Giyani Metals, which is developing the K. Hill battery-grade manganese project in Botswana, has announced the successful production of high-purity manganese oxide (HPMO) at its demonstration (demo) plant in Johannesburg. The production of HPMO, which serves as a precursor for high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM), marks a significant development in the company’s efforts to capitalise on the rapidly growing market for electric vehicle (EV) and energy storage system (ESS) batteries.
A new World Bank report argues that South Africa can raise growth and employment by pursuing four priorities aimed primarily at stimulating market competition and bolstering the efficiency of public institutions and spending. Titled ‘Driving Inclusive Growth in South Africa’, the first priority listed in the report is for the country to improve the efficiency of public spending, while leveraging private resources to enhance economic growth and job creation.
The growth of renewable power in South Africa’s energy mix, and infrastructure development programmes, such as the State-owned Eskom Transmission Development Plan (TDP) 2024 to 2034, will help to provide demand for steel components from the country’s industries, several steel industry experts say. In the study titled Price Benchmarking on Steel Towers in South Africa, published in September, local industrial ecosystem development organisation the Localisation Support Fund (LSF) showed that locally produced steel can be competitive with imports from China and Türkiye, but requires stable and predictable demand, says LSF CEO Irshaad Kathrada.
With its roots in Europe, which is leading the Fourth Industrial Revolution, drive technology and automation specialist SEW-EURODRIVE has the necessary experience to meet the growing demand for automation and digitalisation solutions from sub-Saharan Africa’s (SSA’s) printing and packaging industries. “There’s currently a significantly high demand and we’ve seen a good positive move over the past few years, especially with our new MOVI-C modular automation system. Demand for automation and digitalisation is considerable now and because our research and development (R&D) department is in Germany, we are well-prepared to meet the local demand,” says SEW-EURODRIVE electronics business development manager Willem Strydom.
Newly formed joint venture (JV) Methanox has secured a £1.5-million investment from platinum group metals (PGMs) and chrome concentrates producer Tharisa towards accelerating methane emissions reductions from natural-gas-powered ships. The Methanox JV is the brainchild of London’s Queen Mary University renewable energy senior lecturer Dr Patrick Cullen and chemical engineering programme director Dr Paul Balcombe, along with University College London inorganic chemistry Professor Andrew Beale and London-based climate technology laboratory Prosemino.
German development bank KfW has approved a R2.8-billion concessional loan for the City of Cape Town, which will use the funding to strengthen its electricity infrastructure and integrate renewable-energy supply. The loan conditions were not disclosed, but the financial terms were described as “favourable”, as well as supportive of South Africa’s just energy transition.
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