Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) and power utility Eskom have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) which sets out the terms for ongoing engagement related to GABS’ planned introduction of electric buses into the public transport sector. GABS in July signed a deal to acquire 120 electric buses from Chinese automotive powerhouse BYD, following four years of testing.
Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that a new pilot project is being prepared to further “stress test” an initiative aimed at ensuring that municipalities settle their accounts with Eskom in a context where municipal arrear debt has grown to about R78-billion. The initiative is reportedly being supported by the South African Local Government Association (Salga), and has already been piloted in three municipalities, namely the Beyers Naudé local municipality, in the Eastern Cape, as well as at the Kamiesberg and Nama-Khoi municipalities, in the Northern Cape.
South Africa’s plan to expand its power grid, now the biggest bottleneck to replacing coal with renewables, has hit a snag: finding investors to lend the necessary $21-billion to a near-bankrupt state monopoly. Since May’s election brought a coalition government to power, there has been a policy shift favouring renewables, after years of bureaucratic delays and contradictory messages about South Africa’s willingness to give up coal, which provides 80% of its power.
In this article, Africa GreenCo founder and CEO Ana Hajduka writes that, as Africa’s energy sector deregulates, exciting opportunities open up for financial innovation to benefit consumers and private-sector buyers and traders can mitigate default risk and provide certified green energy at lower cost.
Transforming South Africa’s manufacturing sector to embrace green practices is not just an environmental necessity but a strategic imperative to remain competitive on the global stage, writes Nedbank Commercial Banking national manager Amith Singh, adding that immediate action is needed to ensure industry adapts to these changes and thrives in a carbon-neutral future. We need to have a direct discussion about the state of manufacturing in South Africa. The European Union’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) is not just on the horizon – it’s quickly approaching and set to fundamentally reshape our industry. The CBAM will impose tariffs on imports based on their carbon content, meaning our goods will face much higher costs unless we drastically cut our carbon footprint. This isn’t just a financial inconvenience; it’s a direct threat to our competitiveness on the global stage.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the role of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) in the country’s electricity system; its current trading status; its plans to secure its own allowable revenue during upcoming tariff deliberations; and whether it has the capacity to deliver on the ambitious Transmission Development Plan.
A recent Vertiv industrial solutions webinar, chaired by business, leadership and technology consulting services provider Collaboretix MD Nils Gerstle, provided valuable insights into the challenges faced by, and the innovative solutions available to, the commercial and industrial sectors in Africa. The webinar featured expert panelists including Vertiv MD for Africa Wojtek Piorko, Vertiv Technical Director for Africa Jonathan Duncan, and Namibia-based Swakop Electrical CEO Jaco Duvenhage, who shared their perspectives on addressing power-related issues, embracing sustainability and deploying cutting-edge technologies across the continent. Tackling Power-Related Industrial Challenges
The Presidency has released new details showing that $613-million of the $821-million in grants pledged to support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP) have now been allocated to projects. The disclosure has been made in the second instalment of the online ‘JET Grants Register’ covering the first two quarters of 2024, and set up to record the nature of the projects being supported and to name the grant recipients.
Ringfencing revenue for the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) is regarded as a crucial short-term step for ensuring that the newly operationalised Eskom Holdings subsidiary is placed on a firmer financial footing to begin dealing with the estimated R390-billion grid infrastructure backlog. However, complete financial and operational unbundling from Eskom, together with further tariff reform, is still required to fully derisk the business and position it to play its central role in facilitating South Africa’s transition to an electricity system that does not undermine the country’s export competitiveness as key trading partners begin implementing carbon taxes.
Eskom has released the names to Engineering News of the five transformer companies appointed to a panel of suppliers that will compete for upcoming contracts for a total of 101 large-scale transformers to be installed as part of the National Transmission Company South Africa’s (NTCSA’s) Transmission Development Plan (TDP). Ahead of the NTCSA’s operationalisation on July 1, Eskom announced in late June that the suppliers had been selected following an open tender issued in March 2023, but did not immediately identify the companies, saying only that they were “local with an international footprint”.
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