Power utility Eskom says it continues to replace mini substations and transformers that failed or exploded as a result of theft, vandalism and network overloading in Gauteng. The overloading is the result of illegal connections, meter tampering, unauthorised operations, nonpayment and electricity token purchases from ghost vendors, the utility notes.
Trade union Solidarity says it has submitted a petition to Parliament, demanding that all regulatory or legislative obstacles to unlimited private power generation be removed as a matter of urgency. “It is obvious that Eskom does not have the capacity to supply in the country’s current energy needs and it will certainly not be able to meet future energy needs. Eskom itself will decommission most of its coal fleet in the coming decades with 22 000 MW to be decommissioned by 2035.
Germany’s largest steel manufacturer Thyssenkrupp Steel has partnered with petroleum company BP to accelerate decarbonisation of its steel production.
The companies will promote policies to support the development of low-carbon hydrogen and renewable energy solutions in steel production in Europe.
UK-government-funded initiative Trade Forward Southern Africa (TFSA) and consultancy Africa House will on July 19 and 20 host a South African Renewable Energy Product & Expertise Showcase in Cape town.
The event will highlight the regional project supply opportunities and is a unique occasion for South Africa suppliers to access regional markets for renewable energy-related products.
Civil rights organisation AfriForum has served a public access to information (PAIA) application on Eskom, demanding information on active contracts that the national power provider currently has with various service providers, including coal suppliers and transport companies that transport the coal. According to AfriForum, the government’s record of managing State-owned companies leaves much to be desired.
An emergency power infrastructure rehabilitation project has reached the last leg of implementation with the delivery of a 175 MVA transformer, signalling relief from constant power outages for thousands of customers in the Midlands, Mashonaland East and West provinces of Zimbabwe. Phase II of the ZimFund Emergency Power Infrastructure Rehabilitation Project (EPIRP II) received $22.74-million in funding from the ZimFund, in which development finance institution the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is a major partner.
A global squeeze on energy supply that’s triggered crippling shortages and sent power and fuel prices surging may get worse, according to the head of the International Energy Agency. “The world has never witnessed such a major energy crisis in terms of its depth and its complexity,” IEA executive director Fatih Birol said Tuesday at a global energy forum in Sydney. “We might not have seen the worst of it yet — this is affecting the entire world.”
South Africa’s labour minister said he’ll oppose any move to privatize the beleaguered power utility Eskom Holdings, as it struggles to generate power, avoid outages and repay $23-billion of debt. Privatizing the company would be detrimental to the poor, Employment and Labour Minister Thulas Nxesi said in an interview. While President Cyril Ramaphosa’s government has previously denied any plans to sell the company, there have been calls to divest from the asset. S&P Global Ratings said privatization may be the best option to resolve the power crisis in Africa’s most-industrialised nation.
Amid ongoing delays in returning Koeberg Unit 2 to service, as well as delays to the steam generator replacement (SGR) programme across both Koeberg’s reactors, Eskom has announced the resignation of its chief nuclear officer, Riedewaan Barkadien. COO Jan Oberholzer said on Monday that Barkadien, who has worked at Eskom for 27 years, would depart on July 31 to join a Canadian nuclear utility in an executive position.
South Africans can expect Stage 4 load-shedding until midnight for the next few days, with Stage 2 between midnight and 05:00. This may be downgraded to Stage 3 during the day on Friday, with Stage 2 expected over the weekend, if offline power stations are returned as expected.
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