Petrol refinery closures affect testing company

The move from a hybrid petrol-producing country to a petrol-importing country is increasingly becoming a challenge for South Africa, as many companies have been shut down or bought out, says testing and inspection provider Oleum Process & Pipeline (OPP) services sales project engineer Stuart Baigent.
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IEA calls for diversification of solar PV supply chains

Ensuring a secure transition to net-zero emissions will require increased efforts to expand and diversify the global production of solar panels, whose global supply chains are currently heavily concentrated in China, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said with the launch of a new report on solar photovoltaic (PV) global supply chains released on July 7. Chinese industrial and innovation policies that have focused on expanding solar panel production and markets have helped solar PV become the most affordable electricity generation technology in many places around the world, the agency points out.
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Eskom confirms strong flow of grid-connection applications for Bid Window 6 of renewables programme

Eskom’s Grid Access Unit reports that it has received payments for 179 cost estimate letters, or CELs, and has issued 53 such letters, following the April 6 issuance of a request for proposals (RFP) for Bid Window Six (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). Speaking during a virtual bidders conference hosted by the IPP Office, the unit’s head, Azwimbavhi Mamanyuha, reported that a total of 219 grid-access applications had been received by Eskom in relation to BW6, the bid submission date for which is August 11.
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Solidarity calls on the private sector to apply for energy generation permits en masse

The only viable and sustainable solution to South Africa’s escalating electricity crisis is for small independent power producers (IPPs) to immediately flood the market on a large scale, trade union Solidarity’s Research Institute (SRI) has said. Through a concerted effort by the private sector – including businesses and private citizens alike – to invest in IPP capability, the country’s energy crisis could be resolved within months, the trade union said during a media briefing on July 8.
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Kibo commits to buying first VRFBs under agreement with CellCube

Renewable energy development company Kibo Energy has committed to buy, from energy storage system company CellCube, two vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs) for proof-of-concept energy storage projects. Kibo in May entered into an agreement to acquire a 51% interest in National Broadband Solutions (NBS) from Hasta Trust and to jointly assess and develop a portfolio of long-duration energy storage (LDES) projects in Southern Africa.
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14 groups call on Mantashe to immediately commission more green power

As South Africans battle some of the worst load-shedding ever, there is growing pressure on Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe to allow for more renewables and battery storage to address the deepening energy crisis. Fourteen civil society organisations, in an open letter, requested that Mantashe immediately issue determinations for the procurement of 13 600 MW of renewable energy and 1 575 MW of storage capacity.
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Eskom brings in former employees, manufacturers to deal with crisis

Eskom, which readily concedes it does not have the skills to maintain its plants, is on a drive to bring back former employees to mentor and train staff.  It is also, at last, bringing in the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to conduct maintenance on parts of its plants where its own engineers and artisans are having difficulty. This has previously been difficult due to red tape around public procurement.
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Cable theft disrupts coal deliveries by rail to Majuba power station

Cable theft has critically constrained the delivery of coal by rail to the Majuba power station, as the portion of the rail network owned by State-owned power utility Eskom that feeds directly into Majuba has been severely damaged by the theft of overhead cables and critical overhead track equipment, reports State-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR). Eskom has been unable to restore the overhead track equipment, TFR says.
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European Parliament endorses nuclear as a green energy, albeit on a transitional basis

The European Parliament, in a vote on Wednesday, endorsed nuclear energy, and certain gas energy projects, as green energy. The vote was actually on a motion to exclude nuclear and certain gas projects from the European Commission’s (EC’s) ‘Taxonomy Complementary Climate Delegated Act’. The motion was rejected by 328 votes to 278, with 33 abstentions, reported the European Parliament press office. The inclusion of nuclear and certain gas projects in the EC green energy taxonomy could still be vetoed by the European Council, which is composed of the Heads of State and/or Government of all the member states of the European Union (EU). According to the Reuters news agency, it would require 20 of the 27 members states to vote against the Complementary Delegated Act to veto it. The news agency described such an eventuality as “very unlikely”.
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TEDA renewable energy roundtable engenders green economy dialogue

Across the globe, climate change and the move away from fossil fuels to clean energy has created considerable opportunities for renewable energy, driving development of the “green economy”. At the end June, the Tshwane Economic Development Agency (TEDA) held a Renewable Energy Roundtable, which it says has sparked critical thinking in the sector.
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