DFFE welcomes IPCC’s sixth climate mitigation report as guide for a just transition

South Africa welcomes the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC’s) sixth assessment report on mitigation and, as South Africa takes a developmental approach to climate action, this report provides valuable scientific information to guide its just transition, says Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy. “The IPCC Working Group III (WGIII) report on mitigation finds that the world has already spent [80%] of the carbon budget consistent with a 1.5 °C rise in temperatures. This means that a very small carbon budget remains.
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Countries must choose their own energy transition pathways, says WCA

The World Coal Association (WCA) says global events in recent months have highlighted the fragility of the new energy paradigm, reminding the world of the need to advance energy independence and security. Addressing the South African Colliery Managers Association on April 5, WCA CEO Michelle Manook said the complexity of the energy transition and how interconnected the global energy system is, was becoming clear.
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IAEA’s review shows Koeberg made improvements, closed gaps from prior missions

Global civil nuclear body the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA)’s peer review mission of the Safety Aspects of the Long-Term Operation (SALTO) at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station indicated that Koeberg has made significant improvements and have closed gaps identified during the pre-SALTO missions, said State-owned power utility Eskom chief nuclear officer Riedewaan Bakardien. The IAEA has previously completed two pre-SALTO missions, which prepared the station for the work needed to safely extend Koeberg’s operating life.
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Parties react to the end of National State of Disaster

Democratic Alliance (DA) spokesperson Cilliers Brink has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that Cabinet has decided to end the National State of Disaster but cautions against allowing the Health Act amendments to replace it. Brink said South Africa has suffered under the State of Disaster for 750 days, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has led to enormous hardships and devastation to the country’s economy and to people’s lives and livelihoods.
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Emira’s Knightsbridge Block A receives net-zero, energy performance certifications

JSE-listed property company Emira Property Fund has received an Energy Performance Certification (EPC) for one of its buildings – Block A in the Knightsbridge office park, in Bryanston. Knightsbridge Block A is the first of 54 mandated commercial buildings in the Emira portfolio the company plans to obtain EPCs for.
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Global report forecasts 5.4 GW of new wind additions in South Africa to 2026

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) is forecasting that South Africa will add 5.4 GW of new wind capacity over the coming five years to the end of 2026, even though procurement delays will lead to lower levels of deployment in 2022 when compared with 2021. GWEC’s ‘Global Wind Report 2022’ notes that South Africa remains the largest wind market in sub-Saharan Africa, with about 3.1 GW of capacity already connected to the grid.
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Consistency in policy is key for industrialising renewables – SAWEA

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) and its sector stakeholders have reiterated that the industrialisation of the renewable energy sector holds enormous potential across the value chain, including economic power and societal benefits. The association, in a media release issued on April 4, stressed the importance of managing the industrialisation of the renewables sector responsibly, by ensuring components were localised on the basis of their competitiveness and value-add.
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UK signals major new nuclear energy programme

In an interview with the London Daily Telegraph newspaper, UK Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary (Cabinet Minister) Kwasi Kwarteng has confirmed that the country would launch a major new nuclear energy thrust in the near future. Although the details would only be revealed with the release of the country’s new Energy Security Strategy (expected on Thursday), he did outline some of its aspects. “There is a realisation across Government that we could do more on nuclear,” he told the newspaper’s Sunday political editor Edward Malnick. “With energy, you’re thinking maybe 30, even 40 years [ahead]. If we fast forward to 2050, there is a world where we have six or seven [nuclear power plant] sites in the UK. That isn’t going to happen in the next two years, but it’s definitely something that we can aspire to.”
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Eskom’s just energy transition project pipeline investments to cost more than R180bn

Power utility Eskom has identified a pipeline of about 15 projects in support of it’s just energy transition (JET) strategy, but substantial financing of about R180-billion to R199-billion will be needed for the projects to be implemented, Eskom JET GM Mandy Rambharos has said. Speaking at the Fossil Fuel Foundation (FFF) Carbon’s Coal Conference 2022 held in Middelburg, Mpumalanga, on April 1, she said these projects included the Komati Gas, Sere photovoltaic (PV) and Olyvenhoutsdrift PV projects.
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IAEA mission concludes review of operational safety of Koeberg nuclear plant life extension

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Thursday that an international team of experts it had sent to South Africa had completed its long term operation (LTO) safety review of the Koeberg nuclear power plant (NPP), near Cape Town. Koeberg is owned and operated by national electricity utility Eskom. The Koeberg NPP had two reactors, the first of which (Unit 1) started commercial operation in 1984, followed by the second (Unit 2) in 1985. Eskom wanted to extend their operational life by another 20 years, to 2045, to give a total operational lifetime of 60 years for both units.
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