Organisations raise concern over lack of public participation in nuclear energy talks

Societal wellbeing organisations the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (Safcei) and Earthlife Africa Johannesburg have expressed their concern about the South African government pushing for more nuclear energy, while renewables wait in the wings.

The two organisations took the government to court in 2017 over what it deemed an unconstitutional R1-trillion nuclear deal with Russia.

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RMB launches ESG-risk-measuring platforms to support sustainable investing

Financial services provider Rand Merchant Bank (RMB), a division of FirstRand Bank, has launched environmental, social and governance- (ESG-) measuring platforms – ESGo! and ESGNow.

The platforms are envisaged to drive sustainable finance by offering client interfaces that enable more informed investment decisions when it comes to ESG considerations.

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DNG Energy seeks to postpone South Africa emergency power case

A losing bidder in a South African tender for the provision of 2 000 MW of power is asking for the postponement of a court case where it’s seeking for the award of the bulk of that contract to Turkey’s Karpowership to be halted. In the case, due to be heard from Sept. 9, DNG Energy has alleged corruption on behalf of government officials in favoring Karpowership for the provision of gas-fired power plants. DNG maintains it should have been awarded the rights to build three power plants.
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Public Works to release RFI in development of green energy, resource efficiency drive

The Department of Public Works and Infrastructure (DPWI) plans to release a request for information (RFI) for the Integrated Renewable Energy and Resource Efficiency Programme (iREREP) on September 20, to garner ideas and information into ways to deliver mutual value through strong partnerships across government and the private sector.

The department, as the largest landlord and facilities manager in the country, says it has a responsibility to not only deliver and manage quality infrastructure, but to combat climate change and sustainable development through its mandate, such as providing buildings for government service delivery.

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Koeberg Unit 1 to be returned to service at the weekend following reactor trip

Power utility Eskom says the Koeberg Unit 1 reactor tripped at 16:30 on August 30, as a result of a fault on the electrical breaker to one of the primary coolant pumps. “Eskom can confirm that the reactor was then safely shut down by the operators, in compliance with the operating procedure.
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Eskom offers business customers a trial Renewable Energy Tariff

State-owned power utility Eskom has launched the Renewable Energy Tariff pilot programme to assist businesses who have corporate renewable energy commitments. This, the entity said on September 1, enables customers to source a blended electricity supply with up to 100% of their electricity from one of the utility’s renewable sources.
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Enel Green Power’s Nontokozi Nkosi joins SAWEA board

Enel Green Power (EGP) Republic of South Africa (RSA) commercial office head Nontokozo Nkosi has been appointed to the board of the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) as a co-opted member. Having joined EGP RSA in 2016 as a commercial officer, Nkosi’s key responsibilities include identifying and originating new business opportunities. This entails scouting, origination, structuring and pricing of long-term power purchase agreements (PPAs) for new renewable capacity around the world …
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Eskom warns of ongoing injections unless solution is found to ‘unsustainable’ debt

State-owned power utility Eskom’s debt burden remains “unsustainable” despite an R81.9-billion reduction in its gross debt to R401.8-billion in the year to March 31, 2021, during which the entity remained a going concern only because of a R56-billion government injection. The utility reported a slightly improved loss of R18.9-billion (R20.7-billion) for the year but also indicated that it would continue to require taxpayer support for the foreseeable future, with government having already injected the R31.7-billion pledged for the 2022 financial year.
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DBSA expects strong demand for $200m embedded-generation scheme amid regulatory reform tail wind

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) is optimistic that there will be a significant uptake of its $200-million Embedded Generation Investment Programme (EGIP) in light of recent regulatory changes exempting sub-100 MW facilities from licensing and enabling distributed plants to both wheel electricity and sell to multiple customers. Funded in equal parts by the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the DBSA, an official call for proposals for participation in the scheme was launched on August 4, with a closing date of September 30.
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Trina Solar expanding its presence in East, Central Africa

Global photovoltaic (PV) and smart energy solutions provider Trina Solar has appointed Solinc East Africa, in Kenya, as an official distributor to supply its products and solutions in East Africa. This forms part of Trina Solar’s commitment to further increasing its footprint and presence in Africa to cater to the rapidly growing demand for solar energy, the company says. 
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