A new Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report offers a sobering picture of declining electricity system production and demand between 2010 and 2020 – a trend that was amplified further during Covid-hit 2020, when demand slumped by a sharp 5.1%, or 11.8 TWh, to a decade low level of 227 TWh. Titled ‘Statistics of utility-scale power generation in South Africa in 2020’, the report has been compiled by the CSIR Energy Centre’s Joanne Calitz and Dr Jarrad Wright.
Domestic natural gas and helium producer Renergen has made another significant gas strike at its Virginia gas project, this time in well MDR1, 300 m north of the currently producing MDR5 well. The Virginia project is located in South Africa’s Free State province.
In the second part of its special coverage on the impact of hydrogen on the mining and metals sector, Fitch Solutions Country Risk & Industry Research (Fitch Solutions) reports that it believes green hydrogen will be adopted in the metals sector, in particular in the steel sector, in the longer term.
Green hydrogen will be increasingly used to decarbonise steel production, which is now a priority for many steelmakers in developed markets, as the steel industry accounts for about 9% of global carbon dioxide emissions, largely from blast furnace-based steelmaking, Fitch Solutions notes.
A study of South Africa’s offshore wind energy resources by researchers from the Stellenbosch University Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering indicates that wind turbines installed at different depths off the KwaZulu-Natal and Western Cape coasts could potentially supply about 15% and 800%, respectively, of South Africa’s yearly electricity demand. The study by Stellenbosch University Department of Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering researchers Gordon Rae and Dr Gareth Erfort was published in the Journal of Energy in Southern Africa. It is a comprehensive first assessment of South Africa’s offshore wind energy resources and was aimed at identifying the most suitable regions for the development of wind farms.
Three additional geographic areas – Emalahleni, Klerksdorp and Beaufort West – have officially been declared as Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs) following the publication of a Government Gazette notice signed by Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy. The new zones increase to 11 the number of declared REDZs, with eight zones having previously been proclaimed in Overberg, Komsberg, Cookhouse, Stormberg, Kimberley, Vryberg, Upington and Springbok.
Power utility Eskom says it will implement Stage 2 load-shedding from 17:00 on Wednesday until 23:00 on Friday as the generation capacity is severely constrained. “There is a probability that load-shedding may be implemented at short notice should any further breakdowns occur before then,” it warns.
Eskom Holdings and Sasol, South Africa’s two biggest polluters, must comply with emission limits even if it costs them tens of billions of rand, Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said. The companies, which use coal to produce electricity and gasoline respectively, have sought to avoid installing so-called flue-gas desulfurization, or FGD, units at their facilities to reduce sulfur dioxide pollution because of their cost.
The publication of a national hydrogen strategy has been identified by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) as the crucial first pillar in an evolving four-pillar policymaking toolbox for countries that are either planning to export or import green hydrogen as part of their multi-pronged decarbonisation efforts. In fact, Irena knowledge and policy specialist Emanuele Bianco argued during a webinar on Tuesday that such a strategy was required not only to define a country’s level of ambition for green hydrogen, but also to outline the amount of support required and provide a reference on hydrogen’s development for private investment and finance.
Ratings agency S&P Global Ratings sees finding a solution to Eskom’s unsustainable debt position as potentially key to meeting the timelines proposed for the broader restructuring of the State-owned utility into three units of generation, transmission and distribution – an unbundling that is also viewed as necessary for reforming South Africa’s electricity supply industry and attracting much-needed private generation investment. Speaking during a virtual update on South Africa on Tuesday, corporate ratings director Omega Collocott said the restructuring was progressing “slowly”, but had been negatively affected by the disruptions associated with the Covid-19 pandemic as well as operational difficulties that had resulted in recent bouts of rotational power cuts.
The Eskom board has resolved to initiate an investigation into an allegation of racism made against CEO André de Ruyter, indicating in a statement that an independent senior counsel would be appointed to conduct the probe. The counsel, the board said, would be empowered to interview any person who might be of assistance and could consider any evidence.
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