Sacreee, Irena partner once again on decentralised renewables in Southern Africa

The Southern African Development Community’s (SADC’s) Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (Sacreee) has signed a memorandum of understanding with the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) to accelerate decentralised renewable energy deployment in Southern Africa.

The two organisations will also cooperate on policy development, capacity building programmes and regional events aimed at attracting investments to the region.

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Embedded generation dynamics shifting from ‘buyer’s to seller’s market’

Market dynamics for embedded generation projects in South Africa have shifted materially over the past 12 months as an increasing number of mines and power-heavy industrial firms moved to install renewable-energy facilities at a time when government is also starting to resume utility scale procurement. In fact, Cresco executive director Robert Futter, who is advising several energy intensive firms on their power generation projects, reports that, as of the first quarter of 2021, there has been a decisive swing from a “buyer’s to a seller’s market”.
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Eskom, Sasol rebuffed, Creecy says as she fights pollution suit

Environmental Affairs Minister Barbara Creec said she rejected pleas for leniency from senior executives at the country’s two biggest air polluters as she responded to a lawsuit that says her office has breached constitutional rights to clean air. In a 260-page answering affidavit to a lawsuit filed against her by environmental non profits she argued that while the country’s developmental needs must be balanced against environmental concerns, she had nevertheless acted to try and improve air quality.
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ZRA clarifies stakeholder engagement process, confirms Batoka construction has not started

Binational organisation the Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) has reiterated and clarified its Covid-19-impacted stakeholder engagement process amid preparations to start building the multibillion-dollar 2 400 MW Batoka Gorge hydropower project on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The cross-border hydroelectric facility is expected to produce 10 215 GWh/y of electricity, which will be shared between Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is envisioned that the project will be completed in 2026, after starting construction in mid-2022.

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Scatec acquires SN Power

Renewable power producer Scatec on February 1 confirmed that it had received all necessary approvals for its $1.16-billion buyout of SN Power from Norfund and that all suspensive conditions have been met. “This acquisition forms a very important part of our broadened growth strategy, with ambitions to become a global player in solar, hydro, wind and storage solutions, and an integrator of high-value infrastructure solutions,” said Scatec CEO Raymond Carlsen.
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Eskom caps 2021 extra-revenue claim at R23bn, but tells court anything less will be ‘disastrous’

State-owned power utility Eskom indicated during a court hearing on Friday that it would not seek to recover more than R23-billion in additional revenue through the tariff during its 2021/22 financial year, implying that any possible hike implemented on April 1 would be capped at about 15.5%. However, Advocate Matthew Chaskalson, who acted for Eskom, told Justice Joseph Raulinga that any amount less than R23-billion would be financially unsustainable for the utility and potentially “socially disastrous”, as yet more fiscal resources would have to be diverted from other social needs to shore up Eskom’s finances.
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South African radioisotope company gets unqualified audits from Auditor General

South African State-owned nuclear technology company, NTP Radioisotopes (NTP), has received an unqualified audit for a second year in a row. NTP is part of the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (better known as Necsa) group, but its finances are managed independently of the group and submitted separately to the Auditor General. NTP manufactures and processes radioisotopes, mainly for medical applications. Three years ago, it was shut down because of regulatory noncompliances, and ceased production for 18 months.
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Eskom seeks to recover R23bn through courts, amid tariff hike

The precise size of the upcoming tariff hike is not yet known as Eskom seeks to recover R23-billion more through the courts. Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer unpacks this complicated issue.
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Plant energy produced from tomato waste

Italian boiler producer and installation company Uniconfort designed, manufactured and installed two boilers at a food processing company in the Ivory Coast in Africa. Through its advanced technology, the food processing company is able to save about €1-millon each year as the two boilers are powered by production waste. Uniconfort designed a plant that is powered by two boilers capable of burning tomato hulls mixed with cashew hulls and local timber. With a short fuel supply chain at almost no cost, using materials which would have to be disposed of as waste, the waste products replace gas which has an extremely high cost in the Ivory Coast.
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Business relationship mutually beneficial

The international partnership between sawmill technology supplier Newsaw and Italy-based biomass boilers and heating solutions provider Uniconfort has resulted in power solutions, power independence and cost-effective maintenance for boiler plants in Africa. “Since 2004, Newsaw has been watching the power crisis unfold in South Africa, and we have tried to find suppliers that will help us alleviate the power constraints that our clients face. While gasification presents itself as a common solution, it is arduous to work with and difficult to operate,” says Newsaw CEO Louis du Plessis.
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