Waterloo solar PV farm starts commercial operations

The 75 MW Waterloo solar photovoltaic (PV) farm, located 10 km outside of Vryburg, in the North West province, has started commercial operations.

The project achieved full quality and grid-code compliance by local engineering, procurement and construction contractor juwi Renewable Energies on November 21, and is part of the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

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Six steps proposed for unlocking larger-scale self-gen projects, amid ongoing government resistance

Six steps could be taken immediately by the South African government and the energy regulator to unlock more self-generation investment by residential, commercial, industrial, mining and agricultural consumers so as to minimise power shortages and reduce the threat of load-shedding, a newly released paper argues. Published by Meridian Economics and authored by Dr Grové Steyn and Celeste Renaud the briefing note argues that distributed generation projects represent the quickest response to the country’s power crisis, but that they are currently being stymied by “regulatory red tape”.
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Nersa to host public hearing on Gold Fields’ South Deep solar plant application

NYSE- and JSE-listed Gold Fields’ South Deep mining operation has lodged an application with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) for an electricity generation licence for a proposed 40 MW solar photovoltaic plant at the mine, in Westonaria.

Nersa has advised that a public hearing will be held on December 3 to gather input from stakeholders regarding the application.

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Surging Covid-linked borrowing costs pose threat to Africa’s energy transition

The surge in borrowing costs affecting most African countries in the wake of the economic and fiscal harm that has accompanied the Covid-19 pandemic poses a serious risk to the much-needed recovery in energy investment across the continent, which is set to collapse by 30% in 2020. International Energy Agency (IEA) executive director Dr Fatih Birol, who together with African Union Commission (AUC) infrastructure and energy commissioner Dr Amani Abou-Zeid co-chaired the AUC-IEA Second Ministerial Forum on Tuesday, stressed that a strong investment recovery was urgently required to improve energy access across the continent, which was poised to retreat for the first time in seven years in 2020.
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Western Cape launches Municipal Energy Resilience project

The Western Cape government has launched its three-year Municipal Energy Resilience (MER) project to assist municipalities to take advantage of the new energy regulations, which may include buying energy directly from independent power producers (IPPs).
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Eskom’s turnaround strategy to bear first fruit in April 2021

Eskom CEO André de Ruyter says progress is being made in the unbundling of the utility and that “by April [2021], we should see a change”.

He noted that the negative impact of load-shedding on the economy is well known and it is something that Eskom wishes to put behind it as quickly as possible.

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Nedbank provides financing options for solar power

Banking institution Nedbank is exploring financing options for solar photovoltaic (PV) installation for homeowners and has implemented several options for businesses wanting to install solar PV plants. Nedbank Home Loans strategy head Bruno Cing’andu noted during a November 24 webinar, hosted by the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association, that Nedbank Home Loans is exploring financing for solar owing to it aligning with the group’s strategy and brand positioning.
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A ‘just transition’ is complicated – panel

As South Africa emerges from the Covid-19-induced economic crisis, the most strategic objective would be to relieve the economy and its growth path from the stronghold of insufficient access to sustainable and competitive power generation, advisory Pan-African Investment and Research Services founder and CE Dr Iraj Abedian has said.

He has published a research paper on a just energy transition, which states that even before the pandemic struck, the country had already recorded a technical recession, it being the second in just two years, which is in part owing to the State-owned energy utility Eskom’s inability to supply adequate and reliable electricity.

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De Ruyter calls for upscaling of power procurement plans as he questions whether coal IPP will …

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has again called on government to open the way for the procurement of more new electricity capacity in addition to the 11 800 MW outlined in a recently gazetted Ministerial determination, cautioning that the 1 500 MW of new coal included in the determination is unlikely to be built in the timeframes outlined, if at all. Speaking to broadcaster Bruce Whitfield as part of a PSG-organised webinar, De Ruyter said that, even if the capital could be raised for new coal, the projects would struggle to secure environmental approvals and the commissioning schedule envisaged in the Integrated Resource Plan of 2019 (IRP2019).
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Zirk Botha prepares for 7 000 km solo transatlantic row

Capetonian Zirk Botha – a former naval combat officer and adventure racer – is preparing final arrangements to depart from Cape Town on a 7 000 km-long solo rowing trip on his boat Ratel across the Atlantic ocean, to Rio de Janeiro.

Sponsored by the company he works for – juwi Renewable Energies – Botha plans to depart from Granger Bay at on December 1, following which he will row for about 100 days unassisted. His boat’s electrical equipment will run solely from solar panels and batteries.

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