Although there has been a “slight” improvement year-on-year in terms of State-owned Transnet Freight Rail’s (TFR’s) North Corridor performance, the beleaguered rail operator is “not out of the woods yet”, TFR north corridor acting managing executive Theo Johnson has said. “‘Slight improvement’ is a term that I would accept. We’re working on a lot of initiatives [in] the North Corridor, because that’s the biggest corridor in TFR, particularly for the export coal line . . . but we are not out of the woods. We have a long way to go,” he said at the 2024 Coal & Energy Transition Day, in Johannesburg, on July 24.
Eskom will replace its declining coal capacity with clean-energy options in line with country policy and the Just Energy Transition, Eskom GM for primary energy Dan Mashigo told participants at a conference on coal and the energy transition. Speaking on behalf of Eskom CEO Dan Marokane, Mashigo reported that the State-owned company had a 20 GW-plus generation project pipeline, including 6 GW of solar PV, 4 GW of hybrid wind-PV-battery projects, 4 GW of gas-to-power, 3 GW of nuclear and 3.5 GW of hydro, wind and battery storage.
Energy company Energy Partners has completed a project at property investment company Fairvest’s Metalbox skyscraper in Auckland Park, Johannesburg. The property now features a building-integrated PV (BIPV) system that generates up to 300 MWh/y. It is South Africa’s first solar facade skyscraper, Energy Partners says.
Energy demand growth is forecast to be among the highest levels this year and next, compared with the last two decades, the International Energy Agency (IEA) notes in its ‘Electricity Mid-Year Update’ report.
Solar PV technology alone is expected to account for half of the demand growth increases globally.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the key themes of interest to business raised during President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Opening of Parliament speech; the ongoing and new reforms that will be pursued by the Government of National Unity; and the immediate priorities from an economic perspective.
Solar energy and lighting solutions provider ZRW Mechanika has successfully combined LED technology with renewable solar power to create its portable solar systems to provide lighting for informal and rural settlements and develop integrated solar high-mast solutions for area lighting. LEDs have become the standard, as LEDs use less power, compared with fluorescent tubes, induction lights and incandescent lights, says ZRW Mechanika MD Dr Kamalluddien Parker.
With technological advancements vastly improving within the lighting sector, lighting manufacturer Spazio has begun to integrate solar, AI and LED technologies into its light fittings. Spazio marketing manager Moynene Bredenkamp says that solar lighting technology has seen massive improvements over the last few years, which has made it a popular choice as an exterior domestic application in South Africa.
A second round of economic reforms under Operation Vulindlela, together with green industrialisation and scaled-up infrastructure development have been placed at the centre of the Government of National Unity’s (GNU’s) agenda for driving inclusive growth and job creation, which President Cyril Ramaphosa outlined in his opening of Parliament address on Thursday night. Speaking 50 days after highly competitive elections where no single party secured an outright majority and days after the new members of the expanded executive met at a Cabinet lekgotla to agree on priorities for a GNU that includes ten political parties, Ramaphosa announced that inclusive economic growth had been placed at “the top of the national agenda”.
Independent power producer Engie has broken ground on the construction of the 75 MW Grootspruit solar PV power plant, which is being built and will be operated in partnership with Pele Green Energy. Grootspruit, in the Free State, is one of two PV power plants to be built by Engie as part of Bid Window 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
Eskom has lodged a surprise objection to the issuance of licences to private traders in areas where its distribution entity currently holds a licence, arguing that the current rules of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) prohibit two or more licensees supplying the same area. The objection was made during virtual Nersa hearings being held to consider the granting of generation, trading, as well as import-export licences to various entities, including Discovery Green, CBi Electric Apollo, Green Electron Market and Africa GreenCo.
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