High Court Judge Fayeeza Kathree-Setiloane will decide next week whether to grant the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) leave to appeal her July 28 judgment, which found the regulator’s decision to deduct a R69-billion equity injection into Eskom from its allowable revenue for the period 2019/20 to 2021/22 to be illegal. Kathree-Setiloane also ruled that the full amount be added back over the coming three years and that the first R23-billion be added during the 2021/22 financial year.
Cameroon will build a $3-billion hydropower plant as part of an ambitious plan to make the central African nation an exporter of electricity by 2035. The 810 MW Grand Eweng project on the Sanaga river, a joint venture between the government and the US-based energy company Hydromine, is the fifth hydro-project on the river.
Electrical and digital building infrastructure specialist Legrand South Africa’s smart Netatmo solutions, which are designed for convenience, safety and comfort at home, ensure energy efficiency and enhanced aesthetics.
Modernising the current energy infrastructure in South Africa will dramatically change the energy utility business model, says diversified power management company Eaton electrical sector Africa MD Seydou Kane. “Modernising the current energy infrastructure, gives industrial and private energy consumers access to technology that allows them to produce, store and distribute energy.”
Distributed generation and microgrid modelling software company Homer Energy, through development of standard-setting energy modelling software company UL, released a new Homer Pro feature that eases the creation of information-rich proposals. Through its new proposal writer, system designers can quickly and efficiently produce professional reports that illustrate cost savings from distributed renewable energy projects, as well as technical features of the system simulated.
Following Covid-19-related delays, solar energy company SustainSolar successfully commissioned its first Sustain Compact containerised solar generation unit in Mthembanji, Malawi, says SustainSolar managing director Tobias Hobbach. This solar generation unit was delivered as a minigrid under the Rural Energy Access through Social Enterprise and Decentralisation project. It was funded by the Scottish government in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow and international development and emergency relief organisation United Purpose.
The head of South Africa’s Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office, which performs the IPP procurement function on behalf of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), says discussions are under way with the department to finalise the roll-out plan for the Section 34 determination that caters for the procurement of 11 813 MW of new generation capacity. Speaking during a webinar on Thursday, IPP Office CEO Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro said that the fifth bid window, known as BW5, of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) would be launched by the end of January 2021 at the latest, but that the request for proposals (RFP) could be released before the end of 2020.
Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Creamer Media Editor Terence Creamer about the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s concurrence with a Ministerial determination that paves the way for the resumption of regular procurement and the significance of Eskom having signalled its support for the Ministerial determination.
The South African Renewable Energy Council (Sarec) expressed optimism on Wednesday that the long-awaited fifth bid window (BW5) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme could be fast-tracked in light of the energy regulator’s recent concurrence with a Ministerial determination opening the way for the procurement of 11 813 MW of new generation capacity. In a statement signed by chairperson Terence Govender, Sarec said the determination “came ahead of its initially anticipated date”, giving its members hope that the BW5 request for proposals (RFP) could be “expedited”.
The 33 MW Excelsior Wind Energy Facility, in the Western Cape, has been connected to South Africa’s load-shedding-prone national grid, with all 13 of its wind turbines having been successfully commissioned. The facility is believed to be the first Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme Bid Window 4 (BW 4) project in the Western Cape to achieve the milestone. The province has three BW 4 wind farms under construction and nine in total.