The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has called on stakeholders wanting to make oral presentations on Eskom’s Sixth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD6) to submit their requests to do so immediately. Nersa is gearing up to conduct nationwide public hearings on the revenue application from November 18 until December 4, starting in Cape Town and concluding in Gauteng.
The newly appointed head of Scatec’s sub-Saharan Africa business, Alberto Gambacorta, says the group is pursuing a 5 GW pipeline of renewable energy and storage opportunities in the region and especially South Africa, which is already the Norwegian group’s global hub for engineering and operations. Gambacorta, who was named GM for Scatec sub-Saharan Africa on November 6, tells Engineering News that the region remains a priority market for the Oslo-listed company, where it has invested about $2.5-billion since 2011.
Africa was well placed to participate in the emerging global hydrogen economy, South African Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa highlighted on Tuesday. He was addressing the African Energy Week conference, being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Africa’s solar and wind resources positioned the continent as a very favourable place to produce green hydrogen. He further pointed out that a number of green hydrogen projects were already under development on the continent. Europe, Japan and South Korea were all likely to import large quantities of green hydrogen from Africa.
In light of the world’s population being estimated to grow by at least 1.7-billion by 2050 and the fact that about 4.5-billion people already do not have sufficient access to energy, TotalEnergies outlines in its latest Energy Outlook a new scenario that reflects the current trajectory of various countries up to 2030.
This scenario, which includes Total’s anticipated technological development and public policies globally, enables the company to present the expected evolution of the energy system in future, in line with current trends and the efforts still required to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement.
South Africa will use its position as Chair of the G20 (the group of 19 major global economies plus the African Union and the European Union) next year to champion Africa’s energy priorities on the global stage. So assured Electricity and Energy Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa in his keynote address on the first day of the African Energy Week conference and exhibition, being held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. He affirmed that accessibility, affordability and sustainability had to be energy priorities for the continent. Africa needed affordable clean energy, with the aim of creating a resilient energy system across the continent.
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has urged the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to reject Eskom’s latest revenue application, which Outa says “displays a cavalier disregard” for the negative economic and socials impacts of yet more above-inflation hikes. In its formal written submission to Nersa, the non-profit organisation warns that the price of electricity “is spiralling out of control”, and argues that a new dedicated effort is required to tackle energy poverty, access and affordability as has been done with loadshedding.
State-owned utility Eskom has assured the country that the tripping of Unit 6 at the Kriel power station, in Mpumalanga, on November 3, would not impact the current generation capacity or lead to loadshedding. The unit tripped following the loss of hydraulic oil to the turbine valves. A preliminary investigation revealed that an oil pipe had broken, causing an oil spill on the hot surfaces of the turbine, which triggered a fire.
The Independent Power Producer (IPP) Office has confirmed that it will oppose a legal attempt by two renewables consortia to prevent the payout of preferred-bidder guarantees called after their projects failed to advance to commercial close. Both consortia – Engie-Pele Sannapos Solar PV Consortium and Globeleq-Mainstream SA Renewables Power – were selected as preferred bidders during Bid Window 5 (BW5) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, launched in 2021.
Through its Smart Farming initiative, power transmission and motion control products distributor BMG offers solutions that are aimed at conserving power, enhancing operational efficiency and minimising downtime through effective maintenance strategies. As farming operations face increasing pressures from rising electricity and water costs, as well as power supply constraints, the initiative, also referred to as the ‘Boer Slim’ initiative, focuses on sustainable practices that improve crop production output while addressing broader concerns such as labour, capital investment and resource management.
Multinational technology company ABB’s YuMi collaborative robot is playing a transformative role by contributing to both operational efficiency and environmental responsibility, making it an essential tool in modern manufacturing and beyond, says ABB robotics local division manager Julian Pillay. He explains that the YuMi robots are optimised to reduce energy consumption through precise motion control and programming, minimising unnecessary movements during operations.
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