Projects driven by regulatory improvements

Embedded electricity projects are increasing in size and complexity, owing to improvements in regulations. A wider variety of power solutions, capitalising on the benefits offered by independent power producers (IPPs), are available to address client requirements, says IPP Sturdee Energy executive director Andrew Johnson. He explains that the increase of the licence-exempt threshold for embedded generation in South Africa has led to larger on-site projects being a more viable option benefitting from economies of scale. Larger embedded projects within the 5 MW to 50 MW range which exist together with the option of wheeling are now a feasible option for customers. 
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Miner focuses on improving energy capacity, sustainability

Gold producer Gold Fields plans to increase its embedded electricity generation capacity through wind energy at its South Deep operation in Gauteng.  Further, the company is in talks with State-owned power utility Eskom to feed surplus electricity into the grid, says Gold Fields executive VP Benford Mokoatle.
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Serco rolls out solar at Gauteng facility, Cape Town to follow at year-end

Truck and trailer body-building company Serco is now fully powered by solar energy at its Boksburg facility in Gauteng. The installation consists of a 150 kW hybrid solar system with 370 x 405 W panels, plus high-voltage inverters coupled with 320 kW of batteries.
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EU must step up action in clean tech race, say industry groups

Europe’s green technology industries and materials suppliers urged European Union leaders meeting for a summit on Thursday to do more to prevent the bloc dropping out of the global clean tech race against competitors China and the US. The European Union is expected to pass legislation setting targets for EU-based companies to make at least 40% of the EU’s annual deployment needs of solar, wind and other net-zero technologies by 2030.
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$1bn World Bank loan to support South Africa’s energy reforms and decarbonisation

The World Bank has approved a $1-billion Development Policy Loan (DPL) to support market reports under way in the country, as well as South Africa’s low-carbon transition.  
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Rubicon signs partnership with Italy’s WeCo Batteries

South African solar and backup energy solutions provider Rubicon has announced a partnership with Italian energy storage business WeCo Batteries.  Under this partnership, Rubicon and WeCo Batteries will deliver energy systems for residential and commercial applications in South Africa. 
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Distribution crisis requires attention on same ‘scale and intensity’ as generation shortfall

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has described South Africa’s highly fragmented electricity distribution industry as a threat to energy security that warrants attention “on the scale and intensity” that has been given to the country’s generation shortfall in the recent past. Delivering and update on the implementation of the Energy Action Plan in Parliament, Ramokgopa said that a significant number of municipalities were in a state of paralysis and unable to perform their mandated duties, including in the area of electricity distribution.
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Eskom targets 1 000 MW as it launches cross-border standard purchase offer

South Africa’s electricity utility Eskom is aiming to contract for 1 000 MW of additional electricity imports from it regional neighbours using a cross-border standard offer programme (CBSOP), which was formally launched on October 18. The programme, Eskom says, is designed to simplify the procurement of energy from existing and new facilities in the region.
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Top bond investor slams South Africa bid to fix State firms

Futuregrowth Asset Management, a South African money manager overseeing more than R190-billion of fixed-income assets, says the government’s draft legislation meant to address inefficiencies at state entities is “ineffective, overdue, vague, and contradictory”. The National State Enterprises Bill aims to establish the State Asset Management, a holding company to consolidate the state’s shareholdings. But the draft law does little to address critical failures at the country’s government-owned companies, according to Olga Constantanos, head of credit at Cape Town-based Futuregrowth.
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Ramaphosa says battle against coal syndicates gaining traction

President Cyril Ramaphosa has hailed the efforts by law enforcement agencies and the South African Revenue Service (Sars) to bust coal smuggling syndicates operating in the country. Planned search and seizure operations targeting coal smuggling syndicates have gained traction across five provinces with the documents of individuals alleged to have committed procurement fraud, tax crimes and coal diversion being confiscated.
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