A new research report published by telecommunications group Vodacom highlights Africa’s high vulnerability to climate change, with decarbonisation efforts hampered by critical energy challenges. The White Paper, ‘Decarbonising Africa’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Sector’, shows that weak grid infrastructure, financial constraints within utilities, complex regulatory environments and unreliable electricity supply continue to slow the adoption of renewable energy across the continent.
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Electricity utility Eskom has announced the conclusion of a much-anticipated 62c/kWh electricity tariff deal with ferrochrome producers Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture and Samancor Chrome. The State-owned company also reiterated that the concluded agreements remained subject to approval by the National Electricity Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
Amid a challenging energy landscape, diesel-based power generation remains one of the predominant standby energy sources across the African continent, despite diesel generator demand slowly plateauing, says global diesel and alternative fuel generators manufacturer Cummins power generation markets Europe, Middle East, India and Africa executive director Ignacio Gonzalez. Although there is a need for a “sensible balance” between global decarbonisation efforts and Africa’s need for reliable power, in practice, energy security continues to “come first” across most African markets.
Amid South Africa’s evolving energy landscape, generators and standby power solutions remain highly relevant, provided that they are deployed intelligently through proactive fuel and load management, and hybrid solutions, says UK based diesel and hybrid power solutions manufacturer AJ Power business development director Andrew Pigott. While a significant drawback of using generators is the high costs associated with diesel fuel, the key driver for generator use is mitigating downtime rather than avoiding associated costs.
State-owned special economic zone (SEZ) developer the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) and State-owned Eskom have established a three-year strategic framework for cooperation in support of South Africa’s Nuclear New Build Programme (NNBP). The two State-owned entities will collaborate across key focus areas, including infrastructure development, industrialisation and localisation, regulatory and site readiness, skills and supplier development, logistics coordination and socioeconomic investment initiatives.
The City of Cape Town (CoCT) intends to procure bulk electricity, depending on the commercial viability, of at least 5 MWac from waste-to-energy independent power producers (IPPs) through power purchase agreements (PPAs) for up to 20 years. For the contract to be commercially viable, the city says that the energy pricing must be lower than Eskom’s equivalent tariff, and emissions must also be lower than Eskom’s grid emissions factor.
South African independent power producer Mulilo, which announced at the recent South Africa Investment Conference that it would be investing R15-billion in new renewables and storage projects, reports that it has achieved financial close on the 76 MW/304 MWh Mercury Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project. Located near Viljoenskroon in the Free State, the Mercury BESS project was selected in December 2024 as one of eight preferred bidders under the second bid window of South Africa’s Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
Sector education and training authority the Chemical Industries Education and Training Authority (CHIETA) and JSE-listed energy and chemicals company Sasol have launched a green hydrogen fuel cell training system at Sasol’s operations in Sasolburg, in the Free State. At the core of the training system is a working 50 W hydrogen fuel cell system, which allows learners to engage directly with the technology and understand key system functions through applied experimentation.
South Africa’s role as a strategic liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) gateway to sub-Saharan Africa comes into focus this week, as government and industry leaders convene in Johannesburg. The sub-Saharan Africa LPG Expo taking place on April 9 and 10 at the Sandton Convention Centre will open with an address by Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré, setting the tone for a programme focused on clean cooking and South Africa’s evolving role in regional energy supply.
State-owned Eskom has announced the successful redemption of its ES26 bond, a decisive milestone in the utility’s journey toward financial independence. First issued in March 2007 as a R500-million tranche at a coupon of 7.85%, the ES26 bond grew to an outstanding amount of about R38-billion over its 19-year tenure, reflecting strong and sustained investor support, Eskom says in a statement.
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