Westbrooke Renewable Energy Alternatives (Westbrooke Real), an alternative investment strategy managed by Westbrooke Alternative Asset Management, has acquired a portfolio of operational solar PV and battery energy storage system (BESS) assets located at 91 Shell Downstream South Africa- (SDSA-) owned service stations across South Africa. The portfolio was bought alongside one of Westbrooke Real’s partners, CVE South Africa, an experienced independent power producer. The assets were acquired from Thebe Solar Energy, which exited its position as part of a strategic realignment.
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State-owned Eskom’s return to profitability for the first time in eight years, with a profit before tax of R23.9-billion for the 2025 financial year, offers some welcome positive news for the power utility and the broader economy, business organisation Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso highlights in her latest weekly newsletter. The significant reduction in loadshedding this year has improved electricity supply reliability and boosted Eskom’s revenue owing to lower spending on diesel-based open-cycle gas turbines, she points out, adding that the utility’s turnaround was supported by over 350 private sector experts mobilised by the National Electricity Crisis Committee.
The South African Independent Power Producer Association (SAIPPA) expects to meet with Eskom later this month to discuss its concern that the State-owned entity’s proposed renewables projects may not be subjected to the same grid-access rules that are currently applied to independent power producers (IPPs). The association has also written to the Competition Commission highlighting the risk for market-dominance abuse should Eskom be allowed to bypass the prevailing Interim Grid Connection Allocation Rules (IGCAR) when moving to develop new renewables assets in close proximity to coal stations that are scheduled for retirement in the coming years.
A joint letter sent to the Independent Power Producer Office (IPP Office) on September 23 by organisations representing local industry, raised several concerns about the prequalification process launched ahead of the inaugural Independent Transmission Project (ITP) procurement programme. In the letter, the Powerline and Substation Association, the Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa and the Manufacturing Circle described the technical and financial criteria included …
In the wake of separating its assets from former parent company Anglo American, platinum group metals (PGMs) mining company Valterra Platinum is setting the stage to further develop one of its most significant endowments, the Mogalakwena mine, in South Africa’s Limpopo province. Mogalakwena mine, “a mine within communities”, is nestled among 64 villages 30 km north-west of Mokopane. It is home to vast volumes of PGMs, with only 14% of the total reserve extracted over the past 30 years.
Having participated in Electra Mining Africa 2024 (EMA24), energy equipment and solutions provider CHINT, will be returning to the trade show in 2026, to connect with industry stakeholders, showcase its latest innovations, and strengthen its brand presence in the region, says CHINT regional sales director Burt Lei. “EMA presents a remarkable opportunity for us to demonstrate our commitment to innovation and sustainability in the energy sector. Our smart energy solutions are designed to meet the evolving needs of our customers and contribute to a more sustainable future. Building on this momentum, we are excited to return in 2026 to engage with an even broader audience, highlight our expanded product portfolio, and demonstrate our ongoing commitment to empowering Africa’s industrial and energy sectors.”
The Infrastructure Fund, a blended finance platform created through a partnership between the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), the National Treasury and Infrastructure South Africa, has secured a R550-million grant from Invest International to support the implementation of the City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Alternative Waste Treatment Technology (AWTT) project. Valued at about R5.7-billion, the AWTT project marks a significant milestone in South Africa’s transition towards sustainable waste management and renewable energy.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has warned that Eskom’s proposal to implement distribution agency agreements (DAAs) to curb growing municipal debt to the utility could be perceived as a backdoor takeover of municipal electricity distribution functions. Eskom outgoing CFO Calib Cassiem earlier this month proposed the use of DAAs and prepaid supply models as possible solutions to the growing municipal debt problem.
Energy security and affordability have become key policy considerations in many regions, particularly as the global energy transition has entered a more turbulent, complex phase, shaped by infrastructure realities and geopolitical risk, as well as decarbonisation ambitions.
Consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG) identifies seven macro shifts and four major implications raised by these shifts in a report called ‘The Energy Transition’s Next Chapter’.
A new report by the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) calls for additional policy reforms to tackle the country’s “unemployment catastrophe”, which is excluding more than 12.5-million people who want to work from participating in the economy. As things stand, fewer than four in every ten working age adults is employed, the report shows.
INDUSTRY NEWS
- Westbrooke acquires solar portfolio across 91 Shell Downstream South Africa service stationsOctober 13, 2025 - 5:00 pm
- BLSA welcomes Eskom’s return to profitability, but notes persisting challengesOctober 13, 2025 - 3:04 pm
- IPP body to meet Eskom on grid-access concerns after alerting competition body to the potential …October 13, 2025 - 1:04 pm
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