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Only six solar projects advance to preferred-bidder status following latest renewables round

In a disappointing development, Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has announced the appointment of only six preferred bidders, with a combined capacity of 1 000 MW, following the evaluation of bids made during South Africa’s latest renewables procurement round. All six are solar photovoltaic (PV) projects, with none of the 23 wind projects submitted under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) advancing to preferred-bidder status.
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Construction starts on Eskom’s first battery energy storage project

Power utility Eskom and Hyosung Heavy Industries on December 7 marked the beginning of construction of the first energy storage facility under Eskom’s flagship Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) project. Eskom in July confirmed the award of contracts with a combined value of R4.4-billion to Hyosung, of South Korea, and the Pinggao Group, of China, for BESS projects that will be delivered across several sites by the end of June 2023.
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Eskom agitates for ‘overthrow of the state’ by not dealing with loadshedding – Mantashe

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has accused Eskom of “actively agitating for the overthrow of the state” as it continues to implement load shedding, which hit Stage 6 this week as power plants suffered breakdowns. At a signing ceremony for 13 new independent power projects on Thursday, Mantashe said load shedding was becoming worse than state capture because of how it directly affects citizens and takes a toll on the economy.
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VW says South Africa must end coal dependence for EVs to make sense

South Africa must wean itself off coal if locally produced electric vehicles (EVs) – a key element of the government’s decarbonisation plan – are to be climate friendly, the country head of Volkswagen said on Wednesday. Wealthy nations have already committed $8.5-billion to help Africa’s most industrialised nation cut its emissions. The South African government is seeking roughly ten times that amount, including R128-billion to fund a transition to EVs.
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City of Joburg warns of loadshedding impact on ageing infrastructure, fears increased cable theft

The City of Johannesburg has warned that cable theft will likely increase after Eskom announced the implementation of Stage 6 loadshedding. On Wednesday, Eskom reported breakdowns amounting to a staggering more than 20 000MW.
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Timing of new jobs, skills development a just energy transition concern

A just energy transition to a low-carbon economy in South Africa is expected to result in the loss of about 300 000 jobs, but the creation of about 815 000 new jobs up to 2050. It is also expected to improve the country’s competitiveness and drive growth higher by about 2.3% a year, World Bank senior education specialist Elizabeth Ninan revealed this week.
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Eskom’s desperate scramble to avoid Stage 7

Eskom on Wednesday evening called off the planned outage of Koeberg unit 1 at the eleventh hour as the utility scrambled to avoid moving to Stage 7 loadshedding. The decision, not yet announced by the utility, was confirmed to News24 by two independent sources who did not want to be named as they are not authorised to speak to the media.
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Industrial development and climate action are ‘mutually dependent’ – Habeck

German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck, who is also Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, argues that there can no longer be a trade-off between industrial development and climate action. Speaking at the fourth German-African Business Summit in Sandton on Wednesday, Habeck said that the approach being pursued by the German government was premised on creating new markets and industrial opportunities that included climate action.
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Construction starts on Karo platinum project; Total Eren, Chariot to undertake solar PV …

French-based renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) Total Eren and Aim-listed Chariot, pursuant to a partnership entered into in November 2021, have agreed to work together on the development, financing, construction and operation of a solar photovoltaic (PV) project that will provide competitive electricity for the Karo platinum project, in Zimbabwe. The solar PV project is expected to have an initial installed capacity of 30 M, with a potential extension of up to 300 MW.
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France’s Engie South African solar projects to progress as more awaited

Engie expects to move forward with three South African solar projects this week as the nation struggles to accelerate a program to add renewable power. The French developer plans to sign power-purchase agreements for a total of 225 MW of solar projects after being selected as a preferred bidder as part of the so-called fifth bid window, according to Mohamed Hoosen, Engie’s managing director for renewables in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
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