Eskom Group CEO Dan Marokane has outlined an “aspirational” and largely unfunded new generation project pipeline to progressively replace its aged and polluting coal fleet. Having previously declared that Eskom had a 22 GW project portfolio, Marokane told members of the Portfolio Committee on Electricity and Energy that the generation division, which is yet to be unbundled, was “working on a pipeline of new clean energy to ensure security of supply in the long term”.
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South Africa’s High Court upheld a legal challenge to the government’s plan to procure 1 500 megawatts of new coal-fired power, ruling that it was unlawful because of the potential impact on public health. Plans for more electricity from the dirtiest fossil fuel in South Africa, which has the most carbon-intensive economy among the Group of 20 nations, violate the constitutional right to health, Judge C.J. van der Westhuizen wrote in a ruling released on Wednesday.
The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) has told lawmakers that a “step change” will be needed in the delivery of new grid infrastructure if 14 500 km of new powerlines and 133 000 MVA of additional transformers are to be added to the grid by 2034. However, government and NTCSA were still investigating possible private-sector participation as a “potential alternative delivery mechanism”. This, in addition to its traditional engineer, procure and construction management approach, as well as through the more recently adopted engineer, procurement and construction (EPC) contracting model.
Germany has committed further funding of €276.5-million (about R5.2-billion) to South Africa for the period to 2026 to support several initiatives, including skills development and South Africa’s energy transition. The funding was confirmed in a joint statement released following the 2024 Intergovernmental Negotiations on South African-German Development Cooperation held in Berlin from November 25 to 27, and as South Africa assumed the G20 Presidency.
While the new climate finance goal of $300-billion a year from developed nations to support developing nations’ energy transition by 2035, and the aim to mobilise an additional $1.3-trillion a year from other finance sources, both agreed to at the twenty-ninth Conference of the Parties (COP29), are positive, they are far below the estimated $3-trillion a year needed to achieve climate goals, said industry analysis and forecasting company BMI. In reviewing the implications of the agreements and delays at COP29, the company pointed out that the $ 300-billion-a-year pledge, when inflation was taken into account, represented only about a doubling of support for climate actions in developing nations.
A total of 33 bids have been submitted for South Africa’s latest bidding round for 616 MW/2 464 MWh of utility-scale battery storage capacity that is being procured across five pre-selected substation sites in the Free State. A submission deadline for what is the country’s third bid window for the technology was initially set for July 31, but was later revised to November 28.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the intense set of consultations on an updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity held by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy this week; the big themes that have emerged as part of the processing of updating the IRP; the response, thus far, to the updated IRP; and what will happen next.
The electricity minus carbon dioxide, or e-co2 (pronounced eco-two), green energy benefit scheme, introduced by real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties, is driving a shift towards renewable energy and improved energy efficiency in South Africa’s real estate sector, says Growthpoint corporate advisory head Werner van Antwerpen. The eco-two initiative provides tenants with direct access to green energy, helping them achieve sustainability goals while enjoying cost savings.
Global mining consultancy SRK Consulting lauds the significant efforts aimed at reducing the environmental hurdles for lower sensitivity renewable-energy projects. In a significant move to support the development of renewable energy, South Africa last month adopted new norms to simplify and speed up the authorisation process for solar PV facilities and battery energy storage systems (BESS).
Independent power producer Pele Green Energy (PGE) has reached financial close of the 100 MW Sonvanger solar PV power plant that will provide clean, reliable and sustainable for the Glencore Merafe Venture’s ferrochrome smelters in the Free State province. PGE is the lead sponsor of the Sonvanger plant, which is is located 4 km southwest of Theunissen in the Masilonyana local municipality.
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