Karpowership, the Turkish company seeking to supply 1 220 MW of power to South Africa, will refile an application to the environment department in a bid to move its project forward at a time when the nation is suffering its worst-ever power cuts, a person familiar with the situation said. The application will be filed by Jan. 8 and a response from the department will be given by the end of March, the person said, asking not to be identified as a public statement hasn’t been made. The company will then aim to complete its financial arrangements in May and electricity from its gas-fired power plants mounted on ships may be supplied about a year later, the person said.
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Beverage producer South African Breweries (SAB) has launched its first environment, social and governance (ESG) strategy, and will release its first Global Reporting Initiative-compliant ESG report in November. Speaking at the launch of the SAB ESG strategy in Johannesburg on September 28, SAB corporate affairs VP Zoleka Lisa said the company’s ESG strategy was built around eight strategic priorities: climate action; water stewardship; entrepreneurship; diversity and inclusion; circular packaging; smart agriculture; responsible consumption; and ethics and transparency.
Meeting air quality standards would warrant Eskom decommissioning as much as 16GW of its coal-fired power stations immediately, which would exacerbate load shedding to unprecedented stages, according to CEO André de Ruyter. De Ruyter on Wednesday laid out Eskom’s vision for a just energy transition at the Africa Renewables Investment Summit, held in Cape Town.
The South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (Saretec), which is based at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT), together with the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) have signed a partnership agreement with Eskom for the development of a new training facility to be established at the soon-to-be-decommissioned Komati power station.
Mercedes-Benz South Africa co-CEO Mark Raine has urged South Africa to move with greater speed in finalising its electric vehicle (EV) support framework, which he argues should be “holistic” and include measures that both sustain local production and stimulate domestic demand. The South African government has already indicated that it plans to support a manufacturing transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to so-called new energy vehicles, including EVs, and is currently consulting on a roadmap for the sector.
The Smart Energy Solutions for Africa (SESA) consortium has launched its first ‘SESA Call for Entrepreneurs’ funding round. Small and medium-sized enterprises, particularly women-led, with a focus on sustainable energy solutions in Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and South Africa, are encouraged to apply.
Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell will purchase African solar provider Daystar Power as it expands its global renewables portfolio, the companies said on Wednesday. Shell is one of the most influential oil producers in Africa, but the Daystar purchase is its first power acquisition on the continent, underscoring its mandate to cut its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has welcomed Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan’s plan to restructure and reconstitute the board of State-owned power utility Eskom.
The Minister announced on September 27 that government would soon start the process of restructuring the board, following a review of the board whose term expired in 2021 and was extended subject to a review.
Germany and France are in talks with South Africa’s National Treasury over about €600-million to help it transition away from the use of coal. The loans may form the first part of $8.5 billion in financing offered to the country during last November’s global climate summit. The money will go some way toward addressing the funding needs of the beleaguered national power utility, Eskom Holdings, as it prepares to close down some of its coal-fired plants and re-purpose them for the production of green energy.
The South African Local Government Association (Salga) says it is taking decisive action to close the electricity gap and help municipalities take advantage of the policy shift in energy generation, with regulations having changed to allow municipalities to procure power independently to ensure energy security of supply. Several municipalities are already in the process of procuring power independently.
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