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A $90bn World Bank plan to electrify Africa gets under way

A plan to bring electricity to 300-million Africans by 2030, backed by an initial pledge of $30-billion from the World Bank and the African Development Bank, has begun to be implemented with an assessment of the first potential beneficiaries.

Some of the world’s most prominent climate organizations — the Rockefeller Foundation, Global Alliance for People and Planet and Sustainable Energy For All — on Friday announced the formation of a technical assistance facility to examine projects and help secure funding for those that qualify for the program known as Mission 300. The aim is to ultimately raise $90-billion or more from a range of sources.

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Ramokgopa seeks to strike ‘delicate balance’ on Eskom tariffs, labelling mooted hikes …

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has labelled a mooted increase in Eskom’s electricity tariff of 36% “untenable” and “unaffordable” and has promised to work on an outcome that seeks to strike a “delicate balance” between the needs of consumers and Eskom’s financial sustainability. In his speech during a special Parliamentary debate, the Minister also reaffirmed the need to transition the Eskom tariff toward cost-reflectivity, highlighting the burden on taxpayers should the utility’s finances not be stabilised.
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AfriForum continues fighting Nersa’s latest appeal in municipal tariff matter

Civil rights organisation AfriForum says the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has applied to the Supreme Court of Appeal in the case related to its implementation of tariff hikes for at least 100 municipalities.

The organisation has been challenging the regulator’s implementation of what it deems to be unlawful and invalid tariff hikes. AfriForum says in its latest statement it will oppose this application in the interest of power consumers across the country.

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IBM develops two new models for energy sector forecasting

Information technology company IBM has developed two new interactive models for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GeoHub, namely the artificial intelligence (AI) model Electricity Access Forecasting, and the statistical geospatial model Clean Energy Equity Index. The new models will be made available for free to the general public through the UNDP GeoHub dashboards, thereby helping users access data and insights to interpret complex clean energy challenges and opportunities, the organisations say.
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RMB funded renewables projects worth R50bn last year and is gearing up for private grid prospects

Corporate and investment bank RMB reports that it financed renewable-energy investments worth R50-billion over the past year and is expecting ongoing high levels of renewables funding this year, while positioning itself to also finance private grid projects in future. Infrastructure sector solutions head Judy Kobus reports that the bank’s funding has supported projects with a combined capacity of 2 400 MW, which were implemented on the back of both public and private procurement initiatives in South Africa.
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Kwikot launches smart geyser powered by solar PV and grid power

Commercial and industrial geyser and boiler manufacturer Kwikot on September 18 launched its new Elon Smart Water heating system – a smart geyser system that uses solar PV-generated electricity and/or grid power. The Elon solution was developed by electricity technology startup company PowerOptimal in partnership with Kwikot and specialist electronics manufacturer Microtronix, which served as the manufacturing partner that developed the prototype and manufactures the systems.
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Graham-Maré assures govt is evaluating independent transmission infrastructure provider model

While South Africa has seen the installation of more than 590 MW of rooftop solar power in the year-to-date, which adds to other renewable-energy installations, the question remains whether State-owned power utility Eskom will be able to timeously build the 14 000 km of transmission lines needed to expand the electricity network.  In response to questions raised during Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa’s Ministerial Conference hosted on September 17, Energy and Electricity Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré said government was exploring options to alleviate pressure on the national grid.
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South Africa’s first Just Transition perception survey highlights low awareness and concern …

A new South Africa-wide survey shows that, while 62% of respondents support the shift from coal to renewable energy, a striking 65% have never heard of the term ‘Just Transition’. In addition, the majority of respondents expressed concern about possible negative impacts for themselves and their families, with 29% indicating that they are ‘somewhat worried’ about such impacts and 20% reporting a ‘high level of worry’. Compiled for the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) by the Human Sciences Research Council, the survey involved some 3 100 respondents from across South Africa, making it the first nationally representative survey of public perceptions and attitudes relating to the Just Transition and climate change.
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COP29 leaders unveil climate funding and energy storage goals

Less than two months ahead of the COP29 United Nations Climate Summit, the Azerbaijani leadership laid out its plans on Tuesday for what it hoped to achieve, as countries continue to wrestle with how to raise ambitions for a new financing target. The main task for the November summit is for countries to agree on a new annual target for funding that wealthy countries will pay to help poorer nations cope with climate change. Many developing countries say they cannot upgrade their targets to cut emissions faster without first receiving more financial support to invest in doing this.
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Bezos-backed group to prepare South African grids for investment

A global organisation backed by Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos’ climate and biodiversity fund said it’s setting up a programme to attract investment into South African municipal power grids, which need R319-billion to prepare for the introduction of more renewable energy. The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet, or Geapp, will work alongside partners to prepare projects for investment to repair and upgrade dilapidated grids, said Ziyad Cassim, the group’s South African country representative.
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