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Gas still has a crucial role to play in South Africa’s energy mix – Kearney

Gas has an important role to play in South Africa’s energy transition journey, Kearney partner Prashaen Reddy says amid calls for public comments on a draft Gas Master Plan, which was released for comment at the end of April. He notes that the Southern Africa region has had several recent gas finds across Mozambique, South Africa and Namibia, that allow for the development of indigenous resources to drive industrialisation, social development and economic growth.
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Women having an impact in the energy sector, including Eskom, but a lot needs to be done

All four Eskom coal-fired power stations that are currently maintaining electricity availability factors (EAF) of more than 75% are headed by women. This was highlighted by Eskom group executive: human resources Elsie Pule on Thursday. She was participating in a panel discussion at the Women in Energy breakfast at the Enlit Africa 2024 conference, at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Every time a woman took over a power station, she affirmed, the EAF shot up. Eskom, a decade ago, created a Women Advancement Programme. Over ten years, this has resulted in the proportion of women senior executives in the State-owned national electricity utility increasing from 29% to 42%. The same progamme has reduced the gender salary differential to 6%.
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Presidency insists 22.5 GW private IPP pipeline won’t be disrupted by Eskom move to reserve …

The Presidency does not anticipate that Eskom’s move to reserve scarce grid capacity for independent power producers (IPPs) participating in public procurement bidding rounds will disrupt the more than 130 private IPP projects being advanced outside of those processes to supply private consumers. Speaking during a briefing convened to report back on the reforms implemented under Operation Vulindlela, including those undertaken to address South Africa’s loadshedding crisis, the Presidency’s project management unit head Rudi Dicks lauded the progress being made through the Energy One Stop Shop to support the private projects stimulated by the reform to allow grid-connected private projects of any size to proceed without a licence.
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As municipal debt programme falters, Eskom CFO calls for mechanism to ensure the utility gets paid

Municipal debt remains one of Eskom’s biggest challenges, says Eskom CFO Calib Cassim. “At the end of March, we were sitting at around R75-billion of municipal arrears owing to us. That has grown in the last financial year in the region of R15-billion.
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Daimler Truck Southern Africa launches electric heavy-duty truck range

Original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) Daimler Truck Southern Africa (DTSA) has launched a line of electric heavy-duty trucks, called eActros, as part of its Power Up electric mobility offering.

The fully battery-electric truck range includes the Mercedes-Benz eActros 300, comprising 4 x 2 and 6 x 2 wheelbase configurations, the Mercedes-Benz eActros 400 in a 6 x 2 wheelbase configuration, as well as a truck tractor variant.

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Opinion: Let’s talk about the well-lit elephant in the room

In this article, BDO South Africa partner and renewable energy expert Nato Oosthuzen writes shares his insight on where the country is at with loadshedding and the reasons why he is cautiously optimistic about the potential for a brighter future for South Africa.
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Cape Town is leading the country’s green energy transition, affirms city Alderman

Cape Town was really taking the lead in the green energy transition, affirmed the city’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, on Tuesday. He was opening the Western Cape trade, tourism and investment promotion agency Wesgro’s Green Hub pavilion at the Enlit Africa 2024 exhibition, in the Cape Town International Convention Centre. He highlighted that the city had a R4-billion budget, over the next three years, to upgrade and maintain its electricity grid, to enable the green energy transition. One of the priorities of this programme was to ensure grid stability, for, without grid stability, green electricity was going to go nowhere.
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Not out of the woods yet, but there is visible progress – Eskom CEO

On day 55 of no loadshedding in South Africa, newly appointed Eskom boss Dan Marokane warns that the country is “not of out the woods yet, but we have visible progress towards where we want to be, and we should acknowledge that”. Speaking at Enlit Africa 2024 held in Cape Town on Tuesday – on day 82 in the hot seat – Marokane said a debate anchored around suspicions on whether the improvement in electricity availability might be linked to the next week’s general elections was of little help.
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Eskom seeks Nersa permission to reserve grid capacity for public IPP procurement rounds

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has invited comment on Eskom’s application to preserve and reserve grid connection capacity for independent power producers (IPPs) participating in public procurement processes implemented in line with Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA). In its application, Eskom indicates that it is seeking permission to discriminate in favour of public procurement IPP projects, at the expense of private IPP projects.
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Eskom board approves plan to operate Camden, Grootvlei and Hendrina to 2030

The Eskom board has given its approval for the continued operation of the Camden, Grootvlei and Hendrina power stations to 2030 – a departure from the original decommissioning schedule that has reportedly been endorsed by Cabinet. In response to a question posed by Engineering News during an update on the Energy Action Plan, head of generation Bheki Nxumalo said: “We have just recently received board approval to run three of our stations – that is Hendrina, Grootvlei and Camden – up until 2030.”
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