Power utility Eskom implemented Stage 2 loadshedding from 18:25 on March 19, stating that it would remain in effect until 05:00 on March 20. This followed the loss of five generation units before the evening peak period.
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Eskom has acknowledged that there will be differentiated tariff impacts for various categories of electricity customers following the regulator’s approval of a new retail tariff plan (RTP) for implementation on April 1, alongside the 12.74% tariff increase approved for the 2025/26 financial year. Eskom regulation GM Hasha Tlhotlhalemaje has described the restructuring associated with the RTP as a necessary “shock”, as it begins aligning Eskom’s tariff structure with underlying system costs and changes to the electricity supply industry, while removing unintended cross-subsidies.
Cape Town Stock Exchange-listed Gaia Renewables 1, has acquired an interest in three renewable-energy plants from the IDEAS Renewable Energy Fund, which is managed by African Infrastructure Investment Managers. The deal, initially funded with debt and equity, will see the fund gaining a 10% holding in each of the Linde and Kalkbult solar PV plants, in the Northern Cape, as well as a 21% stake in the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm, in the Eastern Cape.
Research institution the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and French public agency Agence Française de Développement (AFD) on March 12 hosted a dissemination workshop to share the findings of the study titled ‘Value chain analysis for identification of opportunities for enterprise development’. This collaboration included a study examining the localisation potential and enterprise development opportunities for solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage value chains.
A 75 MW solar PV project being developed near De Aar in the Northern Cape to supply an energy aggregator has advanced to financial close. The Du Plessis Dam Solar PV2 facility is being built by independent power producer (IPP) Mulilo in partnership with H1 Capital to supply about 248 GWh yearly to energy trader Etana Energy.
Demand for electricity in South Africa continued to trend down in 2024, a new Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) report confirms. It shows that peak demand was a per cent lower year-on-year at 33.5 GW (33.9 GW), while energy demand was three per cent lower at 219.6 TWh (225.9 TWh).
The South African government is advertising for a new head of the Independent Power Producers Office (IPPO), a position that has been held by Bernard Magoro since April 2020. In an advert published over the weekend, it was indicated that a new IPPO head would be given a five-year fixed-term contract and be based in Centurion, Tshwane.
The Western Cape government says it remains on track to reach its target of generating 5 700 MW of its own energy by 2035, and could even become a net exporter of renewable energy by 2032. Premier Alan Winde this week provided an update on the progress his government had made in building up the province’s energy and water security capabilities.
Nonprofit trade body Global Solar Council (GSC) finds in its latest market report that Africa’s solar installations are set to soar over the next four years, with 23 GW projected to be installed. With solar installations on the continent poised to grow by 42% this year, GSC says the region is “on the verge of a solar breakthrough”; however, more solar capacity is often held back by high capital costs and insufficient financing.
As part of its long-term “Shape Tomorrow” strategy, petroleum company MOL Group has successfully produced and tested a diesel fuel containing hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) and a sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) at its Slovnaft refinery in Bratislava, Slovakia. The biodiesel HVO is produced using the oil in cashew nut shells, which is combined with crude oil to produce the biocomponent.
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