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Procurement of 11.8 GW only the ‘first step’ in full elimination of load-shedding threat …

State-owned power utility Eskom, which is ramping up the maintenance of its unreliable and unpredictable coal power stations, anticipates that there will be a ‘step change’ in the performance of the fleet from April 2021, but has also warned that the risk of load-shedding will persist until at least September and will not be fully eliminated until significant new generation capacity is introduced. In fact, CEO Andre de Ruyter said during a ‘State of the System’ briefing on Thursday that far more capacity than the 11.8 GW of new non-Eskom generation earmarked for procurement by government over the coming three years would be needed to stabilise supply and create the platform for future economic growth.
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Fund establishes collective investment scheme with an infrastructure focus

South Africa’s first preference shares with an infrastructure focus were listed on October 22 on 4 Africa Exchange (4AX), Gaia Fund Managers and Kruger International Asset and Wealth Management confirmed. Gaia, together with Kruger, is listing Gaia Fund 1 (the Fund), which complies with Collective Investment Scheme regulations. The Fund’s A preference shares will trade under the ticker 4AGF1A on 4AX.
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Mantashe reiterates energy sector efforts to complement economic recovery plan

During a sitting of Parliament on the debate of the Economic Reconstruction and Recovery Plan, Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has reiterated government’s targets to deliver 16 313 MW of additional electricity generation capacity from a mix of energy sources.

Mantashe pointed out that an already recessive economy, coupled with the descent of the pandemic and the lockdown to halt its spread, as well as downgrades by ratings agencies, had increased the reliance on a recovery plan to provide reliable and affordable supply of energy.

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Schneider Electric says digital transformation a ‘key step’ to improve energy efficiency

Embracing digital transformation in the power and energy sector is a key step in national and regional plans to improve energy efficiency throughout sub-Saharan Africa. As economies throughout the region power up and organisations focus on how they can resume their operations, research by Schneider Electric underlines the importance of digital transformation in achieving energy efficiency, cost savings and sustainability.
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South African coal industry to reach tipping point in 2025

The South African coal industry will likely reach a tipping point by 2025, when renewable energy should be cheaper, both in terms of capital and operational expenditure, than existing coal-fired electricity capacity. This means that, by 2030, the South African coal landscape will look “completely different”, as domestic coal production is likely to start fragmenting and shutting down,  African Source Markets CEO Bevan Jones noted during a webinar on October 21. In the near-term, however, the …
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Koeberg Unit 2 returns to service

Unit 2 of the Koeberg nuclear power station on October 21 successfully completed its twenty-fourth outage since it first started to generate electricity. The unit is synchronised onto the electricity grid and will load up to full capacity by next week, power utility Eskom reports.
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Phola communities allowed to intervene in Thabong, South32 coal merger; SAEF’s application dismissed

The Competition Tribunal has dismissed the South African Energy Forum’s (SAEF’s) application to intervene in proceedings regarding the proposed large merger between Thabong Coal and South32 South Africa Coal Holdings (South African Energy Coal or SAEC).
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Renergen drilling programme back on track

Emerging domestic natural gas and helium producer Renergen’s re-drill of the inclined drilling programme (referred to as P2V2) at its flagship Virginia gas project, in the Free State, is expected to be at, or be close to, target by the end of the first week of November. In a statement on October 21, the JSE- and ASX-listed company confirmed that the re-drill had completed setting of the intermediate casing and that it was on track to drill through to the base of the Karoo and the targeted gas-bearing fault structures.
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Ministerial Renewable Energy Sector Engagement Forum structure ratified

The second meeting to establish a stakeholder-based Ministerial Renewable Energy Sector Engagement Forum (Resef) and associated Resef Working Group was held online on October 20, during which attendees voted overwhelmingly to ratify the structure of the forum and the names proposed by the renewable energy sector stakeholders for the seats on the forum. The ultimate intended purpose of the Resef is to establish a legitimate, ongoing platform of communication and engagement between the renewable energy sector and the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) and Minister Gwede Mantashe around identified renewable energy issues, in the national interest.
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Massive grid investment needed to unlock IRP’s 30GW-by-2030 vision

State-owned electricity utility Eskom is warning that a significant and accelerated expansion of South Africa’s grid infrastructure, beyond that catered for by its current R118-billion investment plan to 2030, is required to integrate the 30 GW of mainly wind and solar generators that will have to be introduced by the end of the decade to ensure security of supply. Group executive for transmission Segomoco Scheppers confirmed on Tuesday that Eskom’s grid-related investment plans had been “moderated” in light of financial constraints and that a significant amount of additional investment would be required to accommodate the new generation outlined in the Integrated Resources Plan of 2019 (IRP2019).
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