A 155 MW Mpumalanga wind energy project has reached financial close, following the signing of a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) between Seriti Green and licensed energy trader Energy Exchange of Southern Africa (EXSA). The R5-billion project forms part of Seriti Green’s larger 900 MW Ummbila Emoyeni hybrid energy complex to be built in phases across 27 000 ha in the province and which will incorporate wind, solar, and battery storage components.
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Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) and Business Unity South Africa (Busa) have called on the South African government to urgently intervene to protect the national energy reform programme in the face of State-owned Eskom’s attempts to “undermine it”. The organisations argue that Eskom should promptly withdraw all legal challenges against the five electricity trading licences granted by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa).
The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) reports strong interest in its recently launch three-day educational programme to prepare potential participants for the launch next year of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM). The first official SAWEM School was hosted at the Wits Business School in late July and attracted more than 60 participants, drawn from academia, trading companies, large power users, the NTCSA itself and various other entities. It followed on from an earlier pilot school that involved more than 40 participants.
Gold producer Pan African Resources has signed a ten-year renewables supply agreement with licensed electricity trader NOA Group Trading for 10% of its total yearly electricity load of 112 GWh. The agreement allows Pan African to source wheeled renewable energy from multiple generation facilities for its Barberton Mines, Evander Mines and Mogale Tailings Retreatment (MTR) operations in the Mpumalanga and Gauteng provinces.
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has awarded an electricity trading licence to Lyra Energy Trading following a comprehensive process that included public hearings. The licence was officially approved on July 30 and came against the backdrop of a legal challenge by Eskom of Nersa’s approval of six other trading licences in 2024.
South Africa will seek jail time, fines and higher taxes for breaches of proposed rules to govern carbon emissions that will apply to almost all sectors of the economy. The proposed regulations, due to take effect at the beginning of next year, will see the setting of so-called carbon budgets for emitters of climate-warning greenhouse gases. A failure to meet reporting requirements could see executives imprisoned, while exceeding emission limits may trigger a higher carbon-tax rate. “We are the only ones that have this price across our whole economy” with the exception of waste and agriculture, said Jarredine Morris, co-head of the Africa Office of Carbon Trust, a carbon emissions consultancy. It will mean “we really have a way to have industry to start to do things rather than kick the can down the road,” she said.
A leading advocate for the provision of free basic electricity (FBE) to poor South African households has welcomed moves by government to pursue its universal access goal through a “developmental” lens but believes more still needs to be done to firm up what affordable access means and the best ways of achieving that objective. In his Budget Vote speech, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa announced that government’s revised universal access strategy would reframe electrification as a developmental and rights-based obligation rather than a legacy infrastructure backlog.
Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the launch of the much-anticipated process to shortlist bidders for South Africa’s inaugural procurement of independent transmission projects, or ITPs; how procurement of these projects will be carried out; and the plan to launch a new Credit Guarantee Vehicle to derisk these projects.
The National Treasury has confirmed that it will inject 20% of the $500-million initial funding required to set up the Credit Guarantee Vehicle (CGV) being established to derisk South African public infrastructure projects that will be built by private investors without recourse to any government guarantees. The CGV will be set up as a private non-life insurance company, regulated by the Prudential Authority, in July 2026; a timeline that is aligned to the scheme supporting the first independent transmission projects (ITPs) that will be procured in the coming months.
South Africa’s energy market is changing and becoming more diversified, but barriers and significant constraints also remain ahead on the journey to shape a reliable, inclusive, competitive and decarbonised power sector. These sentiments were highlighted during the ‘How is South Africa’s renewable energy landscape changing?’ webinar hosted by Creamer Media on July 30.
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