Government incubation organisation the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) has selected AB Farms, led by entrepreneur Mogale Maleka, as the winner of the 2025 Global Cleantech Innovation Programme – South Africa (GCIP-SA) for the company’s hydroponic farming systems that function without continuous water or electricity supply. AB Farms was one of eight startups that received several months of mentorship, technical training and business development from TIA and its partners the UN Industrial Development Organisation (Unido) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which provides the funding.
Posts
South Africa’s state electricity utility added an 800 MW unit at the Kusile Power Station to the national grid, amid ongoing efforts to boost generation and bring an end to scheduled outages. The addition of Kusile’s Unit 6 brings Eskom closer to its objective of adding 2 500 MW of new capacity by the end of March.
South Africa must establish a diversified energy mix, which entails responsibly leveraging its regional endowments, such as coal and gas, while scaling up cleaner energy sources in a phased approach with realistic timelines, according to a White Paper, titled ‘Energy security and sustainability: Striking the South African balance’ by management consultancy Kearney. The country’s energy transition requires careful consideration of socioeconomic factors and pragmatic solutions to address its energy security crisis while supporting industrialisation and development, says Kearney partner and co-author Prashaen Reddy.
With increasing pressure being placed on South Africa’s municipal dumps amid growing waste generation, promoting a circular economy could provide valuable solutions while potentially creating new business opportunities. Although South Africa has relevant policies in place regarding circularity – such as the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Regulations, which require producers to take responsibility for their packaging waste throughout its life cycle – policy coherence and accountability are needed to ensure successful implementation.
Industry association Energy Council of South Africa is confident that South Africa will remain out of sustained loadshedding for the next three to four years, owing to the rapid growth in electricity generation. However, risks remain, particularly State-owned utility Eskom’s fleet reliability and any “catastrophic failures” as have been seen in the past.
South Africa has made significant progress in boosting its renewable-energy sector; however, several issues need to be addressed to facilitate the country’s transition away from coal-dominated electricity supply while maintaining energy security and economic stability, says independent power producer (IPP) ENGIE South Africa business development head Léa Giroux. South Africa remains heavily reliant on coal, which currently generates about 80% of the country’s electricity, although the many coal-fired power stations are ageing and becoming increasingly unreliable. This unreliability, and the environmental challenges associated with coal-fired power stations, make a diversified energy mix essential.
he US is stalling the distribution of $2.6-billion in climate finance to South Africa, stoking concerns the money might be blocked outright, people familiar with the situation said. At a meeting earlier this month, US representatives prevented the World Bank-linked Climate Investment Funds from approving a $500-million disbursement to South Africa, two of the people said, asking not to be identified because a public announcement hasn’t been made on the matter.
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.
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.
INDUSTRY NEWS
WHERE TO FIND US
Address
9 Yellow Street
Botshabelo Industrial Area
Botshabelo, Free State
Call / Email Us
Tel: +27 (0) 61 956 6772
Email: info@transfix.co.za
