Eskom describes implementation of structural tariff changes as necessary shock to system

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... 

75 MW Northern Cape solar project to be built on back of innovative ‘aggregator model’

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... 

Electricity demand fell again last year amid rapid growth of solar installations

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... 

Government advertises for new head of Independent Power Producers Office

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... 

TRIM confirms 98 applications for rail slots but new tariff uncertainty clouds third-party outlook

The newly established Transnet Rail Infrastructure Manager (TRIM) has confirmed that it received 98 applications for slots being made available across the network to private train operating... 

Repurposed Twistdraai destoning plant key to Sasol’s plan for recovering Secunda’s output

Energy and chemicals group Sasol is repurposing its Twistdraai export coal plant as a destoning operation to improve the quality of coal being used in its Secunda gasifiers, in Mpumalanga, where it... 

Ramokgopa hints that new IRP includes ten-year delay to coal shutdowns

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has given the strongest indication yet that the next edition of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) will include a 10-year delay to the... 

Trade war blueprint

US President Donald Trump’s recently published trade policy agenda leaves absolutely no room for nuance. Not even the tiniest crack has been left to allow light to be shed on the possible... 

DEADLY CUT

The US government’s decision to halt funding for African HIV programmes was not unexpected. Nevertheless, the sudden manner of the withdrawal is both disruptive and potentially deadly for tens of... 

Graham-Maré expects Cabinet to adopt long-awaited industrialisation masterplan for renewables ‘within the month’

Electricity and Energy Deputy Minister Samantha Graham-Maré reports that the long-awaited South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM) is currently wending its way through the Cabinet... 

Big Red Rocket wind farm to supply green electricity to Richards Bay Minerals achieves financial close

Renewable energy independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket has reached financial close on the first 242-MW phase of the Overberg Wind Farm, which will be built on 15 farm portions covering 8 721... 

Transnet urged to use Budget Facility for Infrastructure to fund project partnerships

While Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said that additional guarantees will be considered to refinance Transnet’s maturing debt and its capital investment programme, no equity support was... 

New credit guarantee vehicle to derisk grid projects to be launched in 2026

A credit guarantee vehicle to mobilise private sector capital by derisking projects will be launched in 2026, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in his delayed Budget speech. He confirmed... 

Lower VAT hikes in delayed Budget not enough to secure full GNU backing

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana tabled his delayed Budget on Wednesday that included lower, yet still controversial, increases to the value-added tax (VAT) rate, as he sought to hold the... 

Ramaphosa insists South Africa will send envoys to ‘transactional’ US once offer is crafted

President Cyril Ramaphosa insists that his government intends following through on sending envoys to the US as announced during his State of the Nation Address but that it will do so once it has... 

TNPA seeks bids for 25-year multipurpose terminal concession at Durban’s Maydon Wharf

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has initiated a process to appoint a private operator for the multipurpose terminal at the Port of Durban’s Maydon Wharf precinct. A request... 

Equipment revival at South African port terminals underpinning move from stabilisation to recovery

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) CEO Jabu Mdaki believes the steady flow of new equipment, together with improved relations with key original equipment and part suppliers as well as shipping lines,... 

Exasperated Ramokgopa warns of ‘casualties’ after latest loadshedding bout

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has expressed exasperation and disappointment over the most recent implementation of Stage 3 loadshedding by Eskom over the weekend starting... 

Eskom implements Stage 3 loadshedding after losing Koeberg unit again

Eskom again resorted to Stage 3 loadshedding on Friday, after a loss of 2 700 MW in 14 hours, including Koeberg Unit 2, which was taken offline on March 2 and was meant to have been returned to... 

RFP for multi-line transmission package set for Nov

Note: This article has been written partly using information from documents provided to the media during the 2025 Budget lock-up prior to the cancellation of the Budget Speech on February 19. The... 

South Africa again flags mega oil refinery plan and expresses desire for regional partnership

The South African government has reiterated its stance that South African needs a mega oil refinery despite “fundamental changes” under way globally, including the transition to electric mobility.... 

NOA Group gearing up to supply wheeled electricity after securing trading licence

The trading arm of private energy company NOA is gearing up to supply wheeled renewable electricity to multiple customers in South Africa following the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s... 

What could go wrong?

The perils associated with assigning shareholder responsibilities for State-owned enterprises (SOEs) that previously fell under the Department of Public Enterprises to line ministries can no longer... 

UK funds Energy Council of South Africa study into wholesale electricity market reform

The UK has approved £330 000 in funding to facilitate a study by the Energy Council of South Africa into the reforms still needed to implement a wholesale electricity market in South Africa. The... 

South Africa confirms US withdrawal of $1.5bn Just Energy Transition Partnership pledge

The Presidency has confirmed that it has been formally informed that the US has withdrawn from the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), to which it had initially pledged more than... 

Creecy turns to courts after audit confirms driving licence machine tender was irregular

The Department of Transport will lodge a High Court application for a declaratory order seeking guidance on how to proceed after a driving licence card machines tender was found to have been... 

Cape Town moves to open electricity grid to traders after pilot

After the conclusion of a year-long electricity ‘wheeling’ pilot project, the City of Cape Town is opening its electricity grid to private electricity sales and trading. During the pilot phase, 562... 

R40bn Eastern Cape green energy cluster expected to reach financial close in 2027

Emerging electricity retail brand Earth & Wire is aiming to achieve financial close on a R40-billion renewables and storage cluster in the Eastern Cape by the third quarter of 2027 and begin... 

Cabinet agrees on guidelines for reworked Budget ahead of March 12 tabling

At a special meeting held on March 3, Cabinet considered a variety of options to fund the 2025/26 Budget, the tabling of which was delayed for the first time ever following disagreements over a... 

Hill-Lewis wants Port of Cape Town included in private sector participation RFI

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis has expressed his desire for the Port of Cape Town to be included in an upcoming national government initiative to test the appetite of private companies to... 

Ramaphosa to make address at Microsoft’s AI investment announcement

President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the keynote address at the Microsoft South Africa investment announcement in Johannesburg on March 6. The Presidency said the investment would enhance South... 

New World Bank report proposes four priorities for accelerating South Africa’s growth

A new World Bank report argues that South Africa can raise growth and employment by pursuing four priorities aimed primarily at stimulating market competition and bolstering the efficiency of... 

AMSA to proceed with closure of longs unit after talks with govt fail to yield solution

Steel group ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) has confirmed that it will proceed with the wind down of its longs business after talks with government failed to yield the “timely solutions required”... 

Soon-to-be-launched grid-funding instrument can be private participation template for all SoEs – Ramokgopa

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says the private sector participation framework being developed for the transmission sector will be unveiled within five weeks, while... 

TNPA signs 25-year operator agreement for South Africa’s first LNG import terminal

South Africa’s State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has signed a 25-year terminal operator agreement with Zululand Energy Terminals (ZET) for the development of the country's first... 

Has the inconceivable been made conceivable?

Absent that dreaded black sharpie, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana (consciously or unconsciously) engaged in a manoeuvre last week that bore more than a passing resemblance to the performative... 

KfW approves R2.8bn Just Energy Transition Partnership concessional loan for Cape Town

German development bank KfW has approved a R2.8-billion concessional loan for the City of Cape Town, which will use the funding to strengthen its electricity infrastructure and integrate... 

Frail cyclical metals and engineering trends may ‘turn structural’ unless domestic demand revives

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) is warning that absent a sustained recovery in domestic demand there is a risk that South Africa’s persistently weak... 

Investment value of private projects registered with Nersa climbs to above R200bn

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) reports that it registered a further 143 renewables generation facilities with a combined capacity of 1 107 MW and an investment value of more... 

G20 energy work group set to meet amid divergence over just energy transition

The G20 Energy Transition Work Group will have its inaugural meeting this week to discuss the energy priorities that South Africa is seeking to place on the international agenda during its G20...