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Coal & Diesel News

'We have been doing nothing for 10 years': Idle Tshwane power stations cost the City billions

By: News24Wire 19th September 2023 Around R300-million is spent annually on salaries for staff and maintenance at the Rooiwal and Pretoria West power stations, which have not been operational for more than a decade. On Monday, Tshwane Mayor Cilliers Brink addressed the media on the City's plan to procure and generate at least 1... →

Diesel supply problem blamed for low OCGT use during intense loadshedding week

By: Terence Creamer 17th September 2023 Eskom has confirmed that problems in the diesel supply chain last week meant that it did not operate its open-cycle gas turbines (OCGTs) as “hard” as it would have done normally in a context where the utility was resorting to Stage 6 loadshedding. Head of generation Bheki Nxumalo did not offer... →

Energy Council CEO sees 2023 as a turning point in the energy crisis, but warns of slow decarbonisation progress

By: Darren Parker 14th September 2023 Industry body the Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay has said there is sufficient reason to believe that loadshedding could end as early as the end of 2024, but warns that South Africa is not on track to meet its decarbonisation targets. Mackay was speaking at the Solutions From the... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Darren Parker
Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay

SIU’s Mothibi says contents of private Eskom investigation ‘cannot be ignored’

By: Terence Creamer 12th September 2023 Special Investigating Unit head Advocate Andy Mothibi says the fact that former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter did not receive board authorisation to commission a private intelligence investigation into criminality and sabotage at the State-owned utility raises potentially grave governance issues.... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter

Nine people arrested at the Kusile power station for theft of coal, fraud

By: Creamer Media Reporter 8th September 2023 Power utility Eskom reports that nine people were arrested at the Kusile power station on September 7 for theft of coal and fraud. Eight of the nine were weighbridge operators employed by Eskom Rotek Industries (ERI), with the ninth being a coal truck driver. →

The Kusile power station

Loadshedding to ease further on Saturday

By: News24Wire 8th September 2023 Rugby fans can expect slightly fewer interruptions to their TV time this weekend, with scheduled power cuts expected to ease a little from early on Saturday morning. This follows the implementation of Stage 6 when Eskom recently suffered several breakdowns at the same time as it ramped up... →

South Africa wants $8.5bn climate plan wrapped up by COP28

By: Bloomberg 7th September 2023 Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy said she expects the long-delayed implementation plan for an $8.5-billion climate pact with some of the world’s richest nations to be completed by the COP28 summit that starts on November 30. The so-called Just Energy Transition... →

Eskom debunks claims over whistleblower exposure

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th September 2023 State-owned power utility Eskom has set the record straight on what it deems as baseless claims having emerged in relation to the company launching an investigation to expose whistleblowers. The utility says it considers the claims to be “serious, concerning and malicious”. Instead, Eskom... →

Ramokgopa working with DMRE to have updated IRP released for consultation soon

By: Terence Creamer 2nd September 2023 Although persisting with his position that he has the powers to determine the sources of new generation, Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says because the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) updating process is well advanced, he is supporting the department in... →

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

An updated IRP and Eskom's restructuring make headlines

By: Creamer Media Reporter 1st September 2023 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe's plan to take an updated Integrated Resource Plan through Cabinet processes soon and the latest update from the Department of Public Enterprises on Eskom's restructuring. →

An updated IRP and Eskom's restructuring make headlines

Stage 4 loadshedding to continue until Sunday morning

By: Creamer Media Reporter 31st August 2023 Power utility Eskom says Stage 4 loadshedding will continue to be implemented daily until 05:00 on Sunday. Thereafter, Stage 2 loadshedding will be implemented until 16:00. "This is necessary due to the need to recover emergency generation reserves, and the generation maintenance to be... →

Mantashe aiming to secure Cabinet approval for ‘IRP 2023’ in Sept

By: Terence Creamer 29th August 2023 Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe is aiming to seek Cabinet approval to publish an updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for public consultation during an upcoming Cabinet meeting in September. Speaking on the sidelines of a critical minerals summit in Sandton, Mantashe... →

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe

Just Share wants Sasol’s appeal for alternative measurement of Secunda’s air pollution rejected

By: Terence Creamer 28th August 2023 Sasol’s appeal of the National Air Quality Officer’s (NAQO’s) July 11 refusal to approve an alternative approach for measuring the sulphur dioxide (SO2) emissions from the 17 coal boilers at the group’s Secunda complex, in Mpumalanga, is being strongly opposed by shareholder activism organisation... →

Secunda operations

Eskom's troubled Tutuka station to start bringing units back online within weeks, says Ramokgopa

By: News24Wire 28th August 2023 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is confident that two units at "perennial underperformer" Tutuka power station will come back onstream in September, he said during a media briefing on Sunday. This comes as the plant got a helping hand from the Resource Mobilisation Fund - a vehicle... →

The Tutuka power station

Transition will be not only in energy, but in the economy as a whole

By: Schalk Burger 25th August 2023 The just energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy that South Africa wants to pursue will also be a transition for the whole economy and presents opportunities for South Africa to address its triple challenges of unemployment, poverty and inequality, said Presidential Climate... →

Emissions requirement postponed for Kusile

25th August 2023 The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) announced in June that the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) has granted State-owned power utility Eskom a postponement to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) at its Kusile power station. The postponement will be in effect from... →

A view of a Kusile stack through a maze of metal scaffolding

KEEPING KUSILE The emissions standards requirement which needs to be met by Kusile has been postponed untill March 2025 by The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

Judgment in favour of power utility welcomed

25th August 2023 State-owned power utility Eskom in July said it was pleased with the Johannesburg High Court judgment dismissing with costs, the interdict application by green energy supplier G7 Renewable Energies to prevent Eskom from implementing the Interim Grid Capacity Allocation (IGCA) rules. In passing... →

Microgrid roll-out gaining traction

By: Halima Frost 25th August 2023 After the successful commissioning of State-owned power utility Eskom’s third microgrid, at the Swartkop dam, in the Northern Cape, the company aims to launch its next two microgrids at Nomalengena Village, in the Eastern Cape, and Nounieput, also in the Northern Cape, by December 31, 2023. The... →

A solar and battery powered microgrid developed and built by Eskom at the Swartkop dam in the Northern Cape

SEEING THE LIGHT Eskom has rolled out its third solar microgrid as part of a greater plan to provide universal access to electricity using clean and reliable technologies to remote areas

Refurbishment under way at Kriel

By: Halima Frost 25th August 2023 Thermal solutions specialist Industrial Water Cooling (IWC) is working with State-owned power utility Eskom on the refurbishment of two natural draught cooling towers at its Kriel power station, in Mpumalanga. The refurbishment includes the installation of fiberglass-reinforced plastic (FRP)... →

the cooling towers and stacks with smoke pluming out the top

TOWERING ABOVE THE REST The cooling tower refurbishment at a power station in Mpumalanga is being undertaken by industry specialists Industrial Water Cooling

Inoperative Kusile units could be returned earlier as Eskom reports good progress on temporary stacks

By: Terence Creamer 24th August 2023 The temporary stacks being introduced at the Kusile coal power station, where three previously operational units have been out of service for ten months, have been built and interim CEO Calib Cassim has expressed optimism that the units could be returned to service earlier than previously... →

Photo by Creamer Media Chief Photographer Donna Slater
Eskom interim CEO Calib Cassim

Sasol posts 13% rise in annual profit

By: Reuters 23rd August 2023 South African petrochemicals major Sasol posted a 13% rise in annual profit on Wednesday as better operations in the second half offset the impact of weaker crude prices. The company said its headline earnings per share (HEPS), a profit measure, was 53.75 South African cents for the 12 months... →

Sasol Secunda

Eskom gets R16bn tranche of State help with debts

By: Reuters 22nd August 2023 South Africa's Treasury has paid R16-billion to heavily indebted power utility Eskom, the first tranche of a debt relief package that will wipe off more than half its liabilities, acting CEO Calib Cassim said on Tuesday. The Treasury offered a total of R254-billion to the State-owned company in... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Eskom acting CEO Calib Cassim

TIPS sets out to create a South Africa-focused Just Transition Transaction Framework

By: Darren Parker 21st August 2023 Independent, nonprofit economic research institution Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) has launched research on a proposed Just Transition Transaction Framework. During a webinar on August 17, the institution introduced the content of the framework and the process for improving the... →

Renewable energy and fossil fuel power infrastructure

Brics energy ministers agree to cooperate to improve access, reduce emissions

By: Terence Creamer 18th August 2023 Energy Ministers and officials from the Brics bloc met in Sandton on Friday to discuss potential areas of collaboration for improving access to secure and affordable energy, while transitioning to cleaner energy systems. The meeting was chaired by South Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy... →

South Africa’s Mineral Resources and Energy Minister, Gwede Mantashe, chaired a meeting of Brics Energy Ministers and officials where it was agreed that the countries would cooperate to on a range of energy matters. Camera Work & Editing: Shadwyn Dickinson. Recorded: 18.08.2023

Coal crucial for alleviating poverty and loadshedding

By: Cameron Mackay 17th August 2023 Despite the negative impacts that coal-fired power stations have on the environment and local populations, localized energy solutions developer NET Energy owner Mike Blenkinsop has stressed that the detrimental impact of removing coal-fired power capacity from the South African electricity system... →

A lack of investment in coal mining globally has raised concerns for coal supply going forward. This, coupled with high demand, could result in supply constraints and high prices

Urgent electricity bill - key to solving SA's power crisis - delayed by admin bungle

By: News24Wire 16th August 2023 An urgent piece of legislation that is key to overcoming SA's energy crisis has yet to be introduced into Parliament, it emerged on Wednesday, raising the fear that it will not be passed this year. The Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill was approved by the Cabinet in March with the promise by... →

Coal still has role to play despite naysayers, Menar MD tells conference

By: Cameron Mackay 15th August 2023 Resources investment company Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu has emphasised that South Africa is on the precipice of a significant industrial revolution. Fuelling this revolution, however, will require a consistent and reliable baseload power source that can only be produced by coal-fired power stations,... →

Menar MD Vuslat Bayoglu

With R9.2bn spent since April, govt insists Eskom is not exceeding diesel budget

By: Terence Creamer 13th August 2023 Government reports that Eskom has spent R9.2-billion on diesel since the start of the State-owned utility’s financial year on April 1, which it claims to be marginally below an initial budget for the period of R9.7-billion. The Presidency’s Rudi Dicks provided the figure during a regular weekly... →

The Atlantis OCGT plant

Eskom unbundling, ERA promulgation will demonstrate electricity reform ‘political will’

By: Terence Creamer 11th August 2023 Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay believes an expedited promulgation of the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill together with the unbundling of Eskom will send a clear signal to stakeholders and investors that the “political will” exists to place the country’s poorly... →

Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay

Koeberg, battery storage and Eskom's unbundling make headlines

By: Creamer Media Reporter 11th August 2023 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the latest developments with regard to the Koeberg nuclear power station, a big battery storage programme and the unbundling of Eskom. →

Koeberg, battery storage and Eskom's unbundling make headlines

One-year progress report says rooftop installations have doubled since start of Energy Action Plan

By: Terence Creamer 31st July 2023 Despite ongoing loadshedding, President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to highlight some of the implementation progress under the Energy Action Plan (EAP), which marked its first anniversary in late July, including a doubling of rooftop solar installations. The President’s weekly newsletter coincided... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Another turbulent week for electricity in S Africa

28th July 2023 It’s been another turbulent week on the electricity front, with ongoing high levels of loadshedding, the launch of a law suit against Eskom’s grid queuing rules and false and confusing statements about the decommissioning of Komati. Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the week’s... →

Another turbulent week for electricity in S Africa

Investment of $8bn a year needed to ensure universal clean cooking by 2030

By: Schalk Burger 26th July 2023 Universal clean cooking access could be reached worldwide by 2030 with yearly investment of $8-billion, and clean cooking is a cornerstone of global efforts to improve energy access, gender equity, economic development and human dignity, says global body the International Energy Agency (IEA)... →

Eskom reports fire at Grootvlei plant, no injuries

By: Reuters 23rd July 2023 Power utility Eskom reported a fire at its Grootvlei power station on Saturday due to a leak in the fuel oil supply or return pipeline. There were no injuries. "The fire was contained and extinguished within an hour with no injuries sustained," Eskom said in a statement on Sunday. →

Items worth more than R1bn recovered in Eskom-related fraud and theft investigations

By: News24Wire 21st July 2023 Forty-two firearms, 83 loads of coal, and 33 trucks were among items to the tune of more than R1-billion that were recovered during Eskom-related fraud and theft investigations since April last year, according to the police. In addition, 126 arrests were made since national police commissioner... →

EU electricity demand expected to reach two-decade low

By: Darren Parker 19th July 2023 The International Energy Agency (IEA) has said the European Union (EU) is likely to experience a decline in electricity demand to the lowest level in two decades. However, the expansion of renewable energy sources in 2024 is deemed more crucial than ever owing to the expected sharp rise in global... →

Stage 4 loadshedding returns on Wednesday after eight generating units break down

By: News24Wire 19th July 2023 Two days after announcing an improvement to the system after several generating units returned to service at the weekend, Eskom has now announced that Stage 4 load shedding will return on Wednesday afternoon. This was after eight generating units broke down since Tuesday evening. Stage 4 will... →

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