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State Companies News

NCOP votes to pass Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill

By: Creamer Media Reporter 17th May 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the significance of the National Council of Provinces' (NCOP's) vote to pass the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill; if the Bill is likely to face any opposition; and what further actions can be expected once the Bill becomes law. →

Eskom says key revision number rollover project on track

By: Sabrina Jardim 16th May 2024 State-owned Eskom says its key revision number rollover project is progressing well, with 3.61-million, or 52%, of the 6.9-million prepayment meters already recoded as of May 15. The main Eskom meter recoding project in all the nine provinces started in August 2023 after a successful pilot in... →

Ramaphosa denies pre-election loadshedding respite is a ‘political ploy’

By: Terence Creamer 13th May 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa has entered the politically charged discussion on the reasons behind the recent dramatic reduction in loadshedding ahead of what is expected to be a highly competition election and amid allegations that the reprieve is being staged managed to improve the governing... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Genuine progress, not electioneering, behind the easing of loadshedding, council says

By: Darren Parker 9th May 2024 The current loadshedding reprieve is not a result of excessive diesel burning to pacify voters but rather a consequence of government and business coming together to made headway in solving South Africa’s electricity crisis, Energy Council of South Africa (ECSA) CEO James Mackay has said.... →

TPT to continue to invest in Durban Pier 2 while legal spat over private partner plays out

By: Terence Creamer 8th May 2024 South Africa’s Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) says it will continue to invest in Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 while legal proceedings around its selection of International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), of the Philippines, for a 25-year partnership at what is South Africa’s largest... →

Port of Durban container operations

South Africa to provide new coal-plant closure timeline to secure secure $2.6bn

By: Bloomberg 8th May 2024 South Africa will provide a new timeline for the shutdown of coal-fired power plants in a bid to secure about $2.5-billion in climate finance, an agency in President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office said. The timetable to be proposed to the Climate Investment Funds in June aims to ensure the country... →

Denel displays guided weapons, landward defence systems at Defence Service Asia

By: Schalk Burger 6th May 2024 State-owned defence technology company Denel is displaying its guided weapons and landward defence systems at the Defence Service Asia (DSA) exhibition this week. Its Umkhonto surface-to-air missile can be launched from naval vessels or ground-based launchers. It travels at more than twice the... →

Eskom takes City Power to court over R1bn debt

By: Sashnee Moodley 6th May 2024 State power utility Eskom has said it has "no choice" but to approach the Johannesburg High Court to force City Power to pay just over R1-billion in unpaid debt. Eskom noted that City Power began to default on payments in October 2023 and that it did not receive any payment for March, this year. →

Ramokgopa insists loadshedding not being ‘stage managed’ ahead of May 29 poll

By: Terence Creamer 6th May 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa denies that the prevailing reprieve from loadshedding has been “stage managed” to improve the prospects of the governing African National Congress ahead of the May 29 poll, attributing it instead to “orchestrated” engineering efforts undertaken by Eskom... →

Minister insists the recent period of no loadshedding is down to the improved performance of coal stations such as Matla (pictured)

Photo by Creamer Media
Minister insists the recent period of no loadshedding is down to the improved performance of coal stations such as Matla (pictured)

The lights are on in South Africa and many people are suspicious

By: Bloomberg 3rd May 2024 South Africa is enjoying a rare streak of uninterrupted electricity right before elections, drawing more suspicion than praise in a nation that’s become accustomed to the daily power cuts that have dragged on for years. The country is currently in its fourth successive week of no outages — the... →

TFR ramps up coal trains to 28 a week

By: Darren Parker 3rd May 2024 State-owned Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has embarked on a ramp up of GF-class coal trains from 21 a week to 28 a week, supported by an injection of locomotives. This is part of Transnet’s recovery plan initiatives, and a commitment made to the City of uMhlathuze leadership and other stakeholders... →

Biofibre project to enhance competitiveness

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd May 2024 Government economic programme Coega Development Corporation, in partnership with scientific and technology research organisation Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have embarked on an initiative known as the Biofibre Hub Project. Positioned within the expansive 9 003 ha Coega... →

MANUFACTURING POTENTIAL The Biofibre Hub Project seeks to harness the potential of plant-based fibres, particularly bast and leaf fibres, to innovate in the automotive sector and beyond

Short-term insurance product extended to SMMEs

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd May 2024 The State-owned Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa (ECIC) has significantly expanded its mandate to support manufacturing projects, with a notable enhancement through the establishment of the Export Passport Insurance Facility. This initiative underscores the ECIC’s commitment to... →

NTOMBIFUTHI MDLULI These projects collectively contribute to employment

RAF launches campaign to deal with unfinalised claims

By: Sabrina Jardim 2nd May 2024 Amid a current backlog of around 321 000 unfinalised claims, the Road Accident Fund (RAF) has launched a campaign to reduce claims submitted before April 2021 that have yet to be finalised. The campaign calls claimants to submit all outstanding documents to ensure that the RAF has all the... →

Motsepe-backed GoSolr plans $537m South Africa expansion

By: Bloomberg 2nd May 2024 GoSolr, a company backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe and the continent’s biggest bank, plans to spend R10 billion to roll out a model of renting solar panels and batteries to homes in the nation plagued by blackouts. The two-and-a-half-year-old company seeks to install about 500... →

Patrice Motsepe

Transnet aims to defend its decision to partner with ICTSI at the DCT

By: Darren Parker 29th April 2024 State-owned Transnet has defended its decision to select Phillipines-based International Container Terminal Services Inc (ICTSI) as the preferred bidder for the establishment of a partnership to manage the upgrade and development of Pier 2 at the Durban Container Terminal (DCT). Following the... →

Transnet volumes, revenue up, but falls short of recovery targets

By: Darren Parker 26th April 2024 State-owned Transnet has reported a 1.5% year-on-year improvement in the total rail volumes reaching 151.7-million tonnes at the end of March 2024, showcasing improvement in operational performance. However, this figure still fell 1.8% short of Transnet’s recovery plan target of 154.4-million... →

Electrical specialist says load curtailment in Ekurhuleni should be respected, or more outages may ensue

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th April 2024 With the City of Ekurhuleni having entered into a load curtailment agreement with national power utility Eskom, this mandatory energy reduction has been met with some protest by businesses, but electrical control equipment provider CBI-electric:low voltage engineering executive Dr Andrew Dickson... →

Outa demands information on Sanral, Ceta tenders

By: Darren Parker 24th April 2024 Nonprofit watchdog the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has accused the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the Construction Education and Training Authority (Ceta) of keeping contracts with questionable companies secret, which it says is in line with a government... →

TNPA issues RfP for Cape Town port liquid bulk terminal

By: Schalk Burger 24th April 2024 State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has issued a request for proposals (RfP) for the appointment of a terminal operator to acquire, operate, maintain, refurbish or build and transfer a liquid bulk terminal over a 25-year concession period at the Port of Cape Town. “The liquid... →

The Port of Cape Town

Nelson Mandela University-led consortium to develop green hydrogen feasibility study

By: Darren Parker 22nd April 2024 A consortium led by Nelson Mandela University and boutique consultancy firm Ikigai Group has won a UK Government grant under the South Africa-UK Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (Pact) programme to deliver an innovative feasibility study to explore the viability of green hydrogen... →

NTCSA begins consultations on market code to govern shift towards competitive electricity industry

By: Terence Creamer 19th April 2024 With the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) currently scheduled to be operationalised in July and efforts under way to ensure that the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) Amendment Bill is passed by the current Parliament, work is now advancing on the market code for the future... →

South Africa contingency reserves won't be spent on Eskom, Transnet – Godongwana

By: Reuters 18th April 2024 South Africa will use future drawdowns of its Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account to curb its debt burden, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said, adding he was pondering tax hikes and expenditure cuts in the next post-election budget. Africa's most industrialised nation is... →

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana

Eskom says modest R9m RCA request not a signal of alignment with Nersa on calculations

By: Terence Creamer 17th April 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has initiated consultations on Eskom’s latest Regulatory Clearing Account (RCA) application for the 2022/23 financial year, where Eskom is requesting R9-million, its lowest RCA application since the utility began making yearly submissions... →

Treasury extends deadline for Budget Facility for Infrastructure submissions

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 16th April 2024 The National Treasury has extended the deadline for submissions to the Budget Facility for Infrastructure (BFI) to May 17 to allow more time for project sponsors to package and submit their proposals. The department earlier published a call for proposals for consideration under the BFI. →

Eskom mulls private, foreign options on R390-billion grid build

By: Bloomberg 12th April 2024 South Africa’s State-owned power utility Eskom said it’s in talks with government ministries over private and foreign options to fund a R390-billion expansion of its transmission network as more renewable generation comes online. Eskom supplies more than 80% of electricity to the continent’s most... →

Electricity outlook for winter

By: Creamer Media Reporter 12th April 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the halt in loadshedding over recent weeks; what South Africans should expect for the higher-demand winter period; and the longer-term outlook for South Africa's electricity sector. →

Electricity outlook for winter

CoJ promulgates reviewed municipal planning by-law

By: Darren Parker 9th April 2024 The City of Johannesburg’s (CoJ’s) Development Planning Department has promulgated the recently reviewed municipal planning by-law. The provisions of the reviewed by-law enable the city to simplify procedures and processes for land development applications, mechanisms to provide engineering... →

Eskom aims to keep breakdowns below 14 GW this winter as it cuts diesel budget

By: Terence Creamer 9th April 2024 State-owned electricity utility Eskom will reduce planned maintenance to 3 000 MW during the upcoming winter season and will seek to keep unplanned breakdowns to below 14 000 MW in a bid to navigate the high-demand period with limited loadshedding. During the summer period, from September to the... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Eskom to ramp down planned maintenance to 3 000 MW in winter

CDE criticises govt’s lack of ambition in its job creation strategy

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 8th April 2024 South Africa faces an unemployment crisis, and the African National Congress’ (ANC’s) manifesto promise of 3.5-million work opportunities, is considerably inadequate to address this, independent policy research and advocacy organisation the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) executive... →

South Africa taps business to create office to end rail monopoly

By: Bloomberg 8th April 2024 South Africa has asked companies to help it set up an office to facilitate the entry of private operators onto the continent’s biggest rail network for the first time. In a letter sent last month to Business Unity South Africa, the Department of Transport asked the country’s biggest corporate... →

Old govt buildings to be converted into homes for State employees

By: Darren Parker 5th April 2024 Human Settlements Minister Mmamaloko Kubayi wants to convert old and unused government buildings into residential properties for government employees. She said this was part of an effort to do away with apartheid spatial planning by bringing workers closer to their places of work or to existing... →

In this video, Human Settlements Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi discusses her department's efforts to provide housing.

Nersa approves revised NRS electricity loadshedding code of practice

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 5th April 2024 The National Rationalised Specifications (NRS) Association of South Africa has announced the approval of the NRS 048-9, Edition 3, Electricity Supply – Quality of Supply: Code of Practice (NRS CoP) by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). →

Photo by Bloomberg
The NRS CoP addresses load reduction practices, system restoration practices, critical load and essential load requirements during system emergencies

Role of gas in SA’s future energy mix under intense scrutiny

By: Darren Parker 5th April 2024 Given South Africa’s ongoing energy crisis, there remains much debate around whether gas should be included in the future energy mix and, if so, how much. Advocates argue that the fossil fuel is a necessity and a step up from coal – since it produces fewer carbon emissions when burned – but many... →

GAS CLIFF Until local gas resources come on stream, an impending gas shortage undermines South Africa’s near-term future dependence on it

All conditions met for separation of NTCSA, but April deadline for full operationalisation missed

By: Terence Creamer 4th April 2024 All the suspensive conditions opening the way for the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) to be constituted as a separate, distinct and wholly-owned subsidiary of Eskom Holdings have been met, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and Eskom chairperson Mteto Nyati have... →

Coega Development Corporation has implemented R48bn worth of infrastructure since 2004

By: Darren Parker 4th April 2024 The Coega Development Corporation (Coega) says it has successfully implemented infrastructure projects to an accumulative value of about R48-billion since the inception of its development programme for infrastructure outside of its special economic zone (SEZ) in 2004. During the 2023/24 financial... →

Zithulele District Hospital under construction

TPT outlines actions to support 15% growth in citrus exports during 2024 season

By: Terence Creamer 4th April 2024 Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) reports that it has recruited 200 additional cargo coordinators and has set up dedicated lanes for refrigerated containers at all KwaZulu-Natal container terminals in preparation for the citrus fruit export season, which begins this month. Congestion at the country’s... →

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