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World Bank’s Malpass visits Komati power station after approving JET loan

By: Donna Slater 7th November 2022 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan welcomed World Bank president David Malpass to State power utility Eskom’s Komati power station following the bank’s approval of a R9-billion ($497-million) concessional loan to repurpose and repower the coal-fired power station into one which uses... →

DMRE confirms yet another extension for delayed IPP projects

By: Terence Creamer 7th November 2022 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has confirmed that the deadline for outstanding projects named as preferred bids under both the risk mitigation and bid window five (BW5) of the renewables programme have been given yet another extension beyond the October 31 deadline... →

Only the Scatec projects, pictured, signed under the RMIPPPP on June 2, have reached financial close and have entered into construction

Accelerating replacement generation rather than 75% EAF should be main Eskom performance measure

By: Terence Creamer 7th November 2022 Setting a recovery in Eskom’s energy availability factor (EAF) to 75% as a key performance indicator (KPI) for the board and the executive is not only open to manipulation but is also the wrong measure in a context where the undermaintained coal fleet no longer offers the cheapest and quickest... →

Mallinson’s model of what he sees as a realistic output from the Eskom coal fleet in the coming years

$8.5bn ‘catalytic’ but insufficient to deliver $99bn Just Energy Transition Investment Plan

By: Terence Creamer 5th November 2022 President Cyril Ramaphosa says the $8.5-billion (R128-billion) in concessional climate financing on offer from various developed countries to South Africa will play a “catalytic” role in supporting the implementation of the country’s larger $99-billion (R1.5-trillion) Just Energy Transition... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Repowering and repurposing Komati

By: Creamer Media Reporter 4th November 2022 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the $497-million loan extended to South Africa for the repowering and repurposing of the Komati power station; the main elements of the repowering and repurposing project; and whether this is the start of a funding trend for South Africa's energy... →

Repowering and repurposing Komati

$497m just transition loan for Komati repowering approved by World Bank

By: Terence Creamer 4th November 2022 South Africa’s request for a $497-million (about R9-billion) to decommission and repower the Komati coal-fired power plant using renewables and batteries has been approved by the World Bank Group board of executive directors. The last Komati unit was shut at midday on October 31, signalling what... →

Photo by Creamer Media
The last Komati unit was shut at midday on October 31

Systems assist with loadshedding woes

By: Sabrina Jardim 4th November 2022 The current energy crisis sweeping South Africa has increased the need for reserve power, whereby complete management systems can help manage different energy sources, says power management company Eaton Africa power quality product manager Jaco du Plooy. He explains that, while solar power is... →

An image depicting a man, Jaco du Plooy, wearing a suit

JACO DU PLOOY Du Plooy expects AI technology to be deployed on a larger scale by local businesses within the next two to three years

Moody’s boosts Eskom’s ratings outlook to positive after budget

By: Bloomberg 1st November 2022 Moody’s Investors Service improved its outlook on Eskom Holdings’s debt ratings to positive after South African Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced last week the government could take over a substantial portion of the power company’s debt. Moody’s boosted the outlook from negative,... →

Shutting of last Komati unit signals start of Eskom’s just energy transition journey

By: Terence Creamer 31st October 2022 Eskom has announced that the final unit at the Komati power station in Mpumalanga was shut at midday October 31, officially signalling the end of the station’s operating life as a coal-fired generator and the site’s transition to a renewables, storage, manufacturing and training hub – one that... →

A solar panel in front of the Komati coal station, the last unit of which was shut on October 31

Loadshedding impacting on embedded generation uptake

By: Tracy Hancock 28th October 2022 While loadshedding is driving the uptake of embedded electricity solutions, it is also deemed obstructive by renewable-energy solutions company Solareff, owing to the financial implications for clients seeking to invest in large, industrial rooftop or ground-mounted solar photovoltaic (PV)... →

SUSTAINABLE SHOPPING Completed in January last year, the 1 219 kWp grid-tied solar PV parkade solution with generator integration at the Eastgate Shopping Mall will yield a significant electricity saving

CoCT ahead in SSEG capacity locally

By: Tracy Hancock 28th October 2022 While the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT’s) small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) capacity is ahead of the curve compared with other local municipalities, there is still a lot of work to be done, says CoCT Energy MMC Councillor Beverley van Reenen. “With State-owned power utility Eskom’s incredibly... →

POWERING CHANGE As of August this year, the City of Cape Town had 85.8 MVA of approved, commissioned grid-tied small-scale embedded generation

Eskom’s new grid plan says 53 GW of new generation must be connected by 2032

By: Terence Creamer 27th October 2022 Eskom’s latest Transmission Development Plan (TDP2022) includes assumptions that deviate materially from those contained in the outdated Integrated Resource Plan of 2019 (IRP2019) and points to the need for a significant acceleration in grid-related investments to facilitate the integration of 53... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Eskom Transmission MD Segomoco Scheppers

Higher revenue collections support consolidation as growth headwinds strengthen

By: Terence Creamer 26th October 2022 Better-than-expected revenue collection enabled Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana to report an improvement in government’s fiscal position relative to the one forecast in the February Budget. However, slowing global and domestic growth together with ongoing power cuts pose a risk to the fiscal... →

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana

Details of Eskom debt relief to be unveiled in Feb as loadshedding crimps growth outlook

By: Terence Creamer 26th October 2022 Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana has confirmed that government will take over between one-third and two-thirds of Eskom’s R400-billion debt, as intense loadshedding, which government expects to persist for 18 months, contributed to a downward revision to the country’s growth outlook. The... →

Eskom debt plan in focus at South Africa's mid-term budget

By: Reuters 25th October 2022 South Africa's finance minister is expected to announce a plan to take on part of power utility Eskom's mammoth debt in a mid-term budget on Wednesday, although analysts say the legally complex transfer will take time to execute. State-owned Eskom has been mired in financial crisis for years and... →

Rand takes big hit as investors worry about Godongwana speech, Beijing developments

By: News24Wire 25th October 2022 On Tuesday morning, the rand approached R18.50/$ - trading at levels last seen in early 2020 as the country digested the implications of the first hard Covid-19 lockdown. The currency is under pressure ahead of Wednesday's medium-term budget speech announcement, and has also taken a knock as... →

DHL expands EV logistics centres to manage EV battery logistics

By: Donna Slater 21st October 2022 Logistics company DHL is expanding and refining its development of an end-to-end electric vehicle (EV) battery logistics supply chain solution to bridge the gap between moving EV battery materials and finished products between manufacturing plants. The increase in demand for battery logistics... →

DHL battery logistics development lead and EV team logistics business and commercial development VP Fabio Sacchi

Cabinet endorses JET-P Investment Plan

21st October 2022 Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer discusses the latest developments with regard to South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership Investment Plan; Cabinet's endorsement of the plan; and the ongoing debate about the uses of these concessional funds. →

Cabinet endorses JET-P Investment Plan

Eskom lenders hire PwC as power cuts grip South African utility

By: Bloomberg 19th October 2022 Lenders to Eskom Holdings have hired financial advisers as South Africa’s State-owned power utility restructures its business. The banks asked consultants at PwC to assist them with negotiations, said people familiar with the matter, who aren’t authorized to talk about it and asked not to be... →

EIUG, SAPVIA, Busa welcome appointment of new Eskom board with balanced skills

By: Schalk Burger 3rd October 2022 Industry nonprofit the Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG) welcomes the "overdue reconstitution of the Eskom board" and says "the new board seems complete and well balanced in terms of its skills and experience". The previous board was "heavily handicapped" with a number of vacancies, which... →

Sacci calls for independent commission to select, recruit SOE board members, CEOs

By: Schalk Burger 29th September 2022 Business organisation the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) says changes to power utility Eskom's board of directors should take place within normal rotation principles in line with established corporate governance policy. However, it remains concerned as to what credible and... →

Firms in Steve Tshwete municipality ‘just want to get on with JET business’

By: Terence Creamer 29th September 2022 The business community in the Steve Tshwete local municipality of Mpumalanga, which encompasses Middelburg, have been urged to align their product and service offerings to the opportunities being created by the energy transition and the associated socioeconomic initiatives aimed at cushioning... →

Komati, which will shut entirely later this year and which has been designated as the flagship site for Eskom’s JET strategy

Eskom plans to power SA households with micro-grids made of upcycled shipping containers

By: News24Wire 29th September 2022 With nearly a third of the country not yet electrified, Eskom believes its containerised micro-grids - made of repurposed shipping containers - are an innovative way to solve for energy access, says its general manager for Just Energy Transition, Mandy Rambharos. Rambharos and Eskom CEO André de... →

Oil giant Shell snaps up African solar provider Daystar Power

By: Reuters 28th September 2022 Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell will purchase African solar provider Daystar Power as it expands its global renewables portfolio, the companies said on Wednesday. Shell is one of the most influential oil producers in Africa, but the Daystar purchase is its first power acquisition on the continent,... →

Eskom board to be reconstituted, restructured

By: Darren Parker 27th September 2022 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has announced that, following the finalisation of an extensive review, the board of State-owned Eskom would soon be reconstituted and restructured. Gordhan has met with members of the Eskom board whose term expired in 2021 and was extended subject to a... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Mobile green hydrogen platform launched by Rheinmetall

By: Donna Slater 27th September 2022 Integrated technology company Rheinmetall launched its newly designed and pilot-phase mobile green hydrogen production and storage platform at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo on September 21. The turnkey and modular solution offered by Rheinmetall group subsidiary Rheinmetall Denel... →

An image of Rheinmetall's containerised mobile hydrogen pilot plant

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Rheinmetall launching its containerised mobile hydrogen pilot plant at the Africa Aerospace and Defence Expo 2022

IEA launches Cost of Capital Observatory to improve borrowing costs transparency

By: Schalk Burger 23rd September 2022 Intergovernmental organisation the International Energy Agency (IEA) and several partners have launched a new tool, the Cost of Capital Observatory, to track financing costs for energy projects around the world, with the aim of identifying and addressing risks that have impeded vital investment... →

Eskom, partners to establish renewables training facility at Komati

By: Darren Parker 23rd September 2022 State-owned Eskom, the South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (Saretec) – based at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) – and the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) have signed a partnership agreement for the development of a new training facility to be... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Darren Parker
The Komati power station is being decommissioned and repurposed

Green Energy Africa Summit selects ten green tech startups as finalists

By: Schalk Burger 21st September 2022 The Green Energy Africa Summit (GEAS) has announced ten green technology startup companies as finalists that will have the opportunity to present to potential investors at a pitching event in October. In preparation, the finalists will be invited to a focused training session to get them pitch... →

Eskom expects $476m World Bank loan decision by November

By: Reuters 16th September 2022 South African power utility Eskom expects a final decision on a new $476 million World Bank loan to repurpose its Komati coal-fired power plant into a renewable station before November's COP27 climate summit, CE Andre de Ruyter said on Friday. The money will be used for three packages, which... →

Eskom invites experts to join skills crowdsourcing platform

By: Schalk Burger 16th September 2022 State-owned power utility Eskom is developing a crowdsourcing digital platform to allow it to supplement its existing skills base to help address its operational challenges. It has invited organisations and individuals, including experienced engineers and technical experts, to participate. The... →

Ebitda, operating profit improvements illustrate Bushveld’s ‘strong’ interim results

By: Nadine James 13th September 2022 Aim-quoted integrated vanadium producer and energy storage solutions provider Bushveld Minerals on September 13 reported significant improvements in revenue, earnings before interest, taxes depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) and operating profit for the six months ended June 30. Bushveld FD... →

R14bn green economy pipeline seen as key to IDC’s ramp-up after investment slump

By: Terence Creamer 12th September 2022 The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) believes its R14-billion green-economy project pipeline could provide the platform for a strong recovery in investment funding, following a sharp drop over the past two years. The State-owned development finance institution disbursed only R7.2-billion... →

Photo by Creamer Media
IDC CEO TP Nchocho

Eskom restarts sale process for R9bn home-loan book

By: Bloomberg 9th September 2022 South Africa’s indebted power utility Eskom Holdings restarted the sale of its mortgage unit, one of many measures the utility is taking to stabilise its finances. Eskom “commenced with a process” to sell Eskom Finance, which has a R9-billion loan book, by inviting prospective bidders, the... →

Rich nations to fund 80% of South Africa's climate plan with loans, some hard to unlock

By: Reuters 1st September 2022 About 80% of the-billions of dollars pledged by rich nations for South Africa's shift away from coal will be loans, not grants, and some may be hard to unlock due to national rules protecting domestic jobs, an official familiar with the matter said. Last year the United States, European Union,... →

Eskom warns of summer load-shedding as it confirms 91 days of cuts for year to date

By: Terence Creamer 31st August 2022 Electricity utility Eskom told lawmakers on Wednesday that the risk of load-shedding remained high for the upcoming summer season, while confirming that there had already been 91 days of load-shedding during 2022. Eskom’s summer ‘base case’ is premised on there being 13 000 MW of onging unplanned... →

Impower to supply Capitec with battery backup system

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 31st August 2022 Financial services provider Capitec has commissioned solar installation company Impower to design, install and maintain an electricity solution that integrates both solar and a battery backup system, at its headquarters in Stellenbosch. The banking giant says it has turned to solar as a... →

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