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Transmission & Distribution News

Opinion: Danish-South African energy cooperation to unleash just energy transition in grid-ready regions

3rd October 2024 South Africa has some of the best resources for wind and solar energy in the world. However, the country battles with grid constraints in areas with higher wind speeds, and little renewable-energy deployment in areas with available grid. The Danish-South African energy cooperation addresses these... →

Growth target of 3% set for 2025 as business and government relaunch partnership under GNU

By: Terence Creamer 1st October 2024 A second phase of the partnership launched between government and business to tackle South Africa’s electricity, logistics and crime crises has been launched under the Government of National Unity (GNU), with an immediate goal of raising growth to over 3% from 2025. Speaking at the launch in... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa addressing the relaunch of the partnership between government and business at the IDC's offices in Johannesburg

Ramokgopa confident he can head off Eskom’s ‘untenable’ tariff hike with policy adjustments

By: Darren Parker 1st October 2024 Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa is confident that State-owned utility Eskom’s proposed tariff increase for direct customers of 36.15%, and a 43.55% hike in municipal tariffs, will not come to pass. On September 24, Engineering News reported that the National Energy... →

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

Banda appointed CEO of ENERTRAG South Africa

By: Terence Creamer 1st October 2024 German renewable-energy company ENERTRAG has appointment Enos Banda as the new CEO of South African operations. A lawyer by training, Banda is a well-known personality in the South African energy sector having previously headed Eskom Enterprises, chaired South Africa’s energy regulator in the... →

ENERTRAG South Africa CEO Enos Banda

Grid and regulatory hurdles stand in way of Ramokgopa’s ‘ultra-aggressive’ renewables vision

By: Terence Creamer 30th September 2024 Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says that government would like to be “ultra-aggressive” in the roll-out of new renewable energy, which he describes as the “future”. However, key structural constraints, including those relating to grid capacity and regulation, had to be... →

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

Eskom seeks 36% tariff increase

By: Creamer Media Reporter 27th September 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses power utility Eskom's latest Multiyear Price Determination submission to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa, as well as the next steps. →

Eskom seeks 36% tariff increase

Upcoming mini-Budget to include details on Independent Power Transmission pilot project

By: Terence Creamer 26th September 2024 Details on the approach South Africa will be taking to piloting Independent Power Transmission (IPT) projects as part of a strategy to accelerate the expansion of its electricity grid will be included in the upcoming Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS), a senior official in the office of... →

ENERTRAG advocates for local collector grid system to support national capacity

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th September 2024 As South Africa tackles the next energy challenge of grid capacity, ENERTRAG South Africa technical head Dr Clinton Carter-Brown advocates for local collector grids that can integrate power from multiple projects and provide dispatchable green energy when combined with energy storage. His... →

Next round of NDC’s critical test for meeting renewables-tripling goal – IEA

By: Terence Creamer 24th September 2024 The next round of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) will be a critical test for the implementation of the COP28 pledge, made by nearly 200 countries in the United Arab Emirates last year, of tripling renewables and doubling energy efficiency by 2030. This finding is contained in a new... →

A $90bn World Bank plan to electrify Africa gets under way

By: Bloomberg 20th September 2024 A plan to bring electricity to 300-million Africans by 2030, backed by an initial pledge of $30-billion from the World Bank and the African Development Bank, has begun to be implemented with an assessment of the first potential beneficiaries. Some of the world’s most prominent climate... →

IBM develops two new models for energy sector forecasting

By: Schalk Burger 19th September 2024 Information technology company IBM has developed two new interactive models for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) GeoHub, namely the artificial intelligence (AI) model Electricity Access Forecasting, and the statistical geospatial model Clean Energy Equity Index. The new models will... →

The UNDP GeoHub dashboard

RMB funded renewables projects worth R50bn last year and is gearing up for private grid prospects

By: Terence Creamer 19th September 2024 Corporate and investment bank RMB reports that it financed renewable-energy investments worth R50-billion over the past year and is expecting ongoing high levels of renewables funding this year, while positioning itself to also finance private grid projects in future. Infrastructure sector... →

RMB infrastructure sector solutions head Judy Kobus

Graham-Maré assures govt is evaluating independent transmission infrastructure provider model

By: Marleny Arnoldi 18th September 2024 While South Africa has seen the installation of more than 590 MW of rooftop solar power in the year-to-date, which adds to other renewable-energy installations, the question remains whether State-owned power utility Eskom will be able to timeously build the 14 000 km of transmission lines needed... →

New report underlines importance of improving grid infrastructure for renewables rollout

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 17th September 2024 Renewable energy has the potential to provide much of the world’s energy demand, but this can only be achieved through urgent improvements in grid infrastructure and integrated planning, international policy network REN21’s latest report posits. Last year, renewable energy hit a record high,... →

COP29 leaders unveil climate funding and energy storage goals

By: Reuters 17th September 2024 Less than two months ahead of the COP29 United Nations Climate Summit, the Azerbaijani leadership laid out its plans on Tuesday for what it hoped to achieve, as countries continue to wrestle with how to raise ambitions for a new financing target. The main task for the November summit is for... →

Mukhtar Babayev

Bezos-backed group to prepare South African grids for investment

By: Bloomberg 16th September 2024 A global organisation backed by Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos’ climate and biodiversity fund said it’s setting up a programme to attract investment into South African municipal power grids, which need R319-billion to prepare for the introduction of more renewable energy. The Global Energy Alliance... →

South Africa set for massive changes as energy market pivots, renewable energy grows

By: Schalk Burger 12th September 2024 South Africa will need about 150 GW of renewable-energy generation and associated transmission infrastructure by 2050, meaning it needs to build about 6 GW of renewable-energy capacity each year. It currently has about 6.4 GW of renewable energy generation in operation, about 3 GW of embedded... →

Webinar facilitator South African Wind Energy Association CEO Niveshen Govender in conversation with Independent Power Producers Office head Bernard Magoro; South African Independent Power Producers Association chairperson Brian Day; NOA Group CEO Karel Cornelissen; and EY-Parthenon strategy and innovation leader Heather Orton as they discuss South Africa's renewable energy report card and investment outlook.

Germany ready to help fund R390bn South African grid revamp

By: Bloomberg 6th September 2024 Germany is willing to help fund the R390-billion ($22-billion) that South Africa said it needs to incorporate more solar and wind power into the national grid and ensure its energy security. The European nation will be able to provide some funding once the scope for the grid-expansion project has... →

Distribution infrastructure in South Africa

City Power installs long-awaited new 88/11 kV substation in Eldorado Park

By: Schalk Burger 3rd September 2024 Johannesburg utility City Power opened the 88/11 kV Eldorado Park substation on September 3. The new substation, which has been eagerly awaited by the communities since 2015, has four 45 MVA transformers, including a spare in case of breakdowns. The substation, which replaces the old explosion-... →

Responsibilities for SOEs moved to their respective Ministries

By: Creamer Media Reporter 30th August 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the implications of moving that State-owned enterprises that previously fell under the Department of Public Enterprises to new departments. →

Responsibilities for SOEs moved to their respective Ministries

President transfers legislation as part of steps to split mineral resources, energy portfolios

By: Creamer Media Reporter 28th August 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa has transferred legislation previously administered by the Mineral Resources and Energy Minister to Mineral and Petroleum Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe and Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa respectively. This follows the announcement earlier... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

South African private power producers seek fair deal over output curbs

By: Reuters 27th August 2024 South African private power producers are seeking compensation for revenues lost when adhering to requests from state utility Eskom to limit electricity supply to the national grid, industry executives said. Eskom has submitted a proposal to the country's energy regulator to introduce a mechanism... →

Powerlines in sugarcane fields in South Africa

Nersa promises ‘utmost transparency’ after confirming receipt of Eskom's MYPD6 submission

By: Terence Creamer 27th August 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has confirmed that it received, on August 16, Eskom’s sixth multiyear price determination (MYPD6) revenue application for the 2025/26, 2026/27 and 2027/28 financial years. In a statement the regulator said that the application would be... →

Nersa has committed to ensuring that all regulatory processes, including public hearings, are followed for the MYPD6 application

Photo by Creamer Media
Nersa has committed to ensuring that all regulatory processes, including public hearings, are followed for the MYPD6 application

Clause posing threat to municipal electricity revenues may be excluded when ERA enters into force

By: Terence Creamer 26th August 2024 President Cyril Ramaphosa has left the door open to excluding a section in the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Act that could negatively affect the revenues municipalities raise from electricity sales when the legislation is officially implemented. Ramaphosa signed the ERA on August 20,... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

IFC confirms eagerness to fund private grid projects in South Africa

By: Terence Creamer 26th August 2024 The International Finance Corporation (IFC) has confirmed that its stands ready to support South Africa’s efforts to facilitate private sector participation in the expansion of the country’s electricity grid. IFC Africa VP Sérgio Pimenta told Engineering News during his recent visit to South... →

IFC Africa VP Sérgio Pimenta

Renewables procurement and a grid survey make headlines

By: Creamer Media Reporter 23rd August 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the findings of the latest South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey; how the survey results will be used; and the mixed picture that has emerged for wind and solar projects following the latest public procurement round. →

Renewables procurement and a grid survey make headlines

No indefinite end to loadshedding – Eskom

By: Nadine Ramdass 23rd August 2024 While South Africa is experiencing a significant period during which there is no loadshedding, more time is needed before State-owned electricity utility Eskom can confidently declare an end to loadshedding, says Eskom primary energy GM Dan Mashigo. Speaking at the 2024 Coal and Energy Transition... →

An image of Eskom primary energy GM Dan Mashigo

DAN MASHIGO It would take about two to five years to fully resolve loadshedding

Grid challenges persist amid energy market changes

By: Nadine Ramdass 23rd August 2024 South Africa’s energy market is undergoing various changes, including the unbundling of State-owned power utility Eskom, as well as licence exemptions for independent power producers (IPPs). The latter has eased access for new projects, but has also affected grid access and publicly procured... →

SUPPORTING INTEGRATION Integrating renewable-energy sources, such as solar, require a stable grid

NTCSA appoints 19 overhead-transmission line contractors to three supplier panels

By: Terence Creamer 20th August 2024 The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) has appointed 19 overhead-transmission line contractors to three separate supplier panels as it moves to position itself for a R32-billion build programme over the coming eight years. The companies were selected following a tender issued in... →

WEG Africa builds substation E-house facility for Sasol's Upstream PSA project in Moz

By: Schalk Burger 20th August 2024 Electrical equipment manufacturer WEG Africa has completed a large substation E-house solution, which includes distribution transformers and a diesel generator set, for energy and chemicals company Sasol’s Upstream production sharing agreement (PSA) project, in Mozambique. The E-house solution... →

The E-house facility built at Sasol's Upstream PSA project in Mozambique

Interest from IPPs aiming to connect renewables to grid surges to 133 GW

By: Terence Creamer 19th August 2024 The latest edition of the South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey points to there being massive and growing interest from developers of solar PV, wind, battery and hybrid plants to connect to the South African grid. Published jointly by Eskom Holdings’ National Transmission Company South... →

Photo by South African Renewable Energy Grid Survey 2024
There is growing interest from renewables developers to connect projects to the grid

AfriForum plans to have Nersa reimburse consumers over unlawful tariffs since July

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th August 2024 The Gauteng High Court’s rejection of a leave to appeal application by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) related to proposed municipal tariff hikes, is a victory for municipal electricity consumers, civil rights organisation AfriForum says. Earlier this year, the same court... →

Wind bids fall well short of BW7 allocation, while PV bids far exceed provision

By: Terence Creamer 19th August 2024 The Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) has confirmed that 48 onshore wind and solar PV bids with a combined capacity of 10 218 MW have been submitted under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The bids were submitted on... →

Solar PV with powerlines in the background

Necom's focus, Transnet's recovery and the future of Operation Vulindlela make headlines

By: Creamer Media Reporter 16th August 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses some of the key outcomes of the first meeting between Cabinet member and business leaders since the formation of the Government of National Unity. →

Necom's focus, Transnet's recovery and the future of Operation Vulindlela make headlines

‘Necom 2.0’ to focus on system-wide constraints to electricity security and affordability

By: Terence Creamer 14th August 2024 Amid waning loadshedding, government and business have agreed to begin “repurposing” the National Energy Crisis Committee (Necom) to shift focus from interventions aimed at arresting the operational crisis at Eskom’s coal stations to addressing system-wide pressures, including growing concern... →

Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay

DBSA urged to play leading role in fixing municipalities during next phase of Operation Vulindlela

By: Terence Creamer 13th August 2024 Deputy Finance Minister David Masondo has called on the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), which is a major lender to local government, to play a leading role in supporting the Government of National Unity’s plan to fix municipalities as part of the second phase of Operation Vulindlela.... →

Golden Arrow, Eskom sign memorandum of cooperation on electric buses

By: Irma Venter 12th August 2024 Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS) and power utility Eskom have signed a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) which sets out the terms for ongoing engagement related to GABS’ planned introduction of electric buses into the public transport sector. GABS in July signed a deal to acquire 120 electric buses... →

An electric test bus in the GABS fleet

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