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Transmission & Distribution News

IIoT a potential solution for mitigating illegal connection challenges

By: Sabrina Jardim 15th April 2024 Illegal connections are one of the leading causes of electricity-related injuries and deaths in South Africa, while also posing a risk of fires and electrocutions in communities. It also adds to the costs incurred by power utilities and municipalities and, in turn, impair their ability to provide... →

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

Ramokgopa says ‘degree of convergence’ reached with NTCSA on unlocking private participation in grid

By: Terence Creamer 9th April 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that a “degree of convergence” has been reached between his Ministry and the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) regarding private sector participation in the electricity grid and no further Cabinet approval is required ahead of... →

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

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... →

Draft IRP 2023 lacks environmental, health, climate commitments, says Life After Coal

By: Schalk Burger 27th March 2024 Coal phase-out campaign the Life After Coal Campaign, in its comments on the draft Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2023, said the plan has fundamental flaws and expressed skepticism in the plan's ability to ensure cost-effective electricity supply, energy security and to uphold the Constitutional... →

A coal-fired power plant operated by Eskom

NTCSA unbundling secures lender consent, Ramokgopa confirms

By: Terence Creamer 25th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that Eskom’s eight “lender groups” have given their consent to the establishment of the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) as a separate subsidiary under Eskom Holdings. Bondholder consent was one of several key approvals required... →

Company leverages offering, expertise to ‘redefine’ S Africa’s energy industry

By: Simone Liedtke 22nd March 2024 As South Africa’s energy sector continues to grapple with climate change and an increasing demand for electricity, electromechanical equipment manufacturer ACTOM is making significant strides in redefining the industry through its production of transformers, high-voltage equipment, switchgear and... →

MERVYN NAIDOO The company's offerings underscore its commitment to excellence and reliability

IRP 2023 comment deadline fast approaching

By: Creamer Media Reporter 20th March 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the fast-approaching deadline for public comment on the draft Integrated Resource Plan of 2023 and stakeholders' likely reaction. →

IRP 2023 comment deadline fast approaching

Conclusions in opaque IRP 2023 are ‘incorrect and economically damaging’

By: Terence Creamer 19th March 2024 In an excoriating assessment of the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023), Meridian Economics points to serious problems with the modelling and cost assumptions used by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which the consultancy says has resulted in “incorrect and... →

Unconstrained IRP would have far more wind and solar PV, analysis shows

Energy Regulator approvals mark another step towards NTCSA’s operationalisation

By: Terence Creamer 18th March 2024 South Africa’s Energy Regulator has taken another set of decisions opening the way for the operationalisation of a separate grid company in South Africa ahead of the far-reaching legislative changes approved by the National Assembly last week. On March 11, the Energy Regulator consented to the... →

South Africa’s next energy challenge: A R390-billion grid upgrade

By: Bloomberg 15th March 2024 South Africa is facing a monumental challenge as it seeks to end years of rolling electricity outages that have hobbled the economy: It needs to build and fund a R390-billion expansion of the national grid so it can connect more power plants. The transmission system is owned, managed and... →

Construction begins on wind farms to supply Secunda oxygen plants

By: Creamer Media Reporter 13th March 2024 Enel Green Power (EGP) South Africa has started construction of three new wind farms in the Eastern Cape, which will provide electricity to Air Liquide and Sasol in Secunda, Mpumalanga, through a wheeling framework agreement with Eskom. With a combined capacity of 330 MW, the Impofu East, Impofu... →

Andrea Ranieri, Alessandra Governanti, Louise Paulsen, Lasad Jaouani and Manuele Battisti at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Impofu Wind Farms

South Africa should get off global regulator's 'grey list' in 2025, says Kganyago

By: Reuters 13th March 2024 South Africa's central bank governor said on Wednesday that he was confident the country would be removed from an international financial crime watchdog's "grey list" next year, given the work that is under way to fix identified issues. The International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) last... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Reserve Bank governor Lesetja Kganyago

IPPO confirms May 30 renewables bid deadline as it moves to accommodate grid quotes and curtailment

By: Terence Creamer 13th March 2024 The Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) has confirmed that the deadline for submissions under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme has been extended by a month to May 30 to accommodate both grid-connection quotes and a curtailment... →

South Africa won’t need Electricity Minister by end of 2024

By: Bloomberg 12th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa said an anticipated improvement in electricity supply should see him out of a job by the end of 2024. The country, which has been plagued by crippling power cuts, will get an additional 6 000 megawatts of supply from State sources by the end of the year,... →

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa

Curtailment framework in play for current renewables bidding round, Ramokgopa confirms

By: Terence Creamer 11th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa and the Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) have both confirmed that the curtailment framework outlined by Eskom in January is immediately available to wind IPPs preparing to bid under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of South Africa’s public renewables... →

Substation with wind turbines in the background

GDP figures cap decade of negative GDP per capita growth – BLSA

By: Schalk Burger 11th March 2024 While the gross domestic product (GDP) growth for the fourth quarter of 2023 was 0.1%, growth was negative in terms of GDP per capita, given that population growth is outpacing it. "We have been trending lower since 2013, and have now crowned a decade of negative per capita growth. South Africans... →

Locomotives used by Transnet Freight Rail

Business, govt meet to discuss electricity, logistics reforms

By: Creamer Media Reporter 8th March 2024 Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the latest meeting held between senior business leaders and President Cyril Ramaphosa and his Cabinet; the feedback provided on efforts to tackle loadshedding; and a report back on the Transnet Recovery Plan and the reforms in the logistics sector. →

Business, govt meet to discuss electricity, logistics reforms

Trading, transmission key factors in a liberalised South African electricity market

By: Rebecca Campbell 7th March 2024 With the liberalisation of the South African electricity market, energy trading will become increasingly important. So highlighted Investec Project Finance Director Franca Sandham. She was participating in a panel discussion organised by energy transition financial consultancy Green Giraffe... →

Move to formalise deal on injecting private skills into Eskom amid plan to add and recover 10.6 GW by end-2025

By: Terence Creamer 6th March 2024 Government and business have set a goal of increasing South Africa’s electricity generation capacity by 10.6 GW by the end of 2025 as part of ongoing collaborative efforts to tackle growth-sapping power disruptions and reduce the intensity and almost daily frequency of loadshedding by year-end.... →

M&R gets back on track with narrowed losses, lower debt

By: Darren Parker 6th March 2024 JSE-listed Murray & Roberts (M&R) has reported a significant year-on-year reduction in its attributable loss for the six months ended December 31, 2023, signalling a positive turn in its financial performance. The company recorded a substantially reduced attributable loss of R95-million for the... →

3 workers or engineers in PPE on a construction or mining site

New fund to finance cross-border electricity transmission in Southern Africa

By: Rebecca Campbell 6th March 2024 The Southern African Power Pool’s (SAPP’s) Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF) will be managed by climate-focused blended finance fund manager Climate Fund Managers (CFM), it was jointly announced on Tuesday, on the fringes of the 2024 Africa Energy Indaba, in Cape... →

Transmission infrastructure in South Africa

Real progress being made against loadshedding in recent months, says Energy Council CEO

By: Rebecca Campbell 5th March 2024 The number of hours of loadshedding in South Africa has been cut by 67% over the past three-and-a-half months, Energy Council of South Africa CEO James MacKay highlighted on Monday evening. He was participating in an event in Cape Town, hosted by UK innovation agency Innovate UK, and UK... →

Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay

PPP reforms could avert need for prescribed-assets policy to increase private infrastructure investment – Pieterse

By: Terence Creamer 1st March 2024 National Treasury director-general Dr Duncan Pieterse says the reforms being proposed to facilitate greater private sector investment into infrastructure could obviate the need to introduce a policy of ‘prescribed assets’, whereby pension funds would be required to direct a specified level of... →

National Treasury director-general Dr Duncan Pieterse responds to a question posed on prescribed assets by facilitator Alishia Seckam during a PSG Big Think Series event. Edited: Shadwyn Dickinson 1.3.2024

Eskom board tasks Marokane with three priorities in his first 100 days as CEO

By: Schalk Burger 1st March 2024 State-owned power utility Eskom's board of directors has tasked incoming CEO Dan Marokane to prioritise three key areas – assessing the generation operational recovery plan, reviewing Eskom’s unbundling plans and engaging with internal and external stakeholders – in his first 100 days in office.... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Eskom CEO Dan Marokane

KwaZulu-Natal municipalities now owe Eskom R1.5bn

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th February 2024 The debt owed by municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal to Eskom have increased by R818-million between March 2023 and January this year, resulting in municipalities in the province now owing Eskom R1.5-billion. The State-owned power utility supplies electricity in bulk to these municipalities, which,... →

Amplats signs renewable energy offtake agreement with Envusa Energy

By: Sabrina Jardim 28th February 2024 Platinum group metals (PGMs) miner Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) has, through its wholly owned Rustenburg Platinum Mines (RPM) subsidiary, entered into a 20-year energy offtake agreement (EOA) with Envusa Energy. Envusa is a joint venture between EDF Renewables and Amplats' parent company... →

Wind turbines, solar panels and transmission lines

Multi-Party Charter reveals its plans to end loadshedding if ANC can be ousted

By: Darren Parker 28th February 2024 The 11 political parties that are members of the Multi-Party Charter (MPC) for South Africa have voiced a unified plan to end loadshedding once and for all if only they could collectively oust ruling party the African National Congress (ANC) at the upcoming national elections on May 29. The MPC... →

Watch Engineering News' coverage of the Multi-Party Charter (MPC) for South Africa's briefing on how it plans to end loadshedding, along with an exclusive interview with DA leader John Steenhuisen.

BCG highlights challenges, opportunities amid energy transition

By: Sabrina Jardim 28th February 2024 Amid the global transition to cleaner energy sources, African countries face various challenges and opportunities pertaining to the adoption of renewable energy. Consulting firm Boston Consulting Group (BCG) partner Rudi van Blerk noted during an online discussion on February 27 that many African... →

Settling on funding solutions for expedited grid infrastructure set as a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan priority

By: Terence Creamer 27th February 2024 Finalising funding solutions for the expedited expansion of South Africa’s electricity transmission grid has been identified as a key priority for the Just Energy Transition (JET) project management unit (PMU), which is located within the Presidency. The unit is overseeing the implementation of... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Lineworkers work on a high-voltage powerline

Ramokgopa says govt close to finalising structure for private grid financing

By: Terence Creamer 26th February 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says all the work being done by government on the financial structure to facilitate private investment into the country’s transmission infrastructure is being consolidated under his Ministry, including the work being done on the issue by the National... →

Another 124 power plants registered with Nersa raising total to 1 087 since 2018

By: Terence Creamer 23rd February 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) reports that a further 124 generation facilities were registered during the third quarter of its financial year from October to December, increasing the number of facilities registered since 2018 to 1 087. The newly registered generators have... →

Eskom eschews $2.5bn of cheap loans as climate pact flounders

By: Bloomberg 23rd February 2024 South Africa’s State power utility has failed to tap $2.5-billion of cheap loans to build critical transmission infrastructure that would help end the country’s crippling energy crisis. That’s brought a landmark climate finance agreement — the Just Energy Transition Partnership — to a virtual... →

RFP for private transmission investment to be launched in July

By: Terence Creamer 21st February 2024 The South African government will release a request for proposals (RFP) in the coming months seeking private sector investment into a pilot electricity grid infrastructure project. The National Treasury confirms that government has been working in partnership with the International Finance... →

100 MW of OCGT power to be available in Gauteng by April – Lesufi

By: Schalk Burger 20th February 2024 Johannesburg power utility City Power would, on behalf of the Gauteng government, add 100 MW of electricity capacity to the grid to assist the Gauteng province in its goal to reduce the impact of loadshedding on residents. The 100 MW would be generated using open-cycle gas turbine technology and... →

Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi

Energy Council of South Africa joins World Energy Council

By: Schalk Burger 19th February 2024 The Energy Council of South Africa has become a member of the United Nations-affiliated global body the World Energy Council (WEC), which will serve to strengthen the standing of the Energy Council of South Africa and provide access to a range of international resources and global networks, as... →

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