TSO close, but not yet

There is no question that President Ramaphosa’s endorsement of the Phase I report of the Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT) is a key milestone in the ongoing reform of South Africa’s electricity... 

Ramaphosa outlines next Eskom restructuring objectives, highlights grid industrialisation potential

President Cyril Ramaphosa has reiterated the importance of the creation of a fully independent, State-owned transmission company to the development of a competitive electricity market where there... 

TRIM tests market appetite for branch-line concessions

A new market testing exercise has been initiated to assess interest in partnership opportunities across South Africa’s railway branch lines for freight and passenger trains. This so-called... 

AECI gearing up to invest up to R900m in Modderfontein optimisation

Mining explosives and chemicals group AECI is preparing to invest between R700-million and R900-million to modernise its historic Modderfontein facility, in Gauteng, which the group views as key to... 

Eskom flags further coal-closure delays ahead of official update

Eskom Holdings CEO Dan Marokane says the State-owned utility will outline its proposed approach in September in relation to the decommissioning of coal-fired power stations beyond 2030. Eskom has... 

Rooftop solar could save municipalities billions on bulk electricity purchases

By adopting a cooperative rather than an oppositional stance towards rooftop solar, Gauteng municipalities in particular have an immediate opportunity to reduce the cost of their bulk purchases of... 

Important signals

Recent interventions by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana and the National Treasury have helped shed light on issues that had hitherto been allowed to fester in dark corners. The most high-profile... 

IDC sets R51.5bn disbursement target as it aligns strategy to new industrial thrusts

South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) has set a target of disbursing R51.5-billion in funding over the coming three financial years having aligned its corporate plan to... 

All three components of R16bn Koruson 2 renewables cluster now operational

All three projects that make up Envusa Energy’s giant 520 MW Koruson 2 renewable-energy cluster are now officially operational, after 130 MW of the 140 MW Hartebeesthoek Wind Farm entered into... 

Sasol points to stronger earnings on back of higher sales and prices

Energy and chemicals producer Sasol reports that its earnings for the year to end-June will be higher than the prior year, owing to a combination of higher sales and prices, which more than offset... 

Treasury says infrastructure bonds to become permanent part of funding activity

National Treasury director-general Dr Duncan Pieterse says there is strong interest from institutional investors to support government’s public investment ambitions, citing recent developments in... 

Transmission assets should be transferred to TSO at ‘appropriate point in future’

Eskom board chairperson Mteto Nyati has struck a somewhat cautious tone regarding the timing of the transfer of the utility’s transmission assets to the proposed independent Transmission System... 

Seriti unpacks big renewables ambition for coal heartland as first 155 MW wind project enters into operation

The first 25 turbines at Seriti Green’s Ummbila Emoyeni Wind Farm, which is rising in the coal heartland of Mpumalanga within site of the giant Secunda coal-to-liquids complex and in close... 

Anthem optimistic 420 MW Northern Cluster of wind projects will enter into operation before year-end

The giant 420 MW Northern Cluster, comprising three large wind farms under construction in the Karoo, is still anticipated to enter into commercial operation before the end of 2026, despite... 

75 MW Northern Cape hybrid renewables-battery project enters into operation

A large-scale hybrid renewable energy project able to supply 75 MW of dispatchable renewable electricity to South Africa’s national grid between 5:00am and 9:30pm daily has been officially... 

Missed opportunity

The uptake of rooftop solar in South Africa has increased dramatically over the past five or so years, spurred initially by the extreme loadshedding from 2021 to 2024. Using satellite and other... 

Cabinet approves release of revised electricity pricing policy and market transformation paper for comment

Cabinet has approved the publication of the much-anticipated Revised Electricity Pricing Policy for public comment, amid growing affordability concerns following years of above-inflation tariff... 

AMSA insists ‘profitability within reach’ after reporting R1.49bn interim loss

Steel producer ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) insists that it is fundamentally stronger than was the case 18 months ago and that “profitability is within reach”, after reporting a headline loss... 

Global EV sales recovered strongly in Q2 as war placed spotlight on fuel prices

A new International Energy Agency (IEA) analysis points to a strong second-quarter recovery in electric vehicle (EV) sales globally, as the energy crisis sparked by the war in the Middle East... 

Godongwana warns provinces, departments of possible equitable-share withholding

Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana reports that letters have been written to national departments and provinces warning them that their September equitable-share transfers could be withheld should... 

NTCSA says R1.5bn curtailment claims backlog to be cleared by end of August

The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) says it expects to finalise all outstanding curtailment claims by independent power producers (IPPs) by the end of August. It also announced... 

SA signals intent to prohibit goods produced by forced labour after new 12.5% US tariff

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau reports that government will publish a Gazette notice requesting public comments on South Africa’s intent to issue regulations to prohibit goods... 

South African exports to US face new 12.5% tariff, but with exemptions

The US has, from July 24, imposed new tariffs of 12.5% on South African products for the country’s “failure to impose and effectively enforce a prohibition on the importation of goods produced with... 

Distorted lens

Transitions are never easy. They are disruptive and are often fiercely resisted. South Africa navigated its own grand political transition in 1994, following a period of intense uncertainty and... 

BLSA warns of ‘reform drift’ as index points to loss of momentum

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busisiwe Mavuso has warned of “reform drift” after the latest BLSA Reform Tracker showed that quarter-on-quarter momentum had turned negative for the... 

TNPA seeks new operator for Port of Cape Town’s Duncan Dock Precinct

South Africa’s Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) is seeking a new private terminal operator for the Duncan Dock Precinct, one of two multi-purpose terminals at the Port of Cape Town. The... 

Eskom flags further coal-closure delays ahead of official update

Eskom Holdings CEO Dan Marokane says the State-owned utility will outline its proposed approach in September in relation to the decommissioning of coal-fired power stations beyond 2030. Eskom has... 

Rooftop solar could save municipalities billions on bulk electricity purchases

By adopting a cooperative rather than an oppositional stance towards rooftop solar, Gauteng municipalities in particular have an immediate opportunity to reduce the cost of their bulk purchases of... 

Sasol says Secunda output at five-year high after coal destoning project

JSE-listed energy and chemicals group Sasol reported that its Secunda Operations, in Mpumalanga, achieved its highest annual production in the past five years during the 2026 financial year to June... 

Lawfulness of temporarily withholding equitable share from 69 municipalities scrutinised

The National Treasury’s temporary withholding of the transfer of the July equitable share funds to 69 municipalities came under intense scrutiny in Parliament on Friday, where questions were raised... 

Think electricity

Global statistics continue to reaffirm the role of electricity as the future dominant energy carrier. More and more energy services are being electrified, including through electric vehicles, while... 

Fossil generation ‘substituted’ by renewables in 2025 amid electricity tipping point

Record global electricity demand last year was met entirely by low-carbon sources, resulting in fossil fuels generation being substituted rather than supplemented, the Energy Institute’s... 

City of Johannesburg’s high operating expenditure dubbed ‘utterly unsustainable’

New research into the crisis afflicting the City of Johannesburg warns that the widening structural imbalance between the metro’s operating expenditure and capital expenditure (capex) poses a... 

Eskom Green says PFMA approval enables fundraising and partnerships

Eskom Holdings reports that it has now secured the required approvals to establish Eskom Green as a wholly-owned renewables subsidiary that is able to raise funding and enter into public-private... 

75 MW Northern Cape hybrid renewables-battery project enters into operation

A large-scale hybrid renewable energy project able to supply 75 MW of dispatchable renewable electricity to South Africa’s national grid between 5:00am and 9:30pm daily has been officially... 

Gap between policy intent and action must be closed to halt deindustrialisation

Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) president Mervyn Naidoo has called on government to urgently close the prevailing gap between its stated commitment to... 

Alarm over tender cancellations

Infrastructure South Africa (ISA) has raised concern about the high level of tender cancellations, which it believes is having a negative impact on the construction market, as well as on meeting... 

Two entities shortlisted to bid to partner with Transnet on ‘LeaseCo’

Transnet has issued a formal request for proposals (RFP) to two shortlisted bidders that participated in an earlier request for qualification (RFQ) process relating to the creation of a railways... 

Measured ambition

South Africa’s planned R1-trillion infrastructure programme is undoubtedly a chance to revive the struggling construction sector and to stimulate industrialisation. After more than a decade of weak... 

Investment vehicle Zafiri launches with $176m to support African distributed renewables firms

A new investment vehicle dedicated to deploying long-term equity into distributed renewable energy businesses across sub-Saharan Africa has been launched with initial committed capital of...