Populist omen

South Africa is approaching the fifth anniversary of the deadly July 2021 riots and looting in an atmosphere that is again heavily laden with the threat of violence. It’s a fog made denser by the... 

Co-location of utility-scale solar with batteries emerging as ‘default configuration’

Rapid declines in battery costs are transforming the economics of renewable power, a new report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) asserts, adding that the co-location of... 

330 MW Impofu Wind Farm cluster enters into commercial operation

The full 330 MW Impofu Wind Farm cluster, located in the Kouga and Nelson Mandela Bay municipalities of the Eastern Cape, has entered into commercial operation. The cluster comprises three 110 MW... 

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... 

Joburg’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... 

Nersa releases latest version of draft trading rules for public comment

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has called for public comment on revised draft rules for electricity trading as part of a second round of consultations after Eskom raised... 

Boshoek and Wonderkop smelters to be restarted after Glencore Merafe and Eskom finalise 62c/kWh terms

The Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture has announced that the Boshoek and Wonderkop ferrochrome smelters will be restarted, following the conclusion of the detailed terms and conditions of negotiated... 

Ramokgopa to seek Cabinet approval soon to extend tariff discounts to more industries

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has indicated that he intends approaching Cabinet in the coming weeks to seek approval to extend concessional electricity tariffs similar to... 

South African steel sector at deindustrialisation ‘inflection point’

The South African steel industry – encompassing the full value chain, from upstream producers to downstream manufacturers and fabricators – has been described as being at a deindustrialisation... 

Firm timetable needed

The deadline has arrived for the Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT) to deliver its detailed proposal and implementation plan for establishing a new State-owned Transmission System Operator (TSO).... 

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... 

Infrastructure South Africa raises alarm over high level of 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... 

Discovery Green inks deal to supply wheeled electricity to York Timbers

Electricity trader Discovery Green has signed a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with forest-product company York Timber Holdings. The deal will result in 90% of the energy consumed at the... 

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... 

Policy follow-through needed to ensure electricity reforms are ‘not in name only’

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busisiwe Mavuso has called for policy follow-through to ensure that the restructuring under way in the electricity industry facilitates a transition to a... 

Bridge, not destination

How do people in Gauteng know when motorists are driving under the influence? They are driving straight! It is to this type of sardonic humour that residents in all three of Gauteng’s metros have... 

Eskom signs agreement with Zululand Energy Terminal as it seeks to advance 3 GW Richards Bay gas-fired power project

Eskom has signed heads of agreement with Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) with the intention of becoming the ‘foundation customer’ for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that ZET intends... 

Traxtion says R1.4bn equity raise positions it for more rail investments as market opens

Independent railways operator Traxtion has concluded an $86-million (R1.4-billion) equity capital raise, which the company says has created the financial platform for yet further investments into a... 

NTCSA acknowledges ‘temporary bottleneck’ of R2bn in curtailment payments to IPPs

The National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) has confirmed what it describes as a “temporary bottleneck” in curtailment payments to independent power producers (IPPs), with about... 

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... 

A.P. Moller Capital moves to buy Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa

Global institutional fund manager A.P. Moller Capital has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of renewable-energy developer and independent power producer Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa.... 

ZET says ExxonMobil agreement further strengthens LNG terminal’s commercial foundation

The Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET), which is aiming to build South Africa’s first liquefied natural gas (LNG) import terminal at the Port of Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal, has signed heads of... 

Countries prioritising domestic energy options amid ‘largest-ever energy security crisis’

Countries are increasingly prioritising domestic energy resources as they seek to reduce their reliance on imported fuels in response to what the International Energy Agency (IEA)  is describing as... 

Tau says Cabinet-approved industrial strategy to be backed by implementation plan

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau says the themes of decarbonisation, diversification, and digitalisation will now anchor South Africa’s Industrial Development Strategy, following... 

Distribution dilemma

During a recent joint meeting of the portfolio committees on electricity and energy and cooperative governance and traditional affairs it became clear there is some sympathy for Eskom when it comes... 

Ramokgopa to seek Cabinet approval soon to extend tariff discounts to more industries

Electricity and Energy Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has indicated that he intends approaching Cabinet in the coming weeks to seek approval to extend concessional electricity tariffs similar to... 

South African steel sector at deindustrialisation ‘inflection point’

The South African steel industry – encompassing the full value chain, from upstream producers to downstream manufacturers and fabricators – has been described as being at a deindustrialisation... 

Eskom Green gears up to select private partners for initial 2 GW renewables pipeline

Eskom Green, which has now been officially launched, reports that it intends implementing an initial 2 GW pipeline of advanced utility-scale renewables projects in partnership with private... 

Eskom Restructuring Task Team outlines terms of reference for creation of TSO

The Eskom Restructuring Task Team (ERTT) has outlined the terms of reference guiding its deliberations on the establishment of an independent State-owned Transmission System Operator (TSO) that... 

Industrial strategy outlines ‘3Ds’ vision while fighting deindustrialisation rearguard action

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (dtic) has released a new Industrial Development Strategy (IDS) “anchored” by the so-called ‘3Ds’ of decarbonisation, diversification and... 

Standard Bank outlines macroeconomic spinoffs from $30bn Rovuma LNG project

Standard Bank has published a bullish macroeconomic assessment of the giant Rovuma liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in northern Mozambique, which has been described as the largest commercial... 

Eskom signs agreement with Zululand Energy Terminal as it seeks to advance 3 GW Richards Bay gas-fired power project

Eskom has signed heads of agreement with Zululand Energy Terminal (ZET) with the intention of becoming the ‘foundation customer’ for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal that ZET intends... 

Nersa moves to consult on key building blocks in shift to electricity market competition

The outcomes of two public consultation processes initiated recently by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) are likely to have far-reaching implications for the country’s... 

South Africa increases tariffs on wide range of steel products to WTO bound rate

South Africa has officially raised import protection across a wide range of upstream and downstream steel products by between 10% and 30% – rates that are in line with the World Trade Organisation... 

Virtue of necessity

Following an embarrassing false start, the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies has set a deadline of early next year for the finalisation of a new draft of the national AI policy.... 

Business defends making Joburg partnership offer ahead of crucial elections

The business formations that have formally offered to extend the Government-Business Partnership model – hitherto used to tackle national crises such as loadshedding – to the City of Johannesburg... 

September Distribution Agency Agreement deadline looms for Eskom-indebted municipalities

The National Treasury has issued termination letters to 13 municipalities and is preparing to issue similar notices to 14 others in relation to their continued participation in a scheme set up in... 

Traxtion says R1.4bn equity raise positions it for yet more rail investments as market opens

Independent railways operator Traxtion has concluded an $86-million (R1.4-billion) equity capital raise, which the company says has created the financial platform for yet further investments into a... 

UCT overcomes rooftop PV limitations with electricity wheeling deal

The University of Cape Town (UCT) has signed a power purchase agreement with Discovery Green for wheeled renewable electricity that will account for up to 90% of the electricity consumed across the... 

EU aims to use investor roadshow to convert €12bn pledge into South African projects

The EU, which announced a €12-billion investment package for South Africa in October, is undertaking investment roadshows in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban this week as part of efforts to...