South Africa now taking an average of 25 months to complete tariff investigations, report shows

It is currently taking an average of 25 months for government to complete import duty investigations and to provide the necessary Ministerial approvals for the South African Revenue Service to... 

DCT Pier 2 partnership could be template for more collaborations at other terminals, TPT chief asserts

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) CEO Jabu Mdaki is optimistic that the joint venture (JV) with International Container Terminal Services Incorporated (ICTSI) will be implemented from the start of the... 

Participants in consortia vying for Boegoebaai project confirmed

The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has released details of the companies participating in the three consortia shortlisted to participate in an upcoming bidding process to design, fund and... 

Laggard costs

The cost of failing to keep pace with what is required economically and environmentally for energy sustainability should surely now be plain for all to see. Besides the fiscal costs associated with... 

M&R 'still in race’ to regain RUC as it seeks to rebuild from 2023 shock

Downscaled engineering and contracting group Murray & Roberts (M&R) is continuing with efforts to regain control of RUC, the Australian mining services business it lost when its Australian holding... 

Contract with preferred mining cadastre bidder could be signed within months – DMRE

Amid renewed calls for a functional online mining cadastre to help turnaround South Africa’s declining exploration performance, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) reports that a... 

Mantashe aiming to secure Cabinet approval for ‘IRP 2023’ in Sept

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe is aiming to seek Cabinet approval to publish an updated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for public consultation during an upcoming Cabinet... 

Draft Freight Logistics Roadmap promised by year-end

A new ‘Freight Logistics Roadmap’ is currently undergoing an internal government consultative process for publication before the end of the year, the latest Operation Vulindlela progress update... 

Presidency says progress being made to increase grant funding for Just Energy Transition Investment Plan

The Presidency is exploring several avenues for increasing the grant component in the financing of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), following broad-based stakeholder... 

DMRE aims to unveil battery storage preferred projects in two months after receiving 17 bids

A total of 17 bids have been received in response to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) inaugural public procurement for battery energy storage system (BESS) projects. The... 

Off-balance sheet financing, other models for South Africa’s R235bn grid investment outlined in new report

To unlock the estimated R235-billion in investment required to strengthen and expand the grid in a way that positions it to connect the 53 GW of new generation capacity that will be required by the... 

Ongoing distortions

As has been highlighted in this column previously, South Africa’s energy transition has become a highly contested topic and is, thus, a hotbed for the spreading of misinformation and ‘fake news’.... 

Inoperative Kusile units could be returned earlier as Eskom reports good progress on temporary stacks

The temporary stacks being introduced at the Kusile coal power station, where three previously operational units have been out of service for ten months, have been built and interim CEO Calib... 

Sasol produced first green hydrogen from Sasolburg electrolyser in June

JSE-listed energy group Sasol reports that it produced its first green hydrogen in Sasolburg in June, during the commissioning phase of a project to repurpose an operational electrolyser to use... 

Secunda refinery’s post-2030 output cut as Sasol struggles to pin down gas supply

Energy and chemicals group Sasol says it is continuing to assess several technology and feedstock solutions to bolster post-2030 liquid fuels and chemicals volumes at its Secunda refinery, in... 

Bank of China, IDC sign agreement on R10bn funding package

South Africa’s Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Bank of China (BoC) have signed a framework agreement that could unlock a R10-billion funding package over the next five years to... 

Brics energy ministers agree to cooperate to improve access, reduce emissions

Energy Ministers and officials from the Brics bloc met in Sandton on Friday to discuss potential areas of collaboration for improving access to secure and affordable energy, while transitioning to... 

Presidency, business call for expedited passage of Bill overhauling electricity market

The Presidency and organised business have called for the passage of the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill to be expedited within the sixth Parliament, following a meeting on August 1 to... 

In appeal against air-quality decision, Sasol again makes case for load-based emission limit

Energy and chemicals group Sasol has moved to formally appeal a decision of the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) to decline its application to have its Secunda boilers regulated using a... 

Weakest link

The attention being paid to the national electricity crisis appears to be yielding some results, albeit insufficient in speed and scale to fully address the crisis. As the one-year update on the... 

TNPA confirms participants in consortia vying for Boegoebaai project

The Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has released details of the companies participating in the three consortia shortlisted to participate in an upcoming bidding process to design, fund and... 

Engineering consultancy appointed at big Namibian green hydrogen project

Independent international engineering and consulting firm ILF Consulting Engineers (ILF) has entered into a partnership agreement with Hyphen Hydrogen Energy, which is preparing to build a... 

With R9.2bn spent since April, govt insists Eskom is not exceeding diesel budget

Government reports that Eskom has spent R9.2-billion on diesel since the start of the State-owned utility’s financial year on April 1, which it claims to be marginally below an initial budget for... 

Eskom unbundling, ERA promulgation will demonstrate electricity reform ‘political will’

Energy Council of South Africa CEO James Mackay believes an expedited promulgation of the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill together with the unbundling of Eskom will send a clear signal... 

ArcelorMittal South Africa pins hopes on renewables demand after confirming big loadshedding-induced loss

ArcelorMittal South Africa, which slumped to a R448-million loadshedding-induced loss in the interim period to June 30, expects renewable energy and regional infrastructure projects to stimulate a... 

IFC ready to support private grid investment in SA

The World Bank’s private sector financier, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has indicated a willingness to fund public–private partnerships (PPPs) aimed at expanding and strengthening... 

South Africa urged to elevate universal electricity access to status of education to fight extreme poverty

Calls are growing for government to overhaul its free basic energy (FBE) scheme amid indications that fewer than a quarter of qualifying indigent households are benefiting from the 50-kWh-a-month... 

Where’s the urgency?

The Energy Regulator’s decision to transfer the transmission facilities licence to the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTC) is indeed a “milestone”, as was highlighted by the National... 

Presidency says progress being made to increase grant funding for Just Energy Transition Investment Plan

The Presidency is exploring several avenues for increasing the grant component in the financing of South Africa’s Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP), following broad-based stakeholder... 

Eskom system operator doesn’t foresee grid instability should both Koeberg units be offline simultaneously

Eskom’s system operator GM, Isabel Fick, does not foresee the Western Cape power grid being materially destabilised if both of Koeberg’s two nuclear reactors are out of service simultaneously later... 

Grid still seen as key risk for upcoming renewables round despite reduction in govt guarantee

The government-default component of the government guarantees extended to the independent power producers (IPPs) that will be selected to build new solar and wind projects under the upcoming... 

Post-truth energy politics

In any healthy democracy, debate is not only vital but should be encouraged. However, a healthy democracy also requires that the contestation of ideas must be based on a common set of agreed facts,... 

Presidency, business call for expedited passage during current Parliamentary term of Bill overhauling electricity market

The Presidency and organised business have called for the passage of the Electricity Regulation Amendment (ERA) Bill to be expedited within the sixth Parliament, following a meeting on August 1 to... 

In appeal against air-quality decision, Sasol again makes case for load-based emission limit

Energy and chemicals group Sasol has moved to formally appeal a decision of the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) to decline its application to have its Secunda boilers regulated using a... 

One-year progress report says rooftop installations have doubled since start of Energy Action Plan

Despite ongoing loadshedding, President Cyril Ramaphosa has moved to highlight some of the implementation progress under the Energy Action Plan (EAP), which marked its first anniversary in late... 

Eskom Generation mulling concession models as it seeks to improve coal plant performance

Eskom’s generation business is currently weighing various concession models as the utility assesses ways to improve the performance of its breakdown-prone coal-fired power stations in a context of... 

US agency sees Lobito rail corridor helping to diversify critical minerals supply chains

US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) CEO Scott Nathan has reiterated the American government’s interest in helping to finance the Lobito rail corridor, linking the copper and... 

Renewables rhythm

Once lauded as an international benchmark, South Africa’s Renewable Energy independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has struggled to rediscover its rhythm after being disrupted... 

CEOs from 115 companies pledge to help rebuild South Africa

CEOs from over 115 leading corporations operating in South Africa and which collectively employ 1.2-million people and have a combined market value R11-trillion, have formally pledged to help the... 

Three consortia selected to bid for greenfield Boegoebaai port and rail project

South Africa’s State-owned Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) has shortlisted three consortia to participate in an upcoming bidding process to design, fund and construct a greenfield...