Mantashe outlines procurement schedules, including for nuclear, as he confirms IRP delay

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has pulled back from his statement that the release of the revised Integrated Resource Plan, which he has dubbed IRP 2023, is imminent,... 

Climate commission recommends grid PPPs to speed up just energy transition

The Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is recommending that alternative investment models, including public-private partnerships (PPPs), be explored to expand and strengthen South Africa’s... 

Powerships likely to feature in five-year Eskom emergency procurement

The prospect of South Africa procuring electricity from powerships docked either in South Africa or in a neighbouring country has increased, with the Eskom board having approved three emergency... 

Bill opening the way for competitive electricity market forwarded to Parliament

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has published an explanatory summary of the much-anticipated Electricity Regulation Act Amendment Bill, which is now poised to be introduced to... 

South African port operator pursuing R8bn OEM strategy to bolster equipment performance

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is optimistic that its emerging strategy of entering into long-term agreements with original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the supply and life-cycle maintenance... 

Pregnant pause

It is good news that President Cyril Ramaphosa has finally Gazetted a notice declaring that Section 6 of the National Energy Act, which stipulates that an Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) be crafted in... 

Ramaphosa denies JETP ‘incoherence’ or being forced to transition from coal

President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that there is any incoherence in his Cabinet regarding the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) with developed countries that have agreed to extend... 

Lack of action by law enforcement agencies prompted private Eskom investigation – Makgoba

Former Eskom interim chairperson Professor Malegapuru Makgoba believes there would have been no reason for former CEO André de Ruyter to pursue a privately funded intelligence investigation of... 

Mantashe says release of ‘IRP 2023’ for comment is imminent

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe reports that an updated version of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for electricity will be released imminently for public consideration.... 

Treasury says technical assessment of coal stations to be completed by July

The National Treasury has confirmed that the once-off independent review of Eskom’s 14 coal fired power stations is under way and should be concluded by July. The review was announced by Finance... 

Ramokgopa says 'frank' talks held with JETP partners on possible coal decommissioning delay

Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that “open and frank” discussions have been held with those countries that have agreed to extended $8.5-billion in concessional funding to... 

Auto industry, govt still at odds over demand-side electric-vehicle incentives

The South African automotive industry has again appealed for the inclusion of demand-side incentives to stimulate the uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), notwithstanding government’s... 

South Africa’s green direct reduced iron export potential highlighted as industry mulls decarbonisation options

Government and the steel industry are considering the potential of positioning South Africa as a global exporter of green hydrogen direct reduced iron (GHDRI) as part of a broader discussion to... 

Light from the Tower of Babel

South Africa’s electricity discussion has become far less coherent in recent months, taking on all the characteristics of the Tower of Babel, despite the fact that most of the mixed messages have... 

BLSA defends R18m support for private investigation at Eskom

Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso has defended the organisation’s decision to respond to a request by former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter to fund a private investigation into... 

More than 200 financial institutions are now pursuing coal exclusion policies

More than 200 financial institutions globally, including five South African banks, have established coal exclusion policies, a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial... 

Cabinet targets 1 000 MW of demand-side savings as winter approaches

Cabinet reports that a target has been set to save about 1 000 MW, or the equivalent of one stage of loadshedding, through demand side management (DSM) measures, but has provided no details as to... 

Ramaphosa underlines commitment to energy and freight reforms as he unveils new R2tr investment target

President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled a new investment target of R2-trillion for the five-year period to 2028 at the fifth edition of the South African Investment Conference on Thursday, where he also... 

Last out?

Swedish Ambassador to South Africa Håkan Juholt made a profound point at a recent workshop hosted to discuss decarbonisation options for South Africa’s steel value chain, which currently employs... 

De Ruyter continues to draw link between corruption and loadshedding in damp squib Parliamentary appearance

Former Eskom CEO André de Ruyter continued to draw a direct link between corruption at the State-owned utility and ongoing loadshedding during his much-anticipated, but ultimately unsatisfactory,... 

No immediate clarity on how coal extensions will be aligned to R254bn debt-relief conditions

No immediate clarity has been provided as to how the current proposal to extend the life of certain coal stations beyond their scheduled retirement dates has been aligned with the conditions of a... 

South African port operator pursuing R8bn OEM strategy in bid to bolster equipment performance

Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) is optimistic that its emerging strategy of entering into long-term agreements with original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for the supply and life-cycle maintenance... 

Ramaphosa seeks to offer just energy transition assurances despite coal-extension proposal

President Cyril Ramaphosa has denied that the current process of re-examining the timeframes for the closure of coal power stations represents a reversal of the country’s position on the just... 

Transnet moves ahead with plan to set up rail leasing company

Transnet Engineering (TE) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) for a partner to establish a rail rolling stock leasing company, which would supply wagons and locomotives to train operating... 

Transnet extends deadline for container corridor lease responses to the end of May

Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) has extended, to the end of May, the deadline for responses to a request for qualification (RFQ) regarding the proposed 20-year operating lease that the State-owned rail... 

TFR expects borderless train service to Maputo to raise commodity export tonnages

South Africa’s Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) is preparing to materially increase the number of weekly trains operating on that component of its North East Corridor that transports export commodities... 

Discussions under way on next funding flows from Germany to South Africa under JETP

Discussions are under way between the German and South African governments regarding the disbursement of the next tranche of the European country’s concessional funding under the $8.5-billion Just... 

Dimming the light

There was so much to be concerned about after the first formal report back by South Africa’s newly appointed Minister of Electricity earlier this month that it is difficult to know where to begin.... 

PCC underlines support for electricity reforms as govt mulls coal life extensions

Amid a likely proposal that Eskom be allowed to extend the life of certain coal power stations beyond the decommissioning dates outlined in the Integrated Resource Plan, the Presidential Climate... 

South Africa’s green direct reduced iron export potential highlighted as industry mulls decarbonisation options

Government and the steel industry are considering the potential of positioning South Africa as a global exporter of green hydrogen direct reduced iron (GHDRI) as part of a broader discussion to... 

Govt moves to ease enviro path for solar and battery projects

The South African government is moving to exclude solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage facilities from the requirement to obtain environmental authorisation in areas where the environmental... 

Report highlights costs of South Africa’s ‘opaque and lethargic’ tariff investigations

A new report into ongoing tariff investigations in South Africa indicates that it is taking an average of 22 months to finalise decisions on whether to either increase or remove an import duty,... 

Ramaphosa highlights importance of new rail Infrastructure Manager in paving way for private operators

President Cyril Ramaphosa has described the establishment of a separate Infrastructure Manager (IM) within Transnet Freight Rail (TFR) as a crucial step towards creating a level playing field for... 

No new wind turbines connected to South Africa’s grid in 2022 – GWEC

Despite intense power disruptions, no new wind turbines were connected to South Africa’s grid in 2022, the Global Wind Energy Council’s (GWEC’s) latest report has confirmed. In 2021, South Africa... 

Bad idea

Given the depth of the electricity crisis and the lack of trust surrounding Eskom and government’s response – a deficit that has arguably been amplified with the declaration of the crisis as a... 

Ramaphosa underlines commitment to energy and freight reforms as he unveils new R2tr investment target

President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled a new investment target of R2-trillion for the five-year period to 2028 at the fifth edition of the South African Investment Conference on Thursday, where he also... 

Ramaphosa to announce new investment target amid confidence-sapping electricity and freight crises

President Cyril Ramaphosa will outline what actions South Africa is taking to tackle its economically debilitating electricity crisis when he addresses investors at the fifth South African... 

South Africa’s new grid company could be operational by mid-year if licence and lender conditions are met

The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has hosted public hearings into an application by the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTC) for the three licences it requires to... 

Eskom says ‘unexpected challenges’ during Koeberg Unit 1 outage will delay restart

The first Unit 1 steam generator at the Koeberg power station has been removed from the containment building and placed into an on-site storage building – a development that Eskom describes as a... 

Municipalities urged to embrace prosumers to end loadshedding and shore up revenues

The economic and financial benefits to South African municipalities of buying electricity from independent power producers (IPPs), as well as commercial and residential prosumers has turned...