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EIUG appoints Mondi as new CEO

By: Terence Creamer 7th September 2020 The Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), whose mining and manufacturing members account for over 40% of the electrical energy consumed in South Africa, announced the appointment of Fanele Mondi as its new CEO. Prior to joining the EIUG, Mondi worked at Eskom for over 23 years, 12 years of which... →

Eskom launches new ‘system status’ portal in bid to begin bolstering transparency

By: Terence Creamer 7th September 2020 South Africa’s electricity utility Eskom has added a new page to its website through which it is providing information relating to the status and performance of the power system, including the use of load-shedding as a mechanism to stabilise the national electricity grid. The webpage, which bears... →

Opinion: Wake up, the sun is shining

3rd September 2020 In this opinion piece, South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) chairperson Wido Schnabel writes that the country has everything it needs to not only work its way out of the recession that is coming, but to actually improve the situation for every individual and elevate the... →

Opinion: Can the private sector deliver government’s proposed infrastructure plan?

1st September 2020 In this opinion article, Vantage GreenX MD Alastair Campbell, who spent 25 years as an investment banker and who manages the R5-billion GreenX Debt Funds, says the renewables programme has proved that the private sector will invest in South African infrastructure once policy certainty is... →

Alastair Campbell

Projects developed in renewables zones, gas and grid corridors ‘not exempt’ from environmental processes

By: Terence Creamer 26th August 2020 The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has dismissed suggestions that renewable-energy projects developed within the designated Renewable Energy Development Zones (REDZs), including the three new zones being proposed, will be exempt from all environmental authorisation... →

DMRE launches procurement process for 2 000 MW of ‘dispatchable’ power

By: Terence Creamer 22nd August 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has formally initiated the much-anticipated procurement process for 2 000 MW of emergency power under its so-called Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). The request for proposals (RFP) bid documentation... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Minerals Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe

Eskom Transmission head says policy, legislative and regulatory changes needed to facilitate unit’s full independence

By: Terence Creamer 21st August 2020 The head of Eskom’s Transmission division has outlined some of the progress being made to establish an Independent Transmission System Operator (ITSO) but has also warned that full separation will take time and will also require major policy, legislative and regulatory changes. The creation of... →

Eskom Transmission CEO Segomoco Scheppers on the progress being made in setting up an Independent Transmission System Operator and the gaps that remain. Camera Work: Kutlwano Matala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Global wind body urges South Africa to explore ‘excellent’ offshore wind potential

By: Terence Creamer 21st August 2020 The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) says that, while South Africa has strong onshore wind potential, it would nevertheless encourage domestic policymakers to begin creating the framework for an offshore wind industry given the country’s “excellent” offshore wind-energy potential. The World Bank... →

South Africa's offshore wind resource

Increased storage crucial to mix

By: Mamaili Mamaila 21st August 2020 With South Africa aiming to move towards more diversified energy generation systems as outlined in the Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019), it is crucial to increase the country’s energy-storage capacities, says solar industry supplier Valsa Trading. →

A DECADE IN Valsa Trading has been in the photovoltaic solar industry in South Africa for more than ten years

Eskom fully supports South Africa’s lower-carbon trajectory

By: Mamaili Mamaila 21st August 2020 The Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019) signals an important move to a range of fuel options for power generation in South Africa, which State-owned power utility Eskom supports. →

PHASING IN THE GREEN Eskom proposes to continue adopting a phased and prioritised approach to achieve compliance to the Minimum Emission Standards regarding particulate matter

South32 progressing negotiations with Eskom for Hillside

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 20th August 2020 Dual-listed South32 is making good progress with its negotiations with State-owned power utility Eskom on electricity prices for its Hillside aluminium smelter in Richards Bay, the group said during a media call on August 20. COO Mike Fraser said the group had reached an agreement with Eskom on a... →

Graham Kerr

High-level Nedlac working group on economic recovery begins meeting

By: Terence Creamer 20th August 2020 The first formal meeting of the small multi-stakeholder working group set up to finalise South Africa’s Covid-19 economic recovery plan is expected to take place next week, with a preliminary planning meeting having taken place on Thursday afternoon. The working group includes representatives of... →

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Business Unity South Africa CEO Cas Coovadia

DMRE calls for engagement over litigation following IPP judgment

By: Terence Creamer 13th August 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has urged stakeholders in the electricity industry to engage on an ongoing basis to avoid litigation, following a court ruling this week referring a dispute between the Minister and the City of Cape Town over the procurement of electricity from... →

Despite Covid-induced demand slump, load-shedding surpasses 2019 levels and risk of more cuts rises

By: Terence Creamer 12th August 2020 The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) reported on Wednesday that load-shedding during 2020 had already surpassed that of 2019, which had hitherto been the country’s worst-ever year for load-shedding. In addition, it again warned that, absent urgent action, the risk of... →

Cape Town ordered to settle IPP dispute with Minister, but case can be re-enrolled if talks fail

By: Terence Creamer 11th August 2020 The City of Cape Town, which approached the High Court in 2017 for an order allowing it to procure renewable energy from independent power producers (IPPs) without first securing the consent of the Energy Minister, has been directed by the court seek a settlement with the Minister and the... →

Opinion: Highlights of upcoming code for embedded generation

5th August 2020 In this article, South African Photovoltaic Industry Association board member Frank Spencer offers insight on the upcoming SANS 10142-1 standards for embedded generation installations →

GroundWork approaches court over IRP

By: Marleny Arnoldi 31st July 2020 Environmental organisation GroundWork has launched new court proceedings against the Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa). GroundWork stresses that decisions about South Africa’s energy future must be made in a... →

Seifsa welcomes Nersa's appeal to High Court ruling

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th July 2020 The Steel and Engineering Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has welcomed the decision by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to appeal the High Court judgment that set aside Nersa’s decision on Eskom’s fourth Multi-Year Price Determination (MYPD4) for the 2019/20, 2020/21... →

Busa strongly advises Nersa to review its pricing policy

By: Marleny Arnoldi 30th July 2020 Business Unity South Africa says the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) is in the unenviable position of trying to balance Eskom’s applications with consumer submissions, and needs to review and amend its pricing policy to be fit for purpose for the future energy mix. This... →

Power tariff set to rise to 128c/kWh in 2021 after Eskom wins Nersa battle over R69bn equity injection

By: Terence Creamer 28th July 2020 In a scathing judgment made on July 28, the court has declared as illegal the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s (Nersa’s) decision to deduct a R69-billion equity injection into Eskom from its allowable revenue for the period 2019/20 to 2021/22, but has also instructed that the full... →

Approvals for Gazetted list of infrastructure projects valued at R360bn to be fast-tracked

By: Terence Creamer 27th July 2020 The Presidency’s Investment and Infrastructure Office head Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa reported on Monday that the publication of an initial list of 50 Strategic Integrated Projects and 12 Special Projects in the Government Gazette is motivated by a desire to ensure that the approval processes... →

Dr Kgosientso Ramokgopa

Border Management Authority Bill enforced

By: Sane Dhlamini 22nd July 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed the Border Management Authority Bill into law as part of government’s vision for an integrated and well-coordinated border management service, legitimate trade and secure travel. The new legislation effective from July 21 and is in accordance with... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

Ian McRae, who oversaw Eskom’s ‘electricity for all’ policy, dies

12th July 2020 The much respected former CEO of Eskom, Ian McRae, died in the early hours of Sunday morning July 12, 2020. He was 90 years old. Born in Germiston on September 24, 1929, Ian Campbell McRae started his career as an apprentice fitter and turner at Eskom. After qualifying he went on to obtain a... →

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter pays tribute to Dr Ian McRae, who died on July 12.

Clean energy should be at ‘core’ of Covid-19 stimulus plans – Guterres

By: Terence Creamer 9th July 2020 United Nations secretary-general António Guterres appealed to governments on Thursday to place the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy at the “core” of their Covid-19 economic recovery spending. Guterres also used the platform created by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Clean Energy... →

United Nations secretary-general António Guterres

Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission seen as key to navigating South Africa’s ‘just transition’

By: Terence Creamer 7th July 2020 A member of South Africa’s National Planning Commission has called for the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission to be established, arguing that such a multi-stakeholder institutional platform is required to implement the just transition vision outlined in the country’s National... →

CoJ council has until Friday to approve budget

By: Sane Dhlamini 6th July 2020 Gauteng Cooperative Governance MEC Lebogang Maile has urged the City of Johannesburg Municipal Council to put the interest of the residents of the City first following its failure to approve an annual budget for the start of the municipal financial year 2020/21. The Gauteng Provincial Executive... →

Nersa’s Gumede calls for overhaul of ‘outdated’ electricity tariff methodology

By: Terence Creamer 2nd July 2020 National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) fulltime member for electricity Nhlanhla Gumede has called for the regulatory methodology used to set electricity tariffs in South Africa to be overhauled, arguing that the multiyear price determination (MYPD) approach is not aligned with the... →

Nersa fulltime member for electricity Nhlanhla Gumede

Nersa to provide concurrence on technology-specific determination this month

By: Terence Creamer 2nd July 2020 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa indicated on Thursday that it intended providing concurrence this month for a Ministerial determination that would open the way for the procurement of new electricity generation capacity in line with allocations contained in the 2019 edition of the... →

Economic opportunity of South Africa’s energy transition akin to new ‘gold rush’

By: Terence Creamer 30th June 2020 South Africa’s energy transition from coal to cleaner energy carries an economic opportunity equivalent to the discovery of gold in the country more than a century ago, a new South African National Energy Association (Sanea) report argues. Published on June 30, the ‘South African Energy Risk... →

Tariff implications not yet clear as Nersa loses another court battle with Eskom

By: Terence Creamer 30th June 2020 Power utility Eskom has welcomed the June 29 ruling of the North Gauteng High Court to review and set aside three regulatory clearing account determinations made by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa for the financial years 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17. In his judgment, Judge Jody... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
The Nersa panel at the MYPD4 hearing in 2019

South African court sides with Eskom in clawback dispute

By: Reuters 30th June 2020 South Africa’s High Court on Monday sided with Eskom in a dispute over the amounts energy regulator Nersa allowed the state utility to claw back from customers for electricity supplied in the 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 financial years. Nersa’s 2018 decisions to allow Eskom to recoup... →

Next renewables bidding round to be launched only in second quarter of 2021

By: Terence Creamer 23rd June 2020 The new head of South Africa’s Independent Power Producers Office (IPPO), Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro, reported on Tuesday that the next bidding round for the procurement of utility scale renewable-energy projects, often referred to as Bid Window 5, would be launched only in the second quarter of... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Tshifhiwa Bernard Magoro

IEA makes case for $3-trillion global clean-energy stimulus plan

By: Terence Creamer 18th June 2020 The International Energy Agency (IEA) released a ‘Sustainable Recovery Plan’ on June 18 that outlines the case for a $3-trillion global clean-energy stimulus plan over the coming three years to help repair the economic and employment damage caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Produced in... →

Public renewables ownership in South Africa could aid in removing potential barrier to decarbonisation

By: Terence Creamer 12th June 2020 A new study of electricity sector reform in South Africa warns that opposition to private ownership has the potential to become a barrier to decarbonisation and recommends further research into how public, municipal or community ownership could be incorporated into the deployment of renewables.... →

Large power consumers call for overhaul of tariff-setting methodology

By: Terence Creamer 11th June 2020 South Africa’s largest power consumers are calling on the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy to urgently review the regulatory methodology being used by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to set Eskom tariffs. The Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG), whose mining and... →

National Planning Commission proposes SOE holding company model to help shield entities from political meddling

By: Terence Creamer 10th June 2020 South Africa’s National Planning Commission (NPC) is recommending the creation of a comprehensive State-owned enterprise (SOE) holding company, with a commercial company structure, to help protect SOEs from political interference. The recommendation is contained in a draft position paper that... →

The NPC position paper makes recommendations following an assessment of the contribution of Eskom, Transnet and the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa to the NDP's Vision 2030

Opinion: What comes next for municipal IPP procurement – evolution or revolution?

10th June 2020 In this opinion article, energy policy specialist Andreas Klees highlights the ongoing legal and policy constraints to South African municipalities procuring electricity directly from independent power producers (IPPs). Nevertheless, he urges them to begin preparing themselves for that eventuality. →

Andreas Klees

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