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Electricity News

Interest in hydrogen storage increasing

By: Thabi Madiba 5th April 2019 Interest in hydrogen energy storage continues to grow, owing to the very large storage capacity that liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC) technology offers, compared with other technologies. Currently, most hydrogen is stored as a cryogenic liquid or is compressed under high pressure, which are... →

Opinion: If renewables are so cheap, why are we paying so much for them?

By: Tobias Bischof-Niemz 5th April 2019 Hardly a week passes without a statement being made about the high costs of renewable energy in South Africa. Typically, the argument is made on social media and is framed to suggest that Eskom is buying electricity at R2.22/kWh from renewable-energy independent power producers (REIPPs) and that... →

Uptick in demand for water-sector consulting

By: Cameron Mackay 5th April 2019 Despite subdued demand for consulting engineering services in South Africa, engineering consulting firm SRK Consulting South Africa has noted an increase in demand for the group’s water-sector consulting services. “As the country faces a backlog in water infrastructure maintenance, it must also... →

THE MATZIKAMMA MUNICIPALITY The Matzikamma municipality coastline was deemed suitable for land-based aquaculture farming

Lucas calls Northern Cape Africa’s renewables hub as she inaugurates Kathu Solar Park

By: Marleny Arnoldi 4th April 2019 The Kathu Solar Park, in the Northern Cape, was inaugurated by the province’s Premier Sylvia Lucas, on Thursday. The project was commissioned in February. →

Eskom review team says strong leadership key for restoration of plant performance

By: Terence Creamer 4th April 2019 The Eskom Technical Review Team, appointed in March to provide an independent assessment of the performance of the State-owned utility’s power stations, says several coal plants can, with strong and empowered leadership, meet the much-vaunted energy availability factor (EAF) goal of 80%. It has... →

'The whole country is counting on us': What Eskom boss told staff when stage 4 hit

By: News24Wire 4th April 2019 "The whole country is counting on every one of us to do the right thing". This is what Eskom's COO, Jan Oberholzer, wrote to staff in a memo mid-March when the power utility was implementing stage 4 load-shedding to keep the lights on. →

Photo by Creamer Media's Dylan Slater
Eskom COO Jan Oberholzer

Eskom provides system update

4th April 2019 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about a media briefing hosted by Eskom and Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan at the Lethabo power station this week to update the country on the state of Eskom’s power system and whether the country is... →

Eskom provides system update

Strong renewable energy capacity growth continues

By: Simone Liedtke 4th April 2019 The decade-long trend of strong growth in renewable energy capacity continued in 2018 with global additions of 171 GW, according to data released by the International Renewable Energy Agency this week. The year-on-year increase of 7.9% was bolstered by new additions from solar and wind energy,... →

Eskom’s financial woes not abating in sync with load-shedding risk

By: Terence Creamer 3rd April 2019 The cautiously optimistic prognosis provided by Eskom on the outlook for electricity supply for the coming nine months has been more than offset by the State-owned utility’s disturbing assessment of its financial predicament. The group, which implemented ten days of confidence-sapping power cuts... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Terence Creamer
Lethabo power station

Ministerial approval for new Mozambique electricity law pending

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd April 2019 Mozambique’s Council of Ministers is expected to review a new proposed Electricity Law during its next Parliamentary session in July or August, law firm CGA chairperson Pedro Couto said on Wednesday. He noted that the Mozambique government had concluded the necessary public consultation process... →

Load-shedding: Eskom's plan for winter and how it will keep the lights on

By: News24Wire 3rd April 2019 Public Enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan says that Eskom has come up with a detailed winter plan that includes several possible scenarios. Gordhan said the first scenario was if no load-shedding was implemented. →

Power cuts slow South African private sector activity in March – PMI

By: Reuters 3rd April 2019 Activity in South Africa's private sector contracted sharply in March, a survey showed on Wednesday, with firms citing electricity blackouts as the main drag on business. IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) slipped to 48.8 from February's 50.2 as falls in new orders and employment saw... →

Sanedi signs contract with SolarTurtle to develop next-gen solar kiosks

By: Schalk Burger 2nd April 2019 The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and community empowerment solar photovoltaic (PV) product developer SolarTurtle have signed a contract to develop the next-generation SolarTurtle solar energy kiosk, called the... →

BABYTURTLE

Improved policy, regulation needed to help Eskom power SA, Brics Bank meeting told

By: African News Agency 2nd April 2019 Without alternative power generation capacity, unemployment will remain rampant in South Africa, Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) chief executive Patrick Dlamini said on Tuesday. "The policy makers, they have a decision to make, to make sure that you can be able to enable and sustain... →

Govt aid, tariffs may not be enough for debt-laden Eskom – Moody's

By: News24Wire 2nd April 2019 Ratings agency Moody's on Tuesday said that government's financial support to embattled power utility Eskom and the announcement of recent electricity tariffs by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa may prove "insufficient to address the company's long-standing financial troubles". It... →

S Africans to know more about state of country's electricity supply tomorrow

By: News24Wire 2nd April 2019 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan and chairperson of the Eskom board Jabu Mabuza are expected to brief the media on the state of South Africa's electricity supply tomorrow. The briefing is expected to be at a power station in Johannesburg. →

Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Necsa scientist in spotlight with award successes

By: Rebecca Campbell 2nd April 2019 A scientist from the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation, Dr Jan Rijn Zeevaart, has won two prestigious awards, one local and the other international. These are the Department of Science and Technology’s Top Intellectual Property Creator Award and the European Association of Nuclear... →

Gordhan: Radioactive leaks at Koeberg were 'negligible'

By: News24Wire 1st April 2019 Koeberg Nuclear Power Station released radioactive waste into the environment in three separate incidents in 2014 and 2015, but the quantities were "negligible" and fell under the threshold that would have made it necessary to notify the public, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan has said... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Koeberg Nuclear Power Stations

Eskom signs $180m loan agreement with NDB for renewables project

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 1st April 2019 The New Development Bank (NDB) and Eskom on Monday signed a $180-million loan agreement for the Renewable Energy Integration and Transmission Augmentation project. The loan agreement was signed by NDB VP and COO Xian Zhu and Eskom CFO Calib Cassim during the fourth yearly meeting of the NDB in... →

NDB, DBSA sign loan agreement for renewable energy projects in South Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 1st April 2019 The New Development Bank (NDB) and the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) have signed a $300-million loan agreement for the Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction and Energy Sector Development project. The NDB will provide the loan to the DBSA without a sovereign guarantee. →

Zimbabwe power utility seeks 30% tariff increase – report

By: Reuters 1st April 2019 Zimbabwe's State-owned power utility Zesa Holdings has applied to the energy regulator to raise its tariff by 30% for maintenance of its grid and after the price of inputs like diesel went up, The Herald newspaper reported on Monday. Uninterrupted power supplies are especially critical for... →

Afarak invests in clean energy at its Mogale Alloys plant

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 29th March 2019 Swedish cleantech company Ripasso Energy on Friday handed over a PWR BLOCK 400-F system, which converts industrial residual and flare gases into electricity, to vertically integrated speciality alloys producer Afarak at its Mogale Alloys processing plant, in Krugersdorp. This is the first such... →

Load-shedding: We will know more by next week – Cabinet

By: News24Wire 29th March 2019 Eskom and government will soon know more about what must be done to stabilise the grid, Cabinet said in a statement on Friday. It said that following a briefing by deputy president David Mabuza on developments at Eskom and electricity constraints, the Technical Review Panel – appointed by the... →

Cabinet mulls further financial support for Eskom

By: Reuters 29th March 2019 Cabinet this week discussed Eskom's financial woes and is looking at ways of giving further support to the troubled power utility, according to a statement released on Friday. "Cabinet also dealt with the financial situation of Eskom. Further options are being considered to support the power... →

CSIR engineers warn of increasing electricity prices, advise on load-shedding mitigation measures

By: Simone Liedtke 28th March 2019 While load-shedding is expected to continue plaguing South Africa for at least the next six months, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) energy systems senior engineer Joanne Calitz has also warned consumers to expect electricity prices to increase by about another 36% by 2021.... →

Bushveld Energy commissions first VFRB project

By: Marleny Arnoldi 27th March 2019 Aim-listed Bushveld Minerals on Wednesday announced that its 84%-owned subsidiary Bushveld Energy had commissioned a vanadium redox flow battery (VFRB) project with Eskom, including site acceptance testing. At completion, the unit will have a peak output of 450 kWh. →

SAWEA welcomes High Court’s dismissal of transporters forum’s interdict against Eskom

By: Marleny Arnoldi 27th March 2019 The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has welcomed a judgment by the Pretoria High Court, dismissing a case brought by the Coal Transporters Forum (CTF) to interdict Eskom from signing duly procured power purchase agreements (PPAs) with independent power producers (IPPs). CTF had... →

Load-shedding cost billions – City of Cape Town

By: African News Agency 27th March 2019 The recent bout of load-shedding, which badly affected small businesses, is estimated to have cost billions of rands, the City of Cape Town said on Wednesday. In a statement the City said sentiment was unanimously shared across the sector that load-shedding has been crippling small businesses as... →

City of Johannesburg intent on using licence to buy power from independent producer – Mashaba

By: News24Wire 27th March 2019 Eskom has barred the City of Johannesburg from increasing its energy capacity despite having a licence to purchase power generation from other producers, mayor Herman Mashaba told journalists on Tuesday. Mashaba was speaking at a Democratic Alliance (DA) media briefing which party leader Mmusi... →

City of Johannesburg Mayor Herman Mashaba

Women encouraged to pursue opportunities in Africa's energy sector

By: Tasneem Bulbulia 26th March 2019 More than 600-million people in Africa do not have access to electricity and this creates opportunities for more women to get involved in the energy sector, African Women in Energy and Power (AWEaP) South Africa chairperson Bertha Dlamini said during the inaugural women in energy seminar, held... →

Low carbon transition could hold $124bn risk for South Africa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th March 2019 Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Energy Finance on Tuesday released its latest report, which looked at the impact of a low carbon transition on South Africa. CPI found that the impact on South Africa of a global low-carbon transition over the period of its analysis from 2013 to 2035 could be... →

High Court dismisses bid by coal transporters to interdict renewables projects

By: Terence Creamer 26th March 2019 A court application to have 20-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) signed between Eskom and 26 independent power producers (IPPs) in 2018 declare null and void has been dismissed with costs. The legal challenge was initiated last year by the Coal Transporters Forum (CTF), a voluntary... →

Radebe willing to use his legislative powers to unlock short-term private power projects

By: Terence Creamer 26th March 2019 Energy Minister Jeff Radebe signalled his willingness on Tuesday to use his legislative powers to facilitate the introduction of private electricity supply alternatives that could reduce the threat of load-shedding by Eskom in the short- to medium-term. Addressing the DLO Africa Power Roundtable... →

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe

Global emissions hit record as energy demand boosts fuel use

By: Bloomberg 26th March 2019 Carbon emissions from fossil-fuel use hit a record last year after energy demand grew at its fastest pace in a decade, reflecting higher oil consumption in the US and more coal burning in China and India. Those findings from the International Energy Agency mark a setback for the effort to rein in... →

SA needs to spend R1-trillion to grow power capacity by 2030 – Radebe

By: News24Wire 26th March 2019 South Africa will need to spend more than R1-trillion in the next 11 years to grow the country's energy production capacity, according to Minister of Energy Jeff Radebe. Radebe was speaking at the DLO Africa Power Roundtable on Tuesday in Johannesburg. The roundtable brings together government... →

Energy Minister Jeff Radebe

DA mayors to ask minister permission to bypass Eskom

By: African News Agency 26th March 2019 Democratic Alliance (DA) mayors will petition Energy Minister Jeff Radebe under Section 34 of the Electricity Regulation Act for permission to procure electricity directly from independent power producers (IPPs), DA leader Mmusi Maimane said on Tuesday. Maimane said it would allow councils run by... →

Master Drilling’s full year performance underpinned by Americas, Europe success

By: Marleny Arnoldi 26th March 2019 JSE-listed Master Drilling expanded its operations to Canada, Turkey, Ghana and Italy and saw growth in Brazil and Mexico during the financial year ended December 31, 2018. This helped to offset headline earnings decreases in a tough African market. →

Master Drilling CEO Danie Pretorius

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