Electricity | Transmission & Distribution

https://www.engineeringnews.co.za

Advertise on this page? Click Here to Learn More

Transmission & Distribution News

Ventilation key to genset safety

By: Mc'Kyla Nortje 7th December 2018 Gensets that are stored indoors should be stationed in a well ventilated area to avoid the temperature of the genset rising too high, says fire risk management and support company ASP Fire CEO Michael van Niekerk. →

'Treasonous' tweets won't help Eskom out of current 'crisis'

By: Terence Creamer 6th December 2018 Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan reported that a Cabinet task team would be appointed by President Cyril Ramaphosa soon to finalise a road map for turning around the debt-laden utility, which he acknowledged was in the midst of an operational “crisis”. The “small” task team would work... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan

Eskom confirms another full day of load shedding

By: News24Wire 6th December 2018 It looks increasingly likely that load shedding will continue all week, after Eskom on Thursday said its maintenance crews were still struggling to repair broken power generating units. Stage 2 load shedding will take place between 09:00 and 22:00 on Thursday. Stage 2 allows for up to 2000... →

EVs to become main driver of battery storage deployment over next decade, says Fitch Solutions

By: Simone Liedtke 5th December 2018 The electric vehicle (EV) market is set to become the main driver of surging battery storage deployment over the next decade, following increasing ambitions by developed and emerging markets to decarbonise their transport sectors, and will have a substantial disruptive effect on how energy is... →

Eskom signals components of turnaround plan

By: Creamer Media Reporter 5th December 2018 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about signals from Eskom as to some components of its turnaround plan and how this is likely to impact on consumers. →

Eskom signals components of turnaround plan

Eskom to implement rolling power cuts

By: African News Agency 5th December 2018 State power utility Eskom said on Wednesday it would implement rotational powercuts from 9 am to 10 pm as a result of a shortage of capacity due to a number of generating units still being out of service due to breakdowns. "Our maintenance teams continue to work hard to bring the units back to... →

How power utility Eskom is hobbling South Africa's economy

By: Bloomberg 5th December 2018 It’s deja vu for South Africa as a chronic power deficit plunges large tracts of the country into darkness and casts a pall over the already struggling economy. Eskom Holdings, which supplies most of the nation’s electricity, has instituted daily rolling blackouts since November 29 to avert a... →

Eskom implements Stage 2 load shedding

By: African News Agency 4th December 2018 Eskom on Tuesday said it was implementing load shedding across South Africa as it seeks to manage an electricity shortfall. "As a result of a shortage of capacity due to a number of generating units still out of service due to breakdowns, Eskom will be implementing Stage 2 rotational load... →

AfDB, fund provide $200m in joint financing to support Nigeria electrification project

By: Simone Liedtke 3rd December 2018 The African Development Bank’s (AfDB’s) board of directors has approved a $150-million sovereign loan to the Nigerian government to finance the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP). The financing will support rural electrification efforts in Nigeria by facilitating private sector development and... →

South Africa faces more power cuts, raising Ramaphosa reform risk

By: Reuters 3rd December 2018 South Africa faces more power cuts, electricity utility Eskom warned on Monday as it sought to prevent the collapse of its power grid in a test for President Cyril Ramaphosa's reforms. Eskom implemented a fifth day of controlled power cuts on Monday, putting more strain on an economy already... →

Eskom starts stage 2 load shedding

By: News24Wire 3rd December 2018 Eskom on Monday morning commenced with stage 2 load shedding, saying the rotational power cuts would likely continue until 22:00. This after it had on Sunday warned of a full day of load shedding on Monday, saying a number of power generating units were still out of service. →

Almost half of coal power plants seen unprofitable to operate

By: Bloomberg 30th November 2018 The surge in coal prices in the past three years is cutting into the profitability of power stations that burn the fuel, a prominent forecaster said. About 42% of the world’s coal generation capacity is losing money, according to Carbon Tracker, an energy researcher that advocates for climate... →

S&P maintains Eskom's CCC+ credit rating

By: African News Agency 30th November 2018 Standard & Poor’s on Thursday maintained Eskom's foreign and local currency long-term credit ratings at CCC+, below sub-investment status. The rating agency also affirmed Eskom’s ‘zaB’ and ‘zaB’ long and short-term national scale ratings. →

Eskom to implement Stage 1 load-shedding until 22:00

By: Creamer Media Reporter 29th November 2018 Power utility Eskom on Thursday said it would implement Stage 1 load-shedding from 12:00 to 22:00. This is as a result of increased generation plant being out for planned maintenance and unplanned outages. →

SAPP to prioritise Malawi, Tanzania, Angola for regional grid integration

By: Marleny Arnoldi 28th November 2018 The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) will prioritise connecting Malawi, Tanzania and Angola to the regional electricity grid by 2021, with an additional 22 000 MW of electricity generation capacity to be added to the regional grid by 2022. The SAPP currently serves around 300-million people,... →

'Debt-driven' Eskom not ruling out load shedding for remainder of year

By: News24Wire 28th November 2018 Weak financial ratios, reduced generation performance and low coal stock levels have again raised the spectre of load shedding for power utility Eskom. Announcing the interim financial results for the six months ended September 30, CEO Phakamani Hadebe warned that although liquidity had improved,... →

Parly committee adopts Eskom inquiry report, recommends top executives testify before Zondo

By: News24Wire 28th November 2018 Parliament’s portfolio committee on public enterprises has adopted its final report into allegations of State capture at Eskom and Transnet, which recommends that some of power utility's former board chairs and top executives be requested to appear before the ongoing judicial commission of... →

Eskom, AfDB sign loan agreement to expand power pool in Southern Africa

By: Simone Liedtke 27th November 2018 The African Development Bank group (AfDB) and South African power utility Eskom on Tuesday signed a loan agreement to the value of nearly R2.9-billion, or about $25-million, to improve power transmission across Southern Africa. This project contributes to the realisation of the AfDB’s New Deal on... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Eskom acting CFO Calib Cassim

Eurasian Resources Group secures electricity supply for DRC copper mine

By: Creamer Media Reporter 27th November 2018 Diversified natural resources group Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) has concluded an agreement with electricity company Société Nationale d’Électricité (SNEL) for the supply of 41 MW of electricity for its Frontier mine, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). SNEL will source the... →

Audit outcomes of State-owned entities continue to regress

By: Kim Cloete 22nd November 2018 The audit outcomes of State-owned entities (SOEs) have regressed over the past financial year compared with both the previous year and 2014/15. The 2017/18 general report for the Auditor-General South Africa (AGSA) said there was an increase in noncompliance of the 16 SOEs it audited. It also... →

Eskom warns its debt could reach R550bn

By: African News Agency 21st November 2018 Eskom's financial situation will remain dire for the next few years with a risk its debt burden would grow from R400-billion to some R550-billion in the foreseable future, the power utility's CEO Phakamani Hadebe conceded on Wednesday. "The institution is really under severe financial strain,"... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Eskom CEO Phakamani Hadebe

Eskom ordered to keep Musina's lights on

By: African News Agency 20th November 2018 The North Gauteng High Court on Tuesday ruled in favour of business organisation Sakeliga to interdict Eskom from interrupting electricity supply after Musina and other municipalities failed to settle their debts. "The first respondent be interdicted and restrained from implementing it's decision... →

Electricity access finance not enough to meet 2030 global energy goals

By: Marleny Arnoldi 19th November 2018 The finance required to close electricity and clean cooking access gaps remains “drastically short” of what is needed to meet global energy goals by 2030, international energy organisation Sustainable Energy for All states in its latest report. Titled ‘Energizing Finance: Understanding the... →

Zambia plans to transform state power utility into viable firm

By: Reuters 16th November 2018 Zambia has started implementing measures aimed at transforming State-owned Zesco into a viable and efficient public power utility company, the government said on Thursday. Zesco has in the recent past been experiencing serious operational challenges, the chairman of the team put in place to... →

South Africa must consider charging strategies before investing in EVs

By: Marleny Arnoldi 14th November 2018 South Africa needs to develop controlled charging strategies before it embarks on large-scale investment in electric vehicles (EVs), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research research engineer Paseka Mabina said during the South African Energy Efficiency Confederation conference, on... →

Energy industry steadily embracing digitalisation, 4IR

By: Marleny Arnoldi 13th November 2018 Internet traffic data has grown from 2 TB in 1987 to 1.1 zettabytes, or 1.1 ZB, in 2017, meaning digitalisation is already upon us, and not a distant dream, said national Cleaner Production Centre industrial energy efficiency project manager Alfred Hartzenburg. Speaking at the South African... →

Municipal debt to Eskom climbs to R17bn

By: African News Agency 13th November 2018 The debt owed to Eskom by South Africa's municipalities continues to grow and had now reached R17-billion, Cooperative Governance Minister Zweli Mkhize told MPs on Tuesday.. "We have noted that debt stood at R14.3-billion and currently has gone up to R17-billion and that's just for Eskom and a... →

USAID transmission roadmap guides electricity development in Africa

By: Marleny Arnoldi 8th November 2018 A roadmap to unlock electricity trade, published by US Agency for International Development (USAID), could guide leaders in identifying and focusing on specific projects that will bring electricity to millions of people, while bringing down the cost of power and driving economic growth. The... →

Is there a risk of load-shedding this summer?

7th November 2018 Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about Eskom’s plant performance challenges, whether there is a risk of load-shedding and the importance of determining the future energy availability factor at Eskom’s coal-fired power plants. →

Is there a risk of load-shedding this summer?

African Development Bank plans R10bn in loans to Eskom

By: Reuters 7th November 2018 The African Development Bank plans to lend South African power utility Eskom around R10-billion ($720-million) in 2019 and 2020, the bank's president Akinwumi Adesina said. "We plan to lend around $620-million for the Medupi power plant, and around $100-million for Eskom's transmission network,... →

Photo by Reuters
AfDB president Akinwumi Adesina

South Africa joins the IEA as an association country

By: Kim Cloete 6th November 2018 South Africa has joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) as an association country in a move it believes will bring it closer to the cutting-edge of technology and global energy governance. It is the first country in Africa to be afforded this status. →

IEA executive director Dr Fatih Birol and Energy Minsiter Jeff Radebe

Eaton develops 10 000 operation switchgear for Shoprite’s warehouses

2nd November 2018 Shoprite Holdings commissioned engineering professional services firms WSP Africa to design a medium voltage (MV) power distribution system for its new Cilmor Distribution Centre, to provide reliable, continuous power to three large warehouses despite regular utility load shedding issues which... →

Photo by Creamer Media
SHOP RIGHT Shoprite is expected to continue to benefit from their choice of Xiria E over the lifetime of the switchgear

Digitisation set to shake up the energy sector

By: Kim Cloete 1st November 2018 Energy experts believe there are great opportunities to save money and boost efficiency with a move towards more digitisation in the energy sector. They are preparing for a shake-up, spurred on by a move away from conventional generation systems, a surge in renewable energy and the introduction... →

DA to tackle Eskom's 'monopoly' via new bill

By: News24Wire 29th October 2018 Introducing competition in the energy sector will keep electricity prices down, according to the Democratic Alliance (DA). DA leader Mmusi Maimane on Monday announced plans at a briefing to address "Eskom's monopoly" in the energy sector, through the introduction of a private member's bill known... →

NGOs criticise IRP public hearings process

By: Kim Cloete 26th October 2018 Energy Governance South Africa (EGSA) has expressed concern about the way the public hearings process into the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) has been conducted in Parliament, saying it had been a "one-way flow of information, without interrogation and interaction". The organization has penned a... →

Salga calls for new electricity demand forecasts

By: Kim Cloete 26th October 2018 The South African Local Government Association (Salga) has called for a reduced demand forecast for electricity to be included in the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2018, in line with the slowdown in electricity sales and a drop in customer demand. Salga says the forecasts contained in the draft... →

Eskom to add 6 500 km of high-voltage transmission lines by 2028

By: Marleny Arnoldi 25th October 2018 Power utility Eskom plans to add about 6 500 km of high-voltage transmission lines and 46 000 MVA of transformer capacity in the next ten years, its latest Transmission Development Plan (TDP), for the period from 2019 to 2028, shows. The TDP, which was released on Thursday, also demonstrates... →

Company Post

Copper Bonded Earth Rods

more

About

Engineering News is a product of Creamer Media.
www.creamermedia.co.za

Other Creamer Media Products include:
Mining Weekly
Research Channel Africa
Polity

Newsletters

Sign up for our FREE daily email newsletter

Receive daily sector news alerts

More

Subscriptions

We offer a variety of subscriptions to our Magazine, Website, PDF Reports and our photo library.

Subscriptions are available via the Creamer Media Store.

View store

Advertise

Advertising on Engineering News is an effective way to build and consolidate a company's profile among clients and prospective clients. Email advertising@creamermedia.co.za

View options

Subscribe