Local developer and operator of clean energy infrastructure, Blue Energy Africa, has signed a 20-year deal with Borbet South Africa (SA) for the procurement of power from renewable-energy sources. Founded in 1962 by Peter Wilhelm Borbet, the family-owned company has five locations in Germany, as well as one each in Austria and South Africa, with the latter in Gqeberha.

Red Rocket, a South African independent power provider, hired Goldman Sachs Group to advise on the next steps for the closely held business – including a possible sale. Shareholders of the Cape Town-based company “have decided to explore strategic options,” for the business, CEO Matteo Brambilla said by email.

In this article, residential solar solutions provider GoSolr CEO and co-founder Andrew Middleton, writes that solar power has the potential to significantly reduce loadshedding, but patchwork policies, differing tariffs and a lack of incentives are stalling growth.

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa describes surplus electricity arising from existing renewable energy facilities as “low hanging fruit” in improving the supply-demand balance and reports that discussions are under way to assess ways to make this energy available to the grid. Speaking during a regular update on the Energy Action Plan, Ramokgopa confirmed that the issue, which had been under consideration for years, had again been raised with him by the leadership of Scatec during his recent visit to the group’s Kenhardt solar-battery facility in the Northern Cape.

Almost half, or 49%, of small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) business owners who responded to the Fourth Quarter 2023 SME Confidence Index by specialist SME financier Business Partners said they were concerned that the imminent risk of economic turbulence and protest action during the election season would impact their operations. While the SME owners said the social climate ahead of the May elections was cause for concern, about 33% of the respondents said the elections would bring about much-needed change, said Business Partners impact investing executive GM David Morobe.

With the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) currently scheduled to be operationalised in July and efforts under way to ensure that the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) Amendment Bill is passed by the current Parliament, work is now advancing on the market code for the future multimarket architecture that will progressively replace the vertically integrated structure that has prevailed for over a century. Eskom transmission MD  Segomoco Scheppers will lead the NTCSA once it begins trade after addressing the remaining Companies Act requirements, having already met the key conditions of board independence, licensing and lender consent.

Proconics' expertise aligns with national projects and is poised to contribute to Eskom’s Transmission Development Plan. Engineering Firm Proconics was among the 14 companies that joined the Eskom Transmission Owner’s Engineer (OE) Panel at a recent signing ceremony event held at Eskom headquarters in Megawatt Park.

South Africa’s current electricity transmission grid is generally constrained in the Cape provinces and unable to facilitate the connection of new utility-scale generation including that from solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind, says wind and solar energy facility developer JUWI Renewable Energies. Historically, the majority of South Africa’s electricity supply was provided by coal power stations, the majority located in Mpumalanga, with the power transmitted to the major load centres including those in the Cape. The national transmission grid is still set up in this way, despite the introduction of large-scale renewables, as the cost and time to upgrade this infrastructure is onerous.

The recent period of decreased loadshedding has been met with tremendous scepticism by a South African public who have been burnt more times over the past 15-plus years than a lump of wet coal. Most distant observers attribute the reprieve purely to the upcoming May 29 poll, and fully expect a return of intense power disruptions once the electoral dust has settled.

Metair is still very much open for business and the group is able to accommodate new clients should they need automotive components or energy storage solutions, says new CEO Paul O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty, now two months into the job after former CEO Sjoerd Douwenga bowed out, owing to health reasons, comes to Metair with executive experience at companies such as Absa, Group Five, ArcelorMittal and Eskom.