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South Africa’s first virtual renewable electricity transfer model to go live next year

South Africa’s first virtual renewable electricity transfer model to go live next year

SOUTH Africa's first virtual electricity transfer model is likely to go live by the end of next year, a top government official said, a move that could rapidly ramp up renewable power consumption and reduce the burden on ailing state utility Eskom. Eskom's ageing plants and struggling transmission grid have forced it to implement record daily power cuts since last year - sometimes for up to 10 hours a day - to prevent a grid collapse. The utility in August signed an agreement with Vodacom, the African telecoms arm of Vodafone, to introduce an electricity transfer model known as virtual…
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Wind Power Surge: South Africa leads the continent-wide trend

Wind Power Surge: South Africa leads the continent-wide trend

ELECTRICITY generated from wind farms is witnessing a surge in South Africa, with new data showing there are 34 operational wind farms in the country feeding more than 3400 MW to the national utility, Eskom, grid. MyBroadband, a South African ICT news platform, reports that the surge in volume and capacity is being driven primarily by Independent Power Producers, with only one of the 34 farms being state-owned. “The only Eskom-owned wind power station is the Sere Wind Farm near Vredendal in the Western Cape, which contributes roughly 105 MW,” MyBroadband reported. The progress made in wind energy is remarkable…
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South African rand little changed as power cuts ease

South African rand little changed as power cuts ease

SOUTH Africa's rand was little changed as a reduction in the intensity of rolling power cuts boosted the currency. At 1514 GMT, the rand traded at 18.1950 against the dollar, near its previous close of 18.1900. The dollar index, which measures the U.S. currency against six major rivals, was up 0.16% to 102.46. It remained close to a one-month low of 102.00 it touched on Friday. "Locally, load-shedding (blackouts) have somewhat diminished allowing for businesses to run more efficiently and if this trend is to continue, the rand may gain additional traction," DailyFX analyst Warren Venketas said. Increased generation over…
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South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

South Africa’s power crisis will continue until 2025 – and blackouts will take 5 years to phase out

SOUTH Africa is in the middle of a severe electricity crisis, with enforced power cuts that have worsened every year. Electricity is sometimes unavailable for 10 hours a day. The shortfall is the consequence of frequent breakdowns at its ageing coal power plants, which constitute 74% of the country’s generating capacity. In theory, improving the performance and reliability of the existing coal plants would resolve the power crisis. This remedy is promoted in some quarters. But it’s easier said than done. To function satisfactorily, many of the plants would require a complete overhaul, which would be both time-consuming and prohibitively…
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South Africa’s power blackouts: solutions lie in solar farms and battery storage at scale, and an end to state monopoly

South Africa’s power blackouts: solutions lie in solar farms and battery storage at scale, and an end to state monopoly

ROLLING blackouts are costing South Africa dearly. The electricity crisis is a barrier to growth, destroys investor confidence and handicaps almost every economic activity. It has raised input costs for producers and retailers and has triggered a new round of inflation and interest rate increases. Author DAVID RICHARD WALWYN, Professor of Technology Management, University of Pretoria Any solution will obviously incur cost because it will require the adoption of new technologies, such as large-scale grid-connected solar farms that are linked to battery energy storage. But these technologies are expensive. A solar farm consisting of 50 MW of photovoltaic panels with…
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Corruption in South Africa: former CEO’s explosive book exposes how state power utility was destroyed

Corruption in South Africa: former CEO’s explosive book exposes how state power utility was destroyed

ONE repeated theme of the memoir Truth to Power: My Three Years Inside Eskom, by Andre de Ruyter, former CEO of South Africa’s troubled power utility, Eskom, is that “negligence and carelessness had become cemented into the organisation”. Dirt piled up at even the newest power stations until it damaged equipment, which stopped working – and some equipment disappeared beneath a layer of ash. Integrity had been displaced by greed and crime: Corruption had metastasised to permeate much of the organisation. As a political scientist who has, among other topics, followed corruption and kleptocracy, this book ranks among the more…
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Security is everything

Security is everything

THE public mood in South Africa is sombre these days, with many citizens getting that sinking feeling. On many fronts, be it economic growth, investment, employment, electricity supply or security of the person or business, the mood is not particularly sanguine. Young people, in particular, are not in a good space. Their unemployment rate is higher than most groups and those among them with good skills, are actively looking abroad for opportunities to advance their careers and rear and educate their children. So, we educate young people at great expense only to donate them to other countries. We all need…
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S.Africa’s Eskom losing well over $55 million a month through theft, ex-CEO says

S.Africa’s Eskom losing well over $55 million a month through theft, ex-CEO says

SOUTH African state power firm Eskom loses well over 1 billion rands ($55 million) a month from theft, its former chief executive told parliament, saying a previous estimate he gave was conservative. Andre de Ruyter made the comments in a written submission to parliament's Standing Committee on Public Accounts (SCOPA) seen by Reuters, following an interview to local news channel eNCA in February where he made sweeping corruption allegations without detailed evidence against Eskom and South Africa's governing African National Congress. Shortly after the interview aired Eskom announced de Ruyter would leave his job immediately, cutting short a notice period he was serving after…
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South Africa’s power outages could reach critical levels this winter – likely scenarios

South Africa’s power outages could reach critical levels this winter – likely scenarios

OVER the past 15 years South Africa has been experiencing a gradually worsening number of electricity cuts. This state of affairs has prompted frustration among citizens, negative international economic sentiment and financial hardship for many businesses. Public pressure has grown more intense, leading to the extraordinary presidential decision by President Cyril Ramaphosa to proclaim a state of disaster as well as to appoint a Minister of Electricity. Author HARTMUT WINKLER, Professor of Physics, University of Johannesburg The year 2022 was marked by the worst power outages in the country’s history. Electricity generation deficits reached up to 6 GW on occasion,…
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South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate

South Africa targets $111 billion investment goal in tough investor climate

SOUTH Africa needs to urgently fix energy, transport and security challenges if it is to reverse souring investor sentiment, executives said as President Cyril Ramaphosa targets 2 trillion rands ($111 billion) in new investments over the next five years. Executives were speaking at the South African Investment Conference in Johannesburg, launched by Ramaphosa in 2018 as a way to boost economic activity that had been in decline for over a decade in Africa's most advanced but struggling economy. Mismanagement and corruption at state-owned companies, including power utility Eskom and freight logistics group Transnet, have had a knock-on effect on ports…
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