Rich in minerals and strategically located, in theory the African continent has what it takes to play a key role in the ongoing energy transition, but the reality is more complex.
“There is no chance of making the energy transition without Africa,” Robert Friedland, the founder of Ivanhoe Mines, who discovered the Kamoa-Kakula copper deposit in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), told the London Indaba conference on mineral resources, energy and mining in June last year.
Indeed, decisive resources for a low-carbon economy are abundant in Africa. The continent’s production of metals used in the manufacture of batteries, solar panels, wind turbines and other electrical networks is impressive.
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the leading producer of cobalt, while South Africa is in pole position for platinum and manganese.
As a whole, the continent accounts for more than half the world’s production of these three minerals.
City mayoral committee member for economic growth James Vos said the R7 billion airport – set to open in 2027 – would create jobs and attract more business and tourists to the region.
CAPE TOWN – The City of Cape Town has endorsed a potential second airport, saying it would provide a massive boost to the region’s economy.
Plans to build the new airport in the Winelands near Durbanville are subject to an ongoing environmental impact assessment.
City mayoral committee member for economic growth James Vos said the R7 billion airport – set to open in 2027 – would create jobs and attract more business and tourists to the region.
“I am proud to publicly endorse the development of the new Cape Winelands Airport. This project really promises to transform Cape Town’s land and skyscape, really ushering in a new era of opportunity and prosperity.”
Vos said the city would support the project through the regulatory phase to ensure that the development goes ahead,
While South Africa is leading the continent’s transition to renewable energy, it is unrealistic to think that 590 million of Africa’s residents, or even South Africa’s 60 million residents, can be supplied with renewable energy.
This is according to Gracelin Baskaran, mining economist and research director of the energy security and climate change programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
Baskaran told City Press that several components of the national power grid, including transmission infrastructure, must be upgraded before transitioning to renewable power sources.
This comes at a high cost. Using the US as an example, Baskaran said it would cost $2.2 trillion (R42 trillion) for the transmission grid upgrades required to supply 85% of the country’s population with renewable energy.
This would be an even more challenging exercise in a country like South Africa, where government has less money and collects less tax.
Baskaran believes it would be more prudent for African countries to transition from coal to gas power rather than rolling out renewable power sources.
According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA), burning natural gas is considered a “relatively clean” way of generating electricity.
“Burning natural gas for energy results in fewer emissions of nearly all types of air pollutants and carbon dioxide (CO2) than burning coal or petroleum products to produce an equal amount of energy,” it states on its website.
Furthermore, 40% of gas discoveries globally in the recent past were in Africa.
However, it is still far more damaging to the environment than solar, wind, and nuclear power.
Baskaran’s ideas echo those of South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission, which, in May 2023, advised that the country should build gas-fired power stations for future power generation.
Eskom plans to build a 3,000MW gas power station in Richards Bay.
It said the plan would only require 3,000 MW to 5,000 MW worth of gas-fired plants to be built, which will only be used during times of peak demand.
“There should be no new coal and gas should be kept to the role of peaking support,” the commission said
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) approved South Africa’s state-owned power utility’s plan to build a 3,000 MW gas power station in Richards Bay in May 2023.
Nersa effectively backtracked on an earlier decision to block the power station’s construction, allowing Eskom to proceed with acquiring funding.
However, this presents a challenge for the power utility, whose R254-billion debt relief conditions say it cannot borrow more money to build new power stations.
As such, Eskom entered into negotiations with the National Treasury to find an alternative means of funding the project.
Possible funding models include a public-private partnership or a power-purchase agreement with an independent power producer.
Eskom said it plans for the gas-powered plant to start supplying electricity to the grid from 2028, meaning it won’t help load-shedding in the short term.
A separate solar and storage project Scatec is building in South Africa, awarded to the firm through another procurement. Image: Scatec.
Norway-based IPP Scatec has won preferred bidder status for a 103MW/412MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in South Africa, part of a 513MW tender.
The firm has won the award for the Mogobe BESS, one of four to be granted preferred bidder status under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), it said yesterday (30 November).
BESIPPPP is being run by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement seeking five 4-hour BESS projects back in March this year. Four out of five projects have now seen a party given preferred bidder status with a fifth ‘to be appointed’, the South Africa state body said on the same day as Scatec’s announcement, though the companies behind them have not been revealed.
All five will be located at various substations run by grid operator Eskom and will provide it with capacity, energy and ancillary services, specifically Instantaneous Reserves, Regulating Reserves, Ten Reserves and Supplemental Reserves.
The ones to have a preferred bidder status are Agganeis (77MW), Mookodi (77M) Nieuwehoop (103MW) and Scatec’s at the Ferrum substation, with the largest, Garona (153MW) still to be announced.
Eskom has struggled to prevent regular blackouts from occurring in South Africa, and is aiming for large-scale BESS projects to help increase resiliency and stability on the grid.
“This marks another significant achievement for Scatec in South Africa and for the renewable energy transition in the country. Today’s award reaffirms our standing as a leading renewable energy player in South Africa. We applaud the South African government’s commitment and dedication to the battery storage procurement programme,” says Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.
In its BESIPPPP announcement, the DMRE also said a new RMIPPP project award has been granted, for a 75MW solar and BESS project in De Aar, Northern Cape, though didn’t say which company was behind that.
Source: Energy Storage News
By Cameron Murray December 1, 2023
A separate solar and storage project Scatec is building in South Africa, awarded to the firm through another procurement. Image: Scatec.
Norway-based IPP Scatec has won preferred bidder status for a 103MW/412MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in South Africa, part of a 513MW tender.
The firm has won the award for the Mogobe BESS, one of four to be granted preferred bidder status under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), it said yesterday (30 November).
BESIPPPP is being run by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement seeking five 4-hour BESS projects back in March this year. Four out of five projects have now seen a party given preferred bidder status with a fifth ‘to be appointed’, the South Africa state body said on the same day as Scatec’s announcement, though the companies behind them have not been revealed.
All five will be located at various substations run by grid operator Eskom and will provide it with capacity, energy and ancillary services, specifically Instantaneous Reserves, Regulating Reserves, Ten Reserves and Supplemental Reserves.
The ones to have a preferred bidder status are Agganeis (77MW), Mookodi (77M) Nieuwehoop (103MW) and Scatec’s at the Ferrum substation, with the largest, Garona (153MW) still to be announced.
Eskom has struggled to prevent regular blackouts from occurring in South Africa, and is aiming for large-scale BESS projects to help increase resiliency and stability on the grid.
“This marks another significant achievement for Scatec in South Africa and for the renewable energy transition in the country. Today’s award reaffirms our standing as a leading renewable energy player in South Africa. We applaud the South African government’s commitment and dedication to the battery storage procurement programme,” says Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.
In its BESIPPPP announcement, the DMRE also said a new RMIPPP project award has been granted, for a 75MW solar and BESS project in De Aar, Northern Cape, though didn’t say which company was behind that.
Source: Energy Storage News
By Cameron Murray December 1, 2023
A separate solar and storage project Scatec is building in South Africa, awarded to the firm through another procurement. Image: Scatec.
Norway-based IPP Scatec has won preferred bidder status for a 103MW/412MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in South Africa, part of a 513MW tender.
The firm has won the award for the Mogobe BESS, one of four to be granted preferred bidder status under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), it said yesterday (30 November).
BESIPPPP is being run by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement seeking five 4-hour BESS projects back in March this year. Four out of five projects have now seen a party given preferred bidder status with a fifth ‘to be appointed’, the South Africa state body said on the same day as Scatec’s announcement, though the companies behind them have not been revealed.
All five will be located at various substations run by grid operator Eskom and will provide it with capacity, energy and ancillary services, specifically Instantaneous Reserves, Regulating Reserves, Ten Reserves and Supplemental Reserves.
The ones to have a preferred bidder status are Agganeis (77MW), Mookodi (77M) Nieuwehoop (103MW) and Scatec’s at the Ferrum substation, with the largest, Garona (153MW) still to be announced.
Eskom has struggled to prevent regular blackouts from occurring in South Africa, and is aiming for large-scale BESS projects to help increase resiliency and stability on the grid.
“This marks another significant achievement for Scatec in South Africa and for the renewable energy transition in the country. Today’s award reaffirms our standing as a leading renewable energy player in South Africa. We applaud the South African government’s commitment and dedication to the battery storage procurement programme,” says Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.
In its BESIPPPP announcement, the DMRE also said a new RMIPPP project award has been granted, for a 75MW solar and BESS project in De Aar, Northern Cape, though didn’t say which company was behind that.
Source: Energy Storage News
By Cameron Murray December 1, 2023
A separate solar and storage project Scatec is building in South Africa, awarded to the firm through another procurement. Image: Scatec.
Norway-based IPP Scatec has won preferred bidder status for a 103MW/412MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in South Africa, part of a 513MW tender.
The firm has won the award for the Mogobe BESS, one of four to be granted preferred bidder status under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP), it said yesterday (30 November).
BESIPPPP is being run by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE), which issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the procurement seeking five 4-hour BESS projects back in March this year. Four out of five projects have now seen a party given preferred bidder status with a fifth ‘to be appointed’, the South Africa state body said on the same day as Scatec’s announcement, though the companies behind them have not been revealed.
All five will be located at various substations run by grid operator Eskom and will provide it with capacity, energy and ancillary services, specifically Instantaneous Reserves, Regulating Reserves, Ten Reserves and Supplemental Reserves.
The ones to have a preferred bidder status are Agganeis (77MW), Mookodi (77M) Nieuwehoop (103MW) and Scatec’s at the Ferrum substation, with the largest, Garona (153MW) still to be announced.
Eskom has struggled to prevent regular blackouts from occurring in South Africa, and is aiming for large-scale BESS projects to help increase resiliency and stability on the grid.
“This marks another significant achievement for Scatec in South Africa and for the renewable energy transition in the country. Today’s award reaffirms our standing as a leading renewable energy player in South Africa. We applaud the South African government’s commitment and dedication to the battery storage procurement programme,” says Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.
In its BESIPPPP announcement, the DMRE also said a new RMIPPP project award has been granted, for a 75MW solar and BESS project in De Aar, Northern Cape, though didn’t say which company was behind that.
Poachers in South Africa are making life difficult for the rangers there, depriving them of elephants, rhinos and other wild animals. To make it easier for the animal protectors to take on the criminals, they are to be equipped with electric motorcycles.
The Swedish company Cake, a manufacturer of electric motorcycles, has teamed up with the Southern African Wildlife College (SAWC) to combat illegal poaching. In the future, rangers hunting illegal poachers in South Africa will use electric motorcycles specially developed by Cake to move through the bush. In contrast to the currently used motorcycles with combustion engines, these are more environmentally friendly and – most importantly – noiseless. It is the noise of conventional motorcycles that often warns poachers well in advance that rangers are on their way.
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