Algeria's Energy Future was launched at a half-day round-table seminar at Chatham House, London, on Wednesday 6 April.
The report was presented at the seminar by its lead authors, Jon Marks and John Hamilton, and critically assessed by Algerian and international experts. Read more
The African Energy Atlas has established itself as an indispensable resource for energy industry professionals.
The 2011 edition features more than 45 maps and charts drawn with expert care by journalist cartographer David Burles. Read more
Briefings and Reports 2
AfricaHardball is an executive dialogue that brings together policy-makers, industry leaders and analysts to discuss the key political issues affecting African markets in frank and open terms.
The next AfricaHardball roundtable will be held on 1 December in London, focusing on North Africa Read more
Briefings and Reports 3
A detailed and frank analysis of Libya’s energy sector
Published in July 2010, Libya's Energy Future provides authoritative, independently sourced analysis of Libya’s energy sector policy and history, examines the country’s governance and financial record and assesses the potential for international partners to do business with its institutions and interest groups.
On the page below you will find a selection of articles from the African Energy archive. All links preceded by a padlock symbol require a subscription.
Eskom talks up greener thinking as Nersa cuts renewables subsidies
Having been severely battered by its many critics for failing to handle South Africa’s electricity supply shortfall, Eskom is promising a greener vision for the future. But planned cuts to renewables subsidies and persistent delays to private power projects point to a worrying gap between theory and practice
IPSA has resumed operations at its cogeneration plant at Newcastle, KwaZulu-Natal. The 18MW combined heat and power plant is now supplying electricity to the national grid under a medium-term power purchase agreement with Eskom dated 26 August 2010.
Heavyweight information systems architects IBM and Oracle’s new business unit Oracle Utilities are hoping to convince Eskom of the importance of increased monitoring of power use
The South African utility is still assessing the cost of repair work to the 600MW Duvha power station, near Emalahleni in Mpumalanga province, where a fire in February stopped all generation.
SacOil is currently one of only three oil and gas companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, alongside petrochemicals giant Sasol and Nigeria’s Oando; it is the only pure exploration play. Issue 205, 18 March 2011.more
Sasol's Canadian shale buy
South Africa’s Sasol has signed an agreement with Talisman Energy to acquire a 50% stake in the Cypress A shale gas asset in the Montney Basin of British Columbia
BP has announced the completion of a R140m ($20m) expansion of its Pretoria fuel storage facility to ensure security of supply in inland South Africa. The company held a ceremony to open a new rail loading and offloading gantry described as one of the largest in Africa. Issue 205, 18 March 2011.more
Peters pushes ‘world’s largest’ solar plant plan
The government is pushing its plan to build a world-scale solar power plant, to use concentrated solar power technology at a site in Northern Cape (AE 196/10). Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters – who came to government following a career as an African National Congress activist and latterly provincial premier in Northern Cape (AE 163/24) – was widely quoted as reaffirming plans for the site at Upington to eventually host sufficient solar panels to generate 5GW.
Energy minister Elizabeth Dipuo Peters sought to counter the criticism of shale gas exploration in the Karoo region during a 24 February media briefing in parliament – despite the issue of a Government Notice on 1 February by the Department of Mineral Resources declaring a moratorium on any new technical co-operation agreement, exploration or reconnaissance permits in the Karoo. T
Fresh support from the South African government has strengthened the borrowing leverage of power parastatal Eskom, as it seeks to maintain its building programme, writes Kevin Godier
London-based Kentz Corporation has won a $35m contract from National Petroleum Refiners of South Africa (Natref) for work at the Natref Crude Refinery in Sasolburg.
Renewable energy project developer juwi has opened an office in Stellenbosch, close to Cape Town, to co-ordinate its South African activities. Issue 204, 4 March 2011. more
South Africa seeks diversity in electricity supply, but many renewables projects still struggle
The authorities say they are taking vital steps to diversify the power sector and attract private investment, but companies, investors and financiers complain that things are still moving too slowly
The government’s decision to abandon controversial plans to create regional electricity distributors shows the state centralising key business decisions, rather than letting the market shape the direction of the supply industry Issue 200, 17 December 2010.more
Groundhog day for electricity sector reform in South Africa
As this is African Energy’s 200th issue, the editorial team is minded to reflect on past stories and their links to current news
ABB has won an order worth $43m from Eskom to supply medium-voltage switchgear as well as protection and supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) equipment for a thermal power plant being built in Mpumalanga (AE 196/11).
The role of export credit agencies (ECAs) – not least in maintaining the flow of project funds to South Africa’s Eskom, which has been working hard to raise some of the money it needs to build new power plants to supply fast-rising demand – was flagged up by Rand Merchant Bank infrastructure finance transactor Hugh Hawarden. Issue 200, 17 December 2010.more
Foster Wheeler to study Sasolburg power plant
Sasol New Energy Holdings has given Foster Wheeler’s Global Engineering and Construction Group a contract to carry out a feasibility study for a gas-fired power generation plant at Sasolburg.
Evolution One Fund, a ZAR700m ($98.53m) clean technology private equity fund, has committed to invest up to ZAR146m in Red Cap’s 100MW Kouga wind farm, in the Kouga municipality of Eastern Cape province, 70km south-west of Port Elizabeth.
Private equity fund Evolution One has invested R51.8m ($7.6m) in major South African waste management company EnviroServ Waste Management (EnviroServ). Issue 197, 5 November 2010.more
Fluor to study giant Northern Cape solar park
The Department of Energy has selected the US’ Fluor Corporation to perform a study for a potential 5GW solar park development in the Northern Cape. Issue 196, 22 October 2010.more
Xstrata plans smelter expansion
Xstrata has approved the development of the second phase of its Lion ferrochrome complex expansion after securing a power supply commitment from Eskom. Issue 196, 22 October 2010.more
Alstom contract for Kusile
Alstom has won a E160m ($222m) contract to build South Africa’s first wet flue gas desulphurisation system at the 4,800MW Kusile power plant. Issue 196, 22 October 2010.more
Larsen & Toubro sets up JV
Indian engineering, technology and construction company Larsen & Toubro and South Africa’s Befula Investments have signed a shareholders’ agreement to set up a joint venture company in South Africa to capitalise on the country’s power transmission and distribution opportunities. Issue 195, 8 October 2010. more
USTDA funds smart meters
The US Trade & Development Agency (USTDA) has awarded a $446,500 grant to eThekwini Municipality for a feasibility study of smart meters for power distributor eThekwini Electricity. Issue 195, 8 October 2010. more
Eskom taps European credits
Eskom Holdings has concluded German and French export credit agency (ECA)-covered financings worth over E170m ($228m) to fund elements of its 4,800MW Medupi power station and 1,352MW Ingula pump storage schemes. Issue 194, 24 September 2010.more
Eskom signs first carbon credits deal
Eskom has signed an emission credits purchase agreement with France’s BNP Paribas. This agreement, Eskom’s first, is the result of an open enquiry for bids to develop a clean development mechanism (CDM) for Eskom’s compact fluorescent light programme. Issue 194, 24 September 2010.more
Eskom plans to revive 100MW windpower tender
Eskom aims to launch an international tender for its first large scale wind farm towards the end of this year or early in 2011. Issue 193, 10 September 2010.more
World Bank support for IPP programme
The World Bank board has approved financing of $700,000 to the National Treasury to fund the design of a regulatory framework for independent power projects. Issue 191, 23 July 2010. more
GE to supply Transnet
GE South Africa Technologies (Gesat) has announced an agreement to provide Transnet with ten medium-speed, diesel-powered generators for a new multi-product pipeline being built between Durban and Johannesburg. Issue 191, 23 July 2010. more
South Africa eyes new offshore tight gas field as region’s power demand drives upstream activity
Companies and their advisers are sounding bullish about the prospects for gas fields offshore South Africa, while Namibia is waiting to see if anything will come of Gazprom’s stated intention to develop the Kudu field to supply power to both countries. The latest instalment of African Energy’s West coast upstream update sees an upturn in activity in the south Issue 189, 25 June 2010.more
BHP Billiton revises Mozal contract, SA talks go on
BHP Billiton has signed an amended power supply contract with Eskom Holdings covering payments for the Mozal aluminium smelter, in a deal that removes a link to commodity pricing that hit the South African utility’s balance sheet last year. Issue 188, 11 June 2010.more
Newcomer in Karoo Basin
The Petroleum Agency of South Africa (Pasa) has accepted an application from Sunset Energy subsidiary Bundu Gas and Oil Exploration for the Cranemere area of 1.04m acres in the Karoo Basin. Issue 188, 11 June 2010.more
Vulture circles Snel’s World Cup deal
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) states have fallen in behind Eskom Holding’s efforts to make sure South Africa does not suffer the global embarrassment of a major electricity shortfall during the 11 June-11 July Fifa World Cup Issue 186, 14 May 2010.more
Shanduka-Aggreko JV to power World Cup
Shanduka Energy and temporary power supplier Aggreko have formed a joint venture to supply rental power for broadcasting the Fifa World Cup tournament in June and July. Issue 185, 30 April 2010. more
Doubts remain as World Bank approves $3.75bn loan
The World Bank Group (WBG) on 8 April approved a controversial $3.75bn loan package for state utility Eskom Holdings, despite concerted opposition from environmental groups which persuaded several western governments – including the United States, United Kingdom and the Netherlands – to abstain from voting. Other WBG executive board members, including India, China and Saudi Arabia, approved the project by consensus – which meant it eventually passed without a vote. Issue 184, 16 April 2010.more
Sasol contract for Foster Wheeler
Sasol has given Foster Wheeler’s Global Engineering and Construction Group an engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCM) contract for its Fischer-Tropsch Wax Expansion Project, which is expected to double hard wax production at Sasolburg. Issue 183, 26 March 2010.more
South Africa promotes unbundling, diversified energy mix, 12 years after White Paper
The Zuma administration is promising wide-ranging reform to bring private investment into generation and radically overhaul the distribution sector. Jon Marks asks whether South Africa’s government can really change how Eskom operates and implement a reform programme that is acceptable to a dizzying variety of political and consumer lobbies, while meeting the demands of potential investors and financiers Issue 182, 12 March 2010.more
Government confronted by limits of Eskom’s financial demands
Following the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa)’s ruling on tariff increases over the next three years, the African National Congress government and Eskom have said they will explore “various scenarios” to fund the construction of new generation plants. Nersa on 24 February announced a tariff increase of 24.8% in 2010/11, 25.1% in 2011/12 and 25.9% in 2012/13 – which was less than the 35% annual increase Eskom had requested (AE 181/28). Issue 182, 12 March 2010.more
IPSA agrees interim funding, debt standstill
Hobbled in its efforts to develop independent power projects (IPPs) in South Africa by the authorities’ reluctance to progress projects and the cancellation of a major smelter scheme at Coega, IPSA Group – driven by its chief executive, British power sector entrepreneur Peter Earl – has raised funding to keep its operations going and has agreed a new standstill arrangement with its major creditors (AE 173/9). Issue 182, 12 March 2010.more
PetroSA defends refinery plans
The board of PetroSA has approved the next stage of development of the Coega refinery project, despite suggestions from BP that it might turn out to be an expensive white elephant. KBR has completed a feasibility study for the project and the PetroSA board has said it can proceed to the front-end engineering design phase (AE 165/20). Issue 182, 12 March 2010.more
BP to pull out of southern Africa downstream
BP has announced plans to sell its marketing business in Namibia, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and Botswana following a strategic review. The review of BP’s refining and marketing businesses in southern Africa showed that the company should focus on countries which offered the greatest synergies with its supply portfolio, namely Mozambique and South Africa. Issue 182, 12 March 2010.more
Lack of urgency on South African power policy
There are plans to keep the lights on for the World Cup, but a lack of detail on long-term plans, suggests Eskom and the government have failed to learn the lessons of the 2008 supply crisis, writes Thalia Griffiths Issue 181, 26 February 2010.more
Huge divides remain over South African political and electric power
For a short period on 22-24 February, Durban’s International Convention Centre became the focal point for the policy divides that are becoming ever more public as South Africa settles uneasily into Jacob Zuma’s presidency. Issue 181, 26 February 2010.more
South African gas plans pick up as rules of play become clearer
Uncertainty over the regulatory framework has slowed oil and gas exploration for several years, but with new legislation in place the pace is finally picking up, writes Thalia Griffiths, recently in Johannesburg Issue 181, 26 February 2010.more
Nersa ruling to clarify Eskom’s finances
An imminent decision on the future funding of the state-owned power utility may force it to revisit other capital expenditure and funding agendas, writes Kevin Godier Issue 180, 5 February 2010.more
Renewable energy boost
South Africa has joined an international agency which promotes renewable energy despite slow domestic progress on the issue. Issue 179, 22 January 2010.more
French loan for Medupi turbines
Eskom has obtained a €1.185bn ($1.7bn) loan from five French banks to finance the purchase of turbines from Alstom for the Medupi and Kusile power plants (AE 175/5). Issue 178, 12 January 2010.more
2009 Archive – South Africa
Eskom scales back tariff hike request, delays more projects
Eskom has scaled back its tariff increase request to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) and announced further project delays as a consequence of scaling down its finance projections. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
AfDB approves €1.86bn loan for Medupi
The African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €1.86bn ($2.76bn) loan for Eskom Holdings to finance the Medupi coal-fired power project. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
Coega power plant tender
The state Coega Development Corporation (CDC) is seeking expressions of interest (EoIs) for the Coega combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant project. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
Westinghouse fuel contract for Koeberg
Eskom Holdings has given Westinghouse Electric Company a contract to provide three reloads of fuel for the Koeberg nuclear power plant north of Cape Town. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
Companies to explore for shale gas
Sasol Petroleum International, Norway’s Statoil and Chesapeake Energy Corporation of the United States have applied for an onshore petroleum exploration right to examine the shale gas potential of the Karoo Basin. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
French grant for carbon capture
Agence Française de Développement (AFD) has granted R1.568m to the Central Energy Fund (CEF) for its carbon capture storage (CCS) centre. Issue 176, 11 December 2009.more
Eskom crisis shows no sign of let-up as Godsell declines to return
South Africa’s beleaguered power utility must rebuild its senior management as well as its finances after the relationship between the board and the chief executive collapsed. Angry politicking doesn’t help when critical funding plans and tariff hikes urgently need to be pushed through, write Thalia Griffiths and Jon Marks. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
Huge WBG loan back on the agenda, Medupi the focus
Having secured funds from the African Development Bank, Eskom Holdings is seeking a bigger boost from multilateral sources to help fill its funding shortfall, which the National Treasury has estimated could be as high as R80bn ($11bn), without more tariff increases. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
More big Eskom deals
Alstom Power announced on 23 November that it had signed a contract worth over €100m ($150m) to provide the instrumentation and control system for the world’s largest coal-fired power plant at Medupi in South Africa. Alstom said it had also provided Eskom with the option, worth an additional €100m, to install an identical system at the planned Kusile plant. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
Clyde Bergemann Power Group: Medupi deal
Eskom has signed a contract to equip all six supercritical 800MW boilers being installed at the Medupi power station with ash handling technology supplied by CBPG. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
Bethlehem mini-hydro start-up
The first 3MW unit of the much-delayed estimated R100m ($13.3m) Bethlehem hydropower plant in South Africa has been commissioned, with the second 4MW unit to follow in April when Eskom Transmission has connected the site to the grid. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
Sasol: Carbon capture MoU
On 24 November, Sasol signed a memorandum of understanding with Norwegian carbon capture and storage enterprise Gassnova SF for the South African firm to participate in the new European CO2 Technology Centre (TCM) in Mongstad. Issue 175, 27 November 2009.more
Godsell quits in Eskom power struggle
In a fresh blow to efforts to turn round South Africa’s struggling power sector, Eskom has been plunged into chaos by a public row between chief executive Jacob Maroga and chairman Bobby Godsell. Issue 174, 13 November 2009.more
Shell moves into deepwater
Petroleum Agency of South Africa (Pasa) has announced two awards following a licensing round earlier this year. Shell Exploration and Production has licensed the whole of the Orange Basin deepwater area off the west coast next to Forest International and BHP Billiton’s acreage, to the south of Namibia’s Kudu gas field, while Singapore’s Silver Wave Energy has taken four quarter-degree blocks in the Tugela Basin offshore Durban. Issue 174, 13 November 2009.more
Coega smelter power supply agreements dropped
Plans for an aluminium smelter at Coega Industrial Development Zone have been dealt a fresh blow with the termination of the electricity supply agreement. But Rio Tinto Alcan and the UK’s IPSA Group remain interested Issue 173, 30 October 2009.more
70MW Western Cape wind farm scheme takes off
The development of a proposed R1.5bn ($0.19bn) 70MW wind farm near Darling, in the Western Cape, is gathering momentum with an environmental impact assessment under way. Issue 173, 30 October 2009.more
Nuclear co-operation deal with the United States
In a signal that the United States remains a player in the race to develop South Africa’s nuclear industry, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and his SA counterpart Dipuo Peters signed a bilateral agreement on nuclear energy research and development co-operation on 14 September in Vienna. Issue 171, 2 October 2009.more
IPSA seeks buyer for Newcastle power
IPSA Group plc is seeking a new buyer for power from its Newcastle combined heat and power plant, following a delay to Eskom’s medium-term power purchasing programme (MTPPP). Issue 171, 2 October 2009.more
Market awaits Eskom funding model
The short-term future of many of southern Africa’s power markets depends on Eskom’s investment plans. The parastatal’s eagerly anticipated funding model is expected within weeks, writes Kevin Godier Issue 171, 2 October 2009.more
PBMR postponed
Fears that the ambitious pebble bed modular reactor (PBMR) project would suffer as the government reviewed its spending priorities seem to have been confirmed (AE 154/6, 152/4). The PBMR demonstration power plant project has been postponed because of a lack of funds, Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (Pty) Ltd chief executive Jaco Kriek told the World Nuclear Association Annual Symposium. Issue 170, 18 September 2009.more
Southern Africa upstream update – waiting games
Less attractive to explorers than West or East Africa, the southern region needs more big finds to generate industry excitement. Where there has been activity, fiscal terms and tariff negotiations have delayed development Issue 170, 18 September 2009.more
Siemens to upgrade Transnet’s pipeline stations
Siemens Energy has won three orders to upgrade existing pump stations for Transnet Pipelines. The three pipeline delivery and routing stations are located in the Gauteng and the Mpumalanga provinces. Issue 170, 18 September 2009.more
SA IPP unveils manure-to-power plans
South African independent power producer Lesedi Biogas Project (LBP) has applied for a licence to build and operate an 8MW waste-to-power project in Heidelberg, near Johannesburg. Issue 169, 4 September 2009.more
Emergency hits Eskom finances
Eskom Holdings made a record annual loss of R9.7bn ($1.24bn) in the year to 31 March and warned of an R80bn funding shortfall in its expansion programme. It had a restated loss of R168m for the previous year. Issue 169, 4 September 2009.more
Eskom wins 31.3% tariff rise
The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) on 25 June approved an average price increase of 31.3% for Eskom. The utility had applied for an interim price increase of 34%, as part of a gradual move towards cost-reflective tariffs, which Eskom hopes will encourage more private participation in South Africa’s power sector (AE 161/5). Issue 166, 3 July 2009.more
Power pools in bullish mood, have yet to prove they can improve the sub-Saharan supply mix
Africa’s power pools are talking up their potential to endow the continent with a larger, more rational electricity supply infrastructure. A number of projects now under way or set for launch signal progress, but there are still too few regional integration schemes making any significant impact, writes Jon Marks. Issue 165, 19 June 2009.more
Downstream update – projects abound in East and Southern Africa, some will be built
They may not have all the oil, but Southern and East Africa will see their access to petroleum products improve as planned projects come together in the next few years. Issue 165, 19 June 2009.more
Power sector finance update – multilaterals dominate with banks under pressure
Privately financed projects remain few and far between, according to African Energy’s listing of power financings recorded since January 2008. With many projects put on hold by the credit crunch, multilaterals and bilateral DFIs are playing at least as important a role in 2009 as they were a decade ago – indeed, more so perhaps, write Kevin Godier and Jon Marks. Issue 165, 19 June 2009.more
SAPP World Cup preparations on target, bigger questions remain about trading capacity
Buoyed up by the inclusion of the SAPP as a significant player in Eskom’s elaborate World Cup plans, regional officials are sounding optimistic as new generation capacity is finally added, while demand-side management measures start to have an impact. Another attempt at short-term trading is welcomed after the STEM system effectively collapsed, writes Kevin Godier. Issue 164, 5 June 2009.more
Eskom: Bank finance deal for Medupi boilers
South Africa’s Eskom Holdings has concluded an export credit agency-covered financing arrangement for E530m ($755m) with seven European banks to fund part of the foreign content of the Medupi boiler contract with Hitachi Power Europe. Issue 164, 5 June 2009.more
Zuma government has pragmatic feel, needs strong delivery to succeed
There is a sense of relief among the South African business classes that President Jacob Zuma has appointed long-serving finance minister Trevor Manuel to a potentially critical job in his big new government. A court’s decision crushing the highly politicised trade union-led opposition to SA’s biggest listing in years, of telecoms giant Vodacom, has also helped build investor confidence. But critical questions remain as the new government sets about shaping SA economic policy – and the development of its energy industries – over what Zuma has suggested will be his sole five-year term. Issue 163, 22 May 2009.more
Eskom names SAPP as its World Cup super-sub
The South African electricity company is looking to its partners in the Southern African Power Pool to ensure the 2010 tournament goes ahead without embarrassing power outages. Issue 162, 8 May 2009.more
Exxaro and friends ‘to generate up to 5,000MW’ from IPPs
Exxaro Resources has announced plans to generate up to 5,000MW from coal and renewables within eight years. Work is at the prefeasibility study stage and the black-controlled, Johannesburg-listed diversified miner – Eskom’s biggest local coal supplier – has still to sign partnership agreements for most of the projects. Issue 162, 8 May 2009.more
Durban landfill gas scheme earns carbon credits
The Durban Solid Waste landfill gas project has been registered with the United Nations’ Framework Convention on Climate Change, permitting eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality to generate income from the sale of carbon credits. Issue 162, 8 May 2009.more
Transformer demand booms, consultant says
The South African transformer market is set for substantial further growth, according to consultancy Frost & Sullivan. The sector – 80% of which comprises power transformers – earned $1.bn-plus revenues in 2007, and could earn $2.2bn by 2014. Issue 162, 8 May 2009.more
Pointer – New Western Cape wind farm scheme Issue 162, 8 May 2009.more
Eskom looks to greater private role but “you’ve got to fix the tariffs”
Eskom says it’s now keen to see the South African power market open up to more players, but the utility is painfully aware that such a move would need better policy leadership than at present, writes Thalia Griffiths. Issue 161, 24 April 2009.more
Reassessing South Africa’s nuclear options
Discussing government plans for a second nuclear plant, shelved in December because of the high cost, Eskom chairman Bobby Godsell told an audience at Chatham House the state utility had been unhappy with the bids (AE 154/6). Issue 161, 24 April 2009.more
With African carbon credits still in the slow lane, SA offers hope
South Africa’s generous new renewable energy feed-in tariff (Refit) regime, announced by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), is a potentially significant catalyst for Africa’s slow-moving carbon credits market. The new regime is designed to spur potential wind, mini-hydro, landfill-gas and solar power investments, where carbon credits are available under the United Nations’ Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). It is especially welcome given the tough global conditions affecting the carbon-trading market. Issue 161, 24 April 2009.more
Pointer – PetroSA names lawyers for Project Mthombo Issue 161, 24 April 2009.more
Irish firm in wind power deal
Ireland’s Mainstream Renewable Power has signed a joint venture agreement with SA wind farm developer Genesis Eco-Energy to build an initial pipeline of over 500MW of wind energy in the Eastern, Northern and Western Capes by 2014. Issue 160, 3 April 2009. more
Pointer – Alstom contract for Koeberg Issue 159, 20 March 2009.more
Deep-water bid round under way
Petroleum Agency SA formally launched its fourth offshore licensing round on 15 March offering two previously unexplored areas (AE 157/17). The Orange Basin Deep Water licence area covers 43,000km2 off the west coast, while the Tugela licence area covers 48,798km2 off the east coast. Issue 159, 20 March 2009.more
Pointer – Sasol/Foster Wheeler deal Issue 158, 6 March 2009.more
Nuclear can wait: Eskom sticks to coal with two new schemes to tap Waterberg fields
Despite cutting back on more ambitious plans for a nuclear power plant, Eskom is planning two new coal-fired power stations to meet medium-term growth in South African electricity demand. Issue 157, 20 February 2009.more
Deep-water blocks on offer in 2009 bid round
The Petroleum Agency of South Africa (PASA) is offering acreage in the Orange Basin Deep Water Area, off the west coast, and the Tugela licence area, off the east coast, in a licensing round aimed at kick-starting long delayed deep-water exploration. Issue 157, 20 February 2009.more
PetroSA confident on refinery
PetroSA is confident that its planned new $11bn oil refinery at Coega in Eastern Cape Province will go into operation processing 400,000 b/d of crude from 2014. But the refinery still has major question marks hanging over it, particularly its cost and the lack of an equity partner to help develop the project and supply crude. Issue 157, 20 February 2009.more
Clean energy fund seeks projects
South Africa’s first private equity clean energy fund, the Evolution One Fund, raised $56m from offshore investors in 2008 and says it is now seeking projects to invest in. Issue 157, 20 February 2009.more
ABB wins transmission order
ABB has won an order worth $53m from Eskom to strengthen the transmission network in the Western Cape region. Issue 156, 6 February 2009.more
Eskom delays costly Project Lima as demand slows
Eskom announced on 19 January that construction of its 1,520MW Lima pumped storage hydropower project would be delayed as a result of the global economic crisis, which has seen Eskom revise its supply and demand projections in line with lower projected growth – not to mention problems securing finance (AE 154/6). Issue 155, 23 January 2009.more
South Africa enters election year short of funds for projects and without a long-term strategy
Critics within the industry say South Africa still lacks a coherent strategy for its electricity supply industry more than ten years after the Energy White Paper’s publication. The upcoming presidential election is likely to push long-term strategic planning even farther down the agenda in a system prone to delay and in-fighting, writes Jon Marks. Issue 154, 9 January 2009.more
Sasol contracts for KBR
Sasol Technology has given KBR two contracts to provide engineering, procurement and construction management (EPCm) services, and basic engineering services for two of its petrochemical projects in Sasolburg. Issue 154, 9 January 2009.more
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