South Africa - is Eskom’s death spiral taking the republic with it?

State-owned utility Eskom is in crisis, as is the republic itself, both riven by a legacy of corruption and mismanagement. The problems of the electric power sector are driving a wider political crisis and this in turn has weakened the government’s ability to respond.

Nevertheless, South Africa remains the most important market for large scale private sector power projects on the continent. African Energy has followed developments in detail.

Medupi power station, editorial-only, istock

South Africa: Western nations and China offer finance for grids

Issue 491 - 24 September 2023

German development bank KfW has offered a €200m ($214m) loan to Eskom to help the state utility improve transmission grids in the Northern and Western Cape, as western nations look to step up their support for South Africa’s creaking electricity system.

South Africa - is Eskom’s death spiral taking the republic with it?

South Africa: Western nations and China offer finance for grids

South Africa: Ivanhoe opts for IPP power supply for Platreef mine

South African regulator grants transmission licence in Eskom unbundling ‘milestone’

South Africa: Electricity wheeling gains traction as private investment rises

South African government to procure 17GW of new power

South Africa: Rising demand for C&I

South Africa: Sharp rise in private power projects amid load shedding

South Africa: Cape Town plans for 560MW of renewable energy

South African government ends electricity state of disaster despite ongoing supply problems

South Africa: Regulator reconsiders Eskom’s Richards Bay gas power plant

South Africa: Karpowership projects blocked again, this time by government

South Africa: President Ramaphosa reshuffles cabinet and sets up Electricity Ministry

South Africa’s National Treasury adopts debt from a hopelessly compromised Eskom

South Africa: Rooftop solar has ‘10GW potential’ – blockages can be overcome

Ramaphosa mulls new electricity ministry in South Africa’s ‘national state of disaster’

Protracted fix for Eskom’s Kusile coal power plant

Ramaphosa’s ANC re-election may do little to help South Africa in crisis

Power infrastructure in South Africa, eSwatini and Lesotho – June 2022

South Africa: Oil and gas exploration – revised March 2022

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