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South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has outlined plans to procure nearly 17GW of generation capacity from different technologies in FY2023/24, in new efforts aimed at increasing electricity supply and tackling crippling shortages.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

The rapid increase in private sector projects is recorded in National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) data that show more than 1GW of electricity generation projects were launched by private companies in January/February 2023 alone, following the removal of licensing restrictions in December.

Cape Town-based independent power producer Red Rocket Energy is further building up its project portfolio with plans to build two 150MW solar PV and battery energy storage facilities close to Eskom’s Tutuka coal-fired power station. African Energy spoke to Red Rocket’s head of development Sharief Harris.

Kenya’s first green ammonia (GNH3) project is set to enter the prefeasibility stage soon, African Energy's 17-18 April AIX: Energy in Transition 2023 event was told.

The easing of licensing restrictions on private power generation over recent years has prompted a rapid rise in projects, according to figures from the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), as more companies respond to the load-shedding crisis by developing their own electricity supplies.

Dubai-based Amea Power has signed a 25-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for a 85MW solar PV power plant it is developing at an unnamed site in North West Province. The agreement was signed with private energy trader GreenCo Power Services, a subsidiary of Lusaka-based Africa GreenCo Group.

Cape Town has announced plans to procure 560MW of renewable energy, as the Democratic Party-run city continues with its efforts to cut its dependence on an unreliable national grid and provide cover from the impact of load-shedding by national utility Eskom.  City authorities have also announced plans to build a 60MW solar PV and battery plant outside Somerset West, with support from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF).

A group of local investors has injected $12.1m into independent power producer Decentral Energy Managers to help it expand its commercial and industrial (C&I) footprint.

Strong resistance from the public has prompted the government to abandon a national state of disaster for electricity sector announced in February and to reverse a controversial decision to loosen reporting rules on spending by national utility Eskom

South Africa’s relations with the United Arab Emirates have soured after the Ministry of Justice and Correctional Services said it was only told in early April about a mid-February UAE court ruling that Atul and Rajesh Gupta would not be extradited to face charges of money laundering, fraud and corruption. It is another twist in the ‘state capture’ scandal that scarred Jacob Zuma’s presidency and whose ramifications continue to this day.

The restart of the 970MW Unit 1 at Koeberg nuclear power plant has been delayed due to “unexpected challenges”, according to state utility Eskom. The unit was switched off in December for regular maintenance and refuelling; it had been due to return to service by 23 July.

National utility Eskom says it plans to submit a final application to regulators in April to allow it to exceed the emissions limits at the troubled Kusile coal-fired power station while repairs are carried out.

Construction of the 69MW Msenge Emoyeni wind farm has started, after the project reached financial close in mid-February, according to the African Clean Energy Developments (Aced) consortium. Rand Merchant Bank was the sole mandated lead arranger.

Rand Merchant Bank (RMB) has acquired a stake in Ubiquity Energy, owner of electricity trading platform Energy Exchange of Southern Africa.