Enoch Godongwana needs to conjure an annual budget that balances spending pressures stemming from this year’s elections with the South African National Treasury’s commitment to stabilise its finances. The rabbit in the fedora-wearing finance minister’s hat is a potential drawdown from the nation’s about R500-billion of contingency reserves.

Industry organisation the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has moved to factually dispute Electricity Minister Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa's recent statement that “nonperforming renewables” were the cause of Stage 6 loadshedding having been implemented late last week. SAPVIA CEO Dr Rethabile Melamu said the Minister’s comments at the weekend misrepresented the role that renewable energy, and in particular [...]

President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged the “devastating impact” of almost daily loadshedding on the economy and the lives of South Africans but insisted in a speech made in response to the debate on his State of the Nation Address (SoNA) that South Africa would emerge from the electricity crisis with a “completely transformed energy landscape”. Following [...]

The European Investment Bank (EIB) said it’s in talks to loan South Africa money to upgrade its port and freight-rail infrastructure as its first contribution to a decarbonization pact known as the Just Energy Transition Partnership. The loan, the size of which the EIB didn’t disclose, is part of its €1-billion ($1.07-billion) commitment to the [...]

Nigeria's Dangote oil refinery has issued tenders to sell two fuel cargoes for export, the first from the newly commissioned refinery, trading sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The refinery, Africa's largest with a nameplate capacity of 650 000 bl/d, was built on a peninsula on the outskirts of the commercial capital Lagos [...]

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis says the city will invest R43-billion in infrastructure over the next three years. The ten-year project pipeline is valued at R120-billion.

South Africa produced its inaugural official gauge of the carbon intensity of its electricity production, confirming its status as one of the world’s top producers per capita of greenhouse gases. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and he Environment this month said that the country’s domestic generation grid emission factor a measure of the carbon intensity [...]

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is launching a programmeme to secure the supply of minerals critical to energy security, as demand rises fast while manufacturing remains in the hands of a few key producers, its executive director said on Tuesday. Fatih Birol said the production of electric cars, solar panels and other energy equipment requires [...]

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) says it has reached a deadlock and declared a dispute against employers at the South African Road Passenger Bargaining Council (SARPBC), as there has been no resolution on the union’s demands and employers have not responded to core demands. Numsa has convened a meeting of shop stewards [...]

Many energy projects selling to one buyer, who in turn sells to many mines – this procurement model is seen as a key financial tool to accelerate the energy transition of South Africa’s mining industry. “We think the aggregator model can really accelerate the requirements of the mines to get their energy from green electrons,” [...]

African Risk Capacity (ARC) has entered into a landmark $11.7-million partnership with the US government to increase access to parametric insurance in Africa. This will help to safeguard food security and strengthen climate resilience on the continent, by protecting vulnerable smallholder farmers that are facing climate change-related disasters, ARC says.

Adelaide Ruiters has been slogging away for ten years to get the world’s first woman-owned phosphate mine up and running. Now, 2024 looks like the year she'll likely do it. Ribbon-cutting for Adelaide Ruiters Mining and Exploration (ARME) is now expected around June, July ­– and being considered, possibly before year-end, is an initial public offering [...]