Page 11 - AfrElec Week 47 2020

AfrElec NEWS IN BRIEF AfrElec

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Gold Fields had said in its 2019 annual
report it was pursuing solar power generation
capability at South Deep - which was
dependent on legislation changes being
considered at the time - given “reliable
electrical power supply in South Africa
remains a significant risk”.
In a 2019 presentation, it said South
Africa’s electricity tariffs had risen 500%
over the past 11 years and rotating power
curtailments were frequent.
SA’s PIC willing to help Mantashe to begin the process to procure and rising, and a 40MW on-site PV project
South Deep’s peak demand was 56MW
the new capacity, as set out in the Integrated
Eskom resolve debt Resource Plan for Electricity 2019 to 2030 could meet about 20% of the operation’s
power needs, and reduce emissions by about
(IRP 2019) which was published in October
The Public Investment Corp., Africa’s biggest 2019. 100,000t of CO2 per year, it said.
fund manager, is willing to help South According to the determination, which was South Deep has an estimated remaining
African power utility Eskom Holdings SOC received by NERSA in August, the generator mine life of more than 70 years, with the
Ltd. resolve its debt crisis, Finance Minister of the nuclear power produced from the current reserves forecast to be depleted in
Tito Mboweni said at the Bloomberg Capital new capacity will be Eskom Holdings (SOC) 2093.
Markets Focus. Limited, or another “organ of state”, possibly South Africa recently gazetted plans
“Most of the bonds actually are held by the in partnership with another party. The buyer to address state-owned utility Eskom’s
PIC and the banks and so on,” Mboweni said. of the electricity will be Eskom “or any entity “unacceptably high” level of failures, including
“Eskom treasury is working on this matter determined through Eskom’s unbundling looking to procure 11,800MW of new supply
together with National Treasury of South process as the future buyer of electricity”. and removing the licensing requirement for
Africa, to make sure we smooth out the bonds The nuclear new build programme will be self-generation projects under 1MW.
as they mature,” Bloomberg reported. procured by the Department of Mineral A secure power supply had been labelled a
skom’s debt had ballooned to ZAR488 Resources and Energy, or another organ of priority by the Minerals Council South Africa
billion ($31.8 billion) by the end of March, state, and the procurer will be responsible for earlier this year, after miners were hamstrung
almost 11% more than it owed a year earlier. determining the procurement process, which by unprecedented stage six load-shedding
The utility’s finances have deteriorated despite will be established through a “fair, equitable, (outages) in December 2019.
the government having given it 188 billion transparent, competitive and cost-effective”
rand in grants and loans over the past decade. tendering procedure.
“The key issue in South Africa is that “NERSA has not yet formulated any
Eskom must manage their business, they opinions on the issues that are raised in this SOL AR
must manage their income stream and their consultation paper, but is raising them so
borrowing program because all of us need that stakeholders can give their opinions and Bboxx Secures Loan to
Eskom to be successful,” he said. input on these issues in order to assist NERSA
to make a well-considered decision,” the Accelerate Energy Access
regulator said in the consultation document.
in DRC
NUCLEAR
Bboxx, a next generation utility, has secured
Regulator opens SA’s SOL AR a $4 million loan from the Facility for Energy
Inclusion Off-Grid Energy Access Fund (FEI
nuclear proposals for Gold Fields a step closer to OGEF), a debt fund managed by Lion’s Head
Global Partners (LHGP).
comment solar power at South Deep in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
The loan will accelerate Bboxx’s operations
The National Energy Regulator of South Gold Fields has been wanting to set up a across Kivu, Ituri and Tshopo provinces with
Africa (NERSA) is inviting public 40MW photovoltaic plant at the energy- ambitions to expand further in the country.
comment on the government’s plans for the intensive operation since 2017, to mitigate Currently, only around 19% of the DRC
procurement of 2500 MW of new nuclear power supply issues in South Africa and population has access to electricity, and for
generation capacity. The regulator has reduce its carbon footprint. those that do have access, electricity can be
published a 21-page consultation paper on The National Energy Regulator of South unreliable1.
which the public has until 5 February to Africa (NERSA) said the South Deep joint The DRC is already a core market for
comment. It will then hold public hearings venture had lodged an application for an Bboxx, which manufactures, distributes and
through online platforms, World Nuclear electricity generation licence for the proposed finances decentralized solar powered systems
News reported. 40MW PV facility. in developing countries. The company has
This follows a “determination” by Minister NERSA said an online public hearing positively impacted many lives through access
of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede would be held on December 3 and written to clean, reliable and affordable energy - and

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