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The Latest Breaking News from Eskom

Johannesburg has taken a big new loan to help fix its electricity problems, but the results will take time

Just over a third (38%) of the residents of South Africa’s commercial capital, Johannesburg, reported being satisfied with their electricity services in a survey conducted in 2023/2024. This was down from 77% in 2017/18. The decline reflected years of citizen concerns about the service. In 2026 the auditor general noted…

The Conversation

Iran war is exposing South Africa’s dependency on diesel: what went wrong

It is forgivable to think that an oil shock mainly hurts at the petrol pump. After all, that is where households feel it first. But when my colleagues and I at the Bureau for Economic Research started digging through South Africa’s fuel data, a different story emerged – one that…

The Conversation

South African court orders Eskom to disclose R70 billion coal and diesel contracts – why the ruling matters

South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal recently ruled that the country’s state-owned electricity utility Eskom must disclose its contracts with coal and diesel suppliers. This is a major victory for transparency in a sector that has long been marked by secrecy, financial instability and weak public trust.

The Conversation

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South Africa’s power utility Eskom wants to cut electricity to municipalities that haven’t paid: households may pay the price

South Africa’s state-owned electricity provider, Eskom, announced in early March 2026 that it would cut off the power to 14 municipalities that collectively owe it more than R110 billion (US$6.5 billion). Energy economist Roula Inglesi-Lotz describes the growing crisis in South Africa’s power system, where many municipalities can’t pay their…

The Conversation

South Africa will run out of industrial gas by 2028 and 70,000 jobs could be lost – why government fixes are lacking

South Africa is about to have a gas supply crisis.

The Conversation

South Africa’s power utility Eskom tried to block a gold mine from going solar – but lost in court

South Africa’s national energy policy says: build more renewable power facilities and build them fast.

The Conversation

South Africa is moving away from coal – how mines and power stations could be used for green energy and farming

Globally, nearly 7,000 coal mines, more than 2,400 coal-fired power plants and hundreds of coal rail networks, trucks and port terminals all make up the world’s coal industry. When coal is phased out and green energy phased in, these coal assets can either be abandoned or turned into something that…

The Conversation

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Ramaphosa and a stable electricity system in South Africa: the devils are in the detail

The strategic significance of the reference to energy reform in South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address cannot be overstated.

The Conversation

Does South Africa have a future without power cuts? Ramaphosa intervenes, but the drama isn’t over

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his 2026 State of the Nation address, announced that the country’s electricity transmission assets would move out of state-owned Eskom. This will happen once the newly established National Transmission Company of South Africa is unbundled into a fully independent company.

The Conversation

South Africans are leaving the electricity network – but are solar mini-grids a fair solution?

South Africa’s electricity system is changing. After years of blackouts until 2024, the state-owned energy company Eskom is being unbundled into smaller companies, and the sector is increasingly open to private investment.

The Conversation

Connecting home solar and electric vehicle batteries to the grid could boost South Africa’s clean energy and strengthen the electricity system

South Africa has committed to reaching phasing out human-caused carbon pollution by 2050. To get there, it needs to push as much renewable energy as possible into the national grid.

The Conversation

Secret electricity price hikes in South Africa to be curbed in a game-changing court ruling

A recent high court judgment could be a game changer for the setting of municipal electricity tariffs in South Africa. In late October 2025, the court ruled that the process used by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) to decide yearly electricity price hikes was unconstitutional because it…

The Conversation

‘We are just sitting here’: South African coal belt town split over green transition

The country wants to cut greenhouse gas emissions without destroying livelihoods, but progress is slow – and the residents of a small town are in the crosshairs

The Guardian - UK

South Africa Launches Reform Of Derelict Municipalities

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa unveiled Wednesday a plan to revive South Africa's flagging local governments, weeks after publicly criticising the state of the financial capital Johannesburg as it prepares to host the G20 summit in November.

International Business Times

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The Conversation

South Africa finally has a masterplan for a renewable energy industry: here’s what it says

About 85% of South Africa’s electricity is produced by burning coal. The country’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out. To this end, the South African cabinet recently approved the country’s first renewable energy masterplan, which sets out what’s needed to establish new renewable…

The Conversation

Sugarcane trash can produce energy – what South Africa’s small farmers need to make this happen

Bioenergy – the renewable energy derived from plant and animal waste products – is largely ignored in South Africa. Solar energy, wind power, and green hydrogen attract most investment in renewable energy.

International Business Times

S.Africa Offers A Lesson On How Not To Shut Down A Coal Plant

The cold corridors of South Africa's once-mighty Komati coal-fired power plant have been quiet since its shutdown in 2022 in what was trumpeted as a pioneering project in the world's transition to green energy.

The Conversation

End of coal in South Africa: what 100,000 workers will need when their jobs go

South Africa’s move to renewable energy means that the coal industry will be phased out over the coming decades. This transition away from a fossil-fuel based economy will affect over 100,000 workers in coal mining and coal-fired power generation – and their families. Economics professor and director of the Development…

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The Conversation

South Africa’s 36.1% electricity price hike for 2025: why the power utility Eskom’s request is unrealistic

South Africa’s state-owned electricity company, Eskom, has applied to the National Energy Regulator of South Africa to approve a 36.1% electricity price hike from April 2025, a 11.8% price increase in 2026 and an 9.1% increase in 2027. Steven Mathetsa teaches and researches sustainable energy systems at the University of…

The Conversation

Gas isn’t a good alternative to coal – South Africa should focus on solar, wind and green hydrogen

South Africa is immersed in a “just energy transition” from a fossil fuel-based energy system to a cleaner, low-carbon energy system. This new system will be based primarily on renewable energy, such as solar, wind and green hydrogen.

The Conversation

Competition in South Africa’s electricity market: new law paves the way, but it won’t be a smooth ride

South Africa endured an electricity crisis from 2008 characterised by intermittent rolling blackouts and a growing culture of non-payment. The state-owned utility, Eskom, came to be regarded as the single largest risk to South Africa’s economy. At the end of March 2020 Eskom’s debt stood at R488 billion (US$27.4 billion).

The Conversation

Giant batteries to store wind and solar power can speed up South Africa’s energy transition – how that can happen

South Africa is at a pivotal moment in its energy transition: trying to decarbonise its economy (move away from coal) and make sure that everyone has access to reliable and affordable energy. Storage of renewable energy is very important for this transition. Solar and wind power are not available all…

The Conversation

Small towns in South Africa can benefit from renewable energy projects: here’s what developers should do

South Africa’s Northern Cape province has become a prime area for investment in renewable energy. It is host to 59 of the 112 large-scale renewable energy projects secured through the country’s flagship Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme by 2021. But have the communities hosting these new projects benefited…

The Conversation

Home solar systems in South Africa: more will be installed if households are given loans, free maintenance and security

South Africa is making efforts to increase the use of solar photovoltaic energy. But it’s happening at a very slow pace.

Al Jazeera

South Africa elections 2024: Key issues by the numbers

Unemployment, crime and access to electricity are some of the biggest issues on the ballot.

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