Minister of Electricity and Energy, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has announced the preferred bidders under the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP) Bid Window 3, which sees Mulilo and Scatec appointed to undertake the five projects. 

In her newsletter this week, Busisiwe Mavuso, CEO of Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) reflects on the shocking financial state of the country’s municipalities and the constraints this imposes on economic growth. Her comments follow the release by the Auditor-General, Tsakani Maluleke, of the latest report on local government, which reveals that the City of Cape Town is the only one of the eight metros to achieve a clean audit. Buffalo City, Tshwane, Mangaung and Nelson Mandela Bay received qualified audits, indicating material failures in the accounts. The City of Johannesburg, eThekwini and Ekurhuleni received unqualified audits but with findings, indicating that the accounts are reliable but that some matters need attention. Mavuso notes that the worst opinion an auditor can deliver is a disclaimer, which means the auditor has not been able to form an opinion on the financial statements at all. This applies to sixteen municipalities across the country.

LH Marthinusen, a division of the ACTOM Group, launched its new industrial fan manufacturing and services factory in Driehoek, Germiston, Ekurhuleni on the 29th of May. The expanded and upgraded facility was officially opened by Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition, Mpho Parks Tau, and Mervyn Naidoo, Group CEO of ACTOM.

Confirming that local innovation, when properly supported, can scale rapidly and sustainably, solar fintech company, Wetility, is emerging as one of South Africa’s most dynamic renewable energy companies. Backed in its early stages by the MultiChoice Innovation Fund (MIF), Wetility has fully repaid its loan well ahead of schedule, a notable achievement in the South African start-up landscape.

Discovery Green, a Discovery Limited business, in partnership with global energy company Sasol, in May announced the launch of Ampli Energy – a market-first month-to-month renewable energy product that offers South African businesses, big or small, immediate access to green energy at scale through the national grid.