Terence Creamer
Terence Creamer is the Editor of Engineering News and a Deputy Editor for Mining Weekly. He also has editorial responsibility for Polity.org.za and Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa.
Reflect and recommit
26th April 2024 Memories are short and it often feels like they are becoming shorter not only because of the flood of information associated with the 24-hour news... →
Can South Africa turn around 30 years of real economy underperformance?
26th April 2024 In this essay, Terence Creamer reflects on the factors that have shaped South Africa’s real-economy sectors of manufacturing, mining and... →
South Africa aims to set up three JET-aligned skills development zones
24th April 2024 Three Just Energy Transition (JET) skills development zones focusing on renewables and grids, electric vehicles and green hydrogen value chains are... →
Ramokgopa describes IPP surpluses as low-hanging fruit amid delay in finding contractual solution
22nd April 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa describes surplus electricity arising from existing renewable energy facilities as “low hanging fruit”... →
NTCSA begins consultations on market code to govern shift towards competitive electricity industry
19th April 2024 With the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA) currently scheduled to be operationalised in July and efforts under way to ensure that... →
Mixed outlook
19th April 2024 The recent period of decreased loadshedding has been met with tremendous scepticism by a South African public who have been burnt more times over... →
Private renewables procurement may mitigate boom-bust cycles curbing South Africa’s green industrialisation
18th April 2024 The combination of public and private procurement of large-scale renewables in South Africa signals increased stability for manufacturers of key... →
Eskom says modest R9m RCA request not a signal of alignment with Nersa on calculations
17th April 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has initiated consultations on Eskom’s latest Regulatory Clearing Account (RCA) application... →
Stage 16 loadshedding code seeks to reduce human error not signal imminent surge in cuts – Nersa
16th April 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) has belatedly moved to quell concern that its recent approval of a new loadshedding code of... →
South Africa’s ranking in World Energy Trilemma Index falls
16th April 2024 South Africa has fallen to sixty-ninth from sixty-fourth on the World Energy Council’s (WEC’s) latest World Energy Trilemma Index which ranks more... →
Attitudinal shift
12th April 2024 It is estimated that about 2.5 GW of rooftop solar was installed across South Africa last year; a trend that was expected to continue at the start... →
Ramokgopa says ‘degree of convergence’ reached with NTCSA on unlocking private participation in grid
9th April 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that a “degree of convergence” has been reached between his Ministry and the National... →
Eskom aims to keep breakdowns below 14 GW this winter as it cuts diesel budget
9th April 2024 State-owned electricity utility Eskom will reduce planned maintenance to 3 000 MW during the upcoming winter season and will seek to keep unplanned... →
Out of step
5th April 2024 Following wholly inadequate public consultations, stakeholders have submitted their written comments on the Department of Mineral Resources and... →
BLSA calls for immediate reworking of IRP, describing assumptions as ‘spurious’
2nd April 2024 Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA), whose members include the largest domestic and foreign companies operating in South Africa, has added its... →
Important milestone
29th March 2024 The passing of the Electricity Regulation Act (ERA) by the National Assembly earlier this month represents a significant milestone in the ongoing... →
Release of Gas Master Plan approved at Cabinet’s last official meeting ahead of May poll
28th March 2024 Cabinet approved the publication of the long-awaited Gas Master Plan for public comment during what was the last formal meeting of the executive... →
Eskom board considers enlarging and extending Standard Offer Programme
25th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that the Eskom board is considering lifting the current 1 000 MW allocation set aside for its... →
NTCSA unbundling secures lender consent, Ramokgopa confirms
25th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa reports that Eskom’s eight “lender groups” have given their consent to the establishment of the National... →
Independent power producer body rejects an IRP that ‘plans to fail’
20th March 2024 The South African Independent Power Producer Association (SAIPPA) has added its voice to a growing chorus of opposition to the draft Integrated... →
SAWEA wants IRP overhaul as it questions massively diminished role for wind in current draft
18th March 2024 The South African Wind Energy Association’s (SAWEA’s) formal response to the draft Integrated Resource Plan 2023 (IRP 2023) questions both the... →
Not so quiet revolution
15th March 2024 For several years, the roll-out of rooftop solar, batteries and inverters has been referred to as South Africa’s quite revolution. While Eskom... →
IPPO confirms May 30 renewables bid deadline as it moves to accommodate grid quotes and curtailment
13th March 2024 The Independent Power Producer Office (IPPO) has confirmed that the deadline for submissions under Bid Window Seven (BW7) of the Renewable Energy... →
Eskom mulls integration of Vgbe report recommendations into revised recovery plan but hints at ‘inaccuracies’
11th March 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says Eskom’s new CEO, Dan Marokane, will offer a comprehensive outline of a revised generation recovery... →
Mgojo says collaborative efforts will enable Transnet to report higher volumes than initially forecast
8th March 2024 Business Unity South Africa president Mxolisi Mgojo reports that the collaboration between business and government to turn around the performance... →
Progress, but too slow
8th March 2024 There is growing impatience over the slow pace at which the South African government is moving to harness the $11.6-billion in concessional loans... →
Move to formalise deal on injecting private skills into Eskom amid plan to add and recover 10.6 GW by end-2025
6th March 2024 Government and business have set a goal of increasing South Africa’s electricity generation capacity by 10.6 GW by the end of 2025 as part of... →
Eskom says it is on track for permanent repair of Kusile stack by December
5th March 2024 Eskom insists it is on track to complete the repairs to the ducts in the west stack at the Kusile power station by December 2024, ahead of the... →
Assessment of Eskom coal fleet warns ‘fixation on the EAF is a dead end’
1st March 2024 An expert assessment of the state of Eskom’s 14 coal-fired power stations conducted between March and May 2023 describes the prevailing “fixation”... →
PPP reforms could avert need for prescribed-assets policy to increase private infrastructure investment – Pieterse
1st March 2024 National Treasury director-general Dr Duncan Pieterse says the reforms being proposed to facilitate greater private sector investment into... →
Full transparency
1st March 2024 The decision to drawdown R150-billion from the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency Reserve Account (GFECRA) to reduce government borrowings and... →
Cabinet and business praise Sasol and TFR for ‘first-of-its-kind’ partnership to repair 128 ammonia tankers
29th February 2024 Both Cabinet and organised business have lauded the five-year public-private partnership agreement between Sasol and Transnet Freight Rail (TFR),... →
Business sees appointment of Phillips as key step in accelerating Transnet Recovery Plan
29th February 2024 Organised business says the appointment of a permanent executive team at Transnet – led by CEO Michelle Phillips, who has been acting in the role... →
Settling on funding solutions for expedited grid infrastructure set as a Just Energy Transition Investment Plan priority
27th February 2024 Finalising funding solutions for the expedited expansion of South Africa’s electricity transmission grid has been identified as a key priority for... →
Ramokgopa says govt close to finalising structure for private grid financing
26th February 2024 Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa says all the work being done by government on the financial structure to facilitate private investment... →
Another 124 power plants registered with Nersa raising total to 1 087 since 2018
23rd February 2024 The National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) reports that a further 124 generation facilities were registered during the third quarter of... →
Crunch time
23rd February 2024 The consequences of policy failure in electricity are so obvious there is no need to ventilate them again. Not so for gas, however, given that they... →
Eskom insists downward EAF slide has been ‘arrested’ amid Stage 4 loadshedding
22nd February 2024 Eskom insists the performance of its unreliable generation fleet is on an improving trajectory, releasing a graphic-heavy statement on February 22... →
Godongwana draws down R150bn from gold and forex account to reduce borrowings and debt-service costs
21st February 2024 Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana unveiled a far-reaching reform in relation to government’s treatment of the Gold and Foreign Exchange Contingency... →
R4bn may be removed from Eskom debt-relief for failure to meet EFC sale deadline
21st February 2024 The South African government is proposing to reduce its planned allocations to Eskom under a previously announced R254-billion debt-relief package... →
