Eskom secures R180 million for new Grootvlei power station training facility – De Ruyter

Eskom has received a €10 million (R180 million) grant from the German development bank KfW to establish a renewable energy training facility at Mpumalanga’s Grootvlei coal power station.

On Thursday, Eskom CEO André de Ruyter mentioned the agreement at COP27 in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. He was speaking about the steps taken to repurpose its coal-fired power plants, particularly Komati, which has become a model of a just transition.

Komati, which has been in operation since the 1960s, retired its final unit in October.

The power utility is collaborating with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology’s South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre to establish a renewable energy training facility at Komati. To train solar PV and wind technicians, the power utility is utilising CPUT’s curricula and accredited qualifications.

The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP) recently awarded Eskom a multimillion-rand grant for the training facility. Philanthropies such as the Rockefeller Foundation, the Bezos Earth Fund, and the IKEA Foundation are among those affiliated with GEAPP.

Grootvlei, which is also in Mpumalanga, will have a similar facility, according to De Ruyter.

“I am also very happy to announce we will replicate this training centre at our Grootvlei power station, where we have secured funding to the tune of €10 million from KfW, the German development bank,” said De Ruyter.

KfW confirmed to News24 that the agreement was reached after negotiations between the South African and German governments in October 2022.

The funding is provided through the German Financial Cooperation for a new programme called Skills for a Green and Just Energy Transition.

According to De Ruyter, there are approximately 200 000 trained people in Mpumalanga working in the coal value chain who should be upskilled and reskilled to participate in renewable energy sectors. Currently, he explained, there are approximately 16 000 vacancies in the wind and solar industries because people have not been trained for these jobs. As a result, training and reskilling people is a critical component of ensuring a just transition in the energy sector.

De Ruyter stated that labor’s concerns about job losses are “legitimate” He admitted that there would be job losses in the coal industry. However, studies show that the new industries will create 300,000 net jobs.

Meanwhile, the Komati power station has received approximately R9 billion (in concessional loans and grants) from the World Bank and partners for its repurposing, which would include 150MW of solar PV, 70MW of wind, and 150MW of battery storage capacity. Eskom will also construct 500kW agrivoltaic PV plants and a microgrid assembly line.

The repurposing is expected to generate 430 direct full-time jobs and 7 700 temporary jobs.

Mpho Makwana, Eskom’s chairperson, stated that similar repurposing strategies would be implemented at the stations Camden, Hendrina, and Grootvlei.