Scatec will own 51% of the equity in the Mogobe BESS project. (SCATEC)

Scatec ASA has reached financial close for one of Africa’s first and largest standalone dispatchable battery energy storage system (BESS) called the Mogobe facility near Kathu, Northern Cape, which is close to high power demand centres

With an estimated capacity of 103 MW / 412 MWh, final preparations are ongoing before the beginning of its construction. Worth US$170mn of capex, the project's engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contracts that will be covered by Scatec, accounts for approximately 83%. Scatec will also provide operations & maintenance (O&M) as well as asset management (AM) services. 

Scatec will own 51% of the equity in the project with Perpetua Mogobe owning 46.5% and a holding company of the Mogobe Local Community Trust 2.5%. 

“This marks a new milestone for Scatec in South Africa and for the renewable energy transition in the country. The Mogobe BESS project is a first of a kind and reaffirms our standing as a leading renewable energy player in South Africa. We continue to see attractive growth opportunities in the market based on the need for growth in power generation, our strong position in the country and our strong and competent local team,” said Scatec CEO Terje Pilskog.

“We are showing and supporting that dispatchable energy and grid infrastructure are cornerstones to the sustainability of South Africa’s current and future energy system. By unlocking more grid capacity, we are enabling further electricity access, as well as enabling more renewable energy grid connections in years to come,” said Roar Haugland, executive vice-president, sub-Saharan Africa, Scatec.

Financing innovative energy solutions

Mogobe BESS was awarded a 15-year power purchase agreement (PPA) under the first bid window of the Battery Energy Storage Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (BESIPPPP) in South Africa. As part of the PPA, Scatec will receive payments for making the storage capacity available for the National Transmission Company of South Africa (NTCSA) which will utilise the capacity to balance the grid.

The project will be financed by US$154mn of non-recourse project debt, with the Standard Bank of South Africa as mandated lead arranger, and the remaining by equity from the owners.

“Standard Bank is proud to continue our long-standing partnership with Scatec as the lead arranger for the groundbreaking Mogobe BESS project. This facility represents a significant step forward in South Africa’s energy transition, building on our successful collaboration on projects like Kenhardt. We’re committed to financing innovative energy solutions that drive sustainable development and economic growth in South Africa and across the continent,” said Rentia van Tonder, head of power - corporate and investment banking, Standard Bank of South Africa. 

Incidentally, South Africa remains one of the nine pilot countries – impacted by climate policies – which the European Investment Bank Global will support with its just resilience approach launched during the COP28. 

Emissions are set to almost halve by 2050. (Image source: DNV)

DNV has released its 'Energy Transition Outlook', which notes that 2024 will go down as the year of peak energy emissions 

Energy-related emissions are at the cusp of a prolonged period of decline for the first time since the industrial revolution. Emissions are set to almost halve by 2050, but this is a long way short of requirements of the Paris Agreement. The Outlook forecasts the planet will warm by 2.2 °C by end of the century.

The peaking of emissions is largely due to plunging costs of solar and batteries which are accelerating the exit of coal from the energy mix and stunting the growth of oil. Annual solar installations increased 80% last year as it beat coal on cost in many regions. Cheaper batteries, which dropped 14% in cost last year, are also making the 24-hour delivery of solar power and electric vehicles more affordable. The uptake of oil was limited as electrical vehicles sales grew by 50%. In China, where both of these trends were especially pronounced, peak gasoline is now in the past.

China is dominating much of the global action on decarbonisation at present, particularly in the production and export of clean technology. It accounted for 58% of global solar installations and 63% of new electrical vehicle purchases last year. And whilst it remains the world’s largest consumer of coal and emitter of CO2, its dependence on fossil fuels is set to fall rapidly as it continues to install solar and wind. China is the dominating exporter of green technologies although international tariffs are making their goods more expensive in some territories.

“Solar PV and batteries are driving the energy transition, growing even faster than we previously forecasted,” said Remi Eriksen, group president and CEO of DNV. “Emissions peaking is a milestone for humanity. But we must now focus on how quickly emissions decline and use the available tools to accelerate the energy transition. Worryingly, our forecasted decline is very far from the trajectory required to meet the Paris Agreement targets. In particular, the hard-to-electrify sectors need a renewed policy push.”

Striking shifts in energy mix

The success of solar and batteries is not replicated in the hard-to-abate sectors, where essential technologies are scaling slowly. DNV has revised the long-term forecast for hydrogen and its derivatives down by 20% (from 5% to 4% of final energy demand in 2050) since last year. And although DNV has revised up its carbon capture and storage forecast, only 2% of global emissions will be captured by CCS in 2040 and 6% in 2050. A global carbon price would accelerate the uptake of these technologies.

Wind remains an important driver of the energy transition, contributing to 28% of electricity generation by 2050. In the same timeframe, offshore wind will experience 12% annual growth rate although the current headwinds impacting the industry are weighing on growth.

Despite these challenges, the peaking of emissions is a sign that the energy transition is progressing. The energy mix is moving from a roughly 80/20 mix in favour of fossil fuels today, to one which is split equally between fossil and non-fossil fuels by 2050. In the same timeframe, electricity use will double, which is also at the driver of energy demand only increasing 10%.

“There is a growing mismatch between short term geopolitical and economic priorities versus the need to accelerate the energy transition. There is a compelling green dividend on offer which should give policymakers the courage to not only double down on renewable technologies, but to tackle the expensive and difficult hard-to-electrify sectors with firm resolve,” added Eriksen

The Outlook also examines the impact of artificial intelligence on the energy transition. AI will have a profound impact on many aspects of the energy system, particularly for the transmission and distribution of power. And although data points are currently sparse, DNV does not forecast that the energy footprint of AI will alter the overall direction of the transition. It will account for 2% of electricity demand by 2050.

*CO2 emissions from the combustion of coal, oil and gas

The programme aims to bridge the gap between diesel and alternative fuel. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Fleet Advantage has launched at the IAA Transportation 24 Conference its 'EV Path' programme designed to support heavy duty fleet organisations in their transition to electric vehicle (EV) and alternative fuel trucks

Developed to provide a practical solution, the new programme will match the monthly lease payment on the lease of the electric truck, to that of a diesel truck, which represents a more digestible investment level for the fleet. This could represent savings to the fleet of up to US$3,000.00 per truck, per month, in addition to off-loading the bulk of the equipment’s residual risk. 

Fleet Advantage is also planning a rollout later this year of an extension of its fleet services offerings where they will introduce additional consultative services to help fleet clients with a suite of solutions to maximise the acquisition, utilisation, maintenance, and surrender of EV and alternative fuel truck leases.

In an industry benchmark survey conducted in February 2023, 65% of respondents said they were most interested in electric trucks, while 15% cited hydrogen and 25% CNG. 45% of the respondents also noted that the time frame to deploy alternative fuel trucks would be 5-10 years. This past year in a follow up survey it was noted that those numbers were shifting, with 33.3% indicating EV over the next 5-7 years (29.6% saying another 10 years), and 38.5% indicating hydrogen. This timetable for electric truck adoption continues to change, as three years ago the majority (54%) said they didn’t plan to deploy electric trucks for 5-10 years. Also interesting is that the most recent survey shows that roughly 25% of fleets still do not see the value in adopting electric nor hydrogen trucks, respectively. All of this change reinforces the fact that fleets have unique timelines in how they wish to bridge over to alternative fuels.

Empowering fleets for smooth transition

“Adopting electric trucks is not just an environmental mandate but also a significant financial commitment,” said Brian Holland, president and CEO of Fleet Advantage. “Our innovative EV Path programme is yet another pioneering initiative developed by our team, designed to bridge the gap between traditional diesel fuel vehicles and the future of alternative fuel-powered transportation. By offering flexible financing solutions with practicality in mind and fleet services support, we aim to empower fleets to make the transition smoothly and effectively.”

Permanently storing carbon dioxide generally has better sustainability credentials than utilising CO2. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

While covering all aspects and technologies of the CCUS value chain, a new report by IDTechEx titled 'Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) Markets 2025-2045: Technologies, Market Forecasts, and Players' has interestingly noted how policymakers and key industrial players are focusing more on carbon dioxide storage, increasingly dropping the 'U' (utilisation) from discussions at conferences and expos

The report has found that by 2045, the world will be sequestering 1.6 gigatonnes per annum of CO2 underground, as dedicated geological storage of carbon dioxide will outpace enhanced oil recovery as the end result for CO2 capture. Major oil and gas players such as Shell, Equinor, and Chevron are leveraging decades of subsurface expertise to open-up storage in saline aquifers.

Permanently storing carbon dioxide generally has better sustainability credentials than utilising CO2. This is because permanently sequestering CO2 captured from an industrial process in dedicated underground storage is a net-zero process (or even net-negative for some CO2 sources). In contrast, captured CO2 returns to the atmosphere on short time scales for several CO2 utilisation applications, such as when a fuel synthesised from CO2 is combusted. Storing CO2 is therefore better suited to meeting emission reduction targets.

For industry stakeholders from the African energy market, CCS will be vital in attracting energy investments and eradicating energy poverty from the continent.

Decarbonising oil & gas assets

Fossil fuel infrastructure won’t disappear overnight, but existing assets can be decarbonised. New CCUS enhanced oil recovery projects are still expected in the future because the oil produced by this method has a much lower carbon footprint than typical oil extraction. Alternatively, drop-in replacements to fossil fuels can be made by utilising CO2, such as CO2-derived e-fuels. Such low-carbon fuels are seeing demand from the aviation and maritime sectors, where full electrification remains unfeasible for decarbonisation.

In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, the Habshan Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage project is one of the largest carbon capture projects that will have the capacity to capture and permanently store 1.5 mn tonnes per annum (mtpa) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) within geological formations deep underground.