#PowerTracker Investigations

#PowerTracker investigations

Mpumalanga gas project aims to bridge JET gap

Development of R155-million LNG pilot in Amersfoort promoted as a way to alleviate energy shortages while South Africa transitions to renewable energy. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
23 February, 2024
The cobalt curse of the Congo

Cobalt is a critical energy transition mineral, but its use in batteries and electric vehicles comes at a high price for the Democratic Republic Congo. Oscar Nkala investigates...
14 February, 2024
‘New energy’ rush is stripping DRC’s natural assets

Mining companies cashing in on global demand for cobalt are destroying protected nature reserves in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Jonas Kiriko investigates...
05 February, 2024
Where’s the water for GH2 plan in Namib Desert?

John Grobler travels to the Daures Green Hydrogen Village pilot project in Namibia to find some answers...
23 January, 2024
How green is this hydrogen valley?

Puros is the northern-most of three ‘hydrogen valleys’ identified in the Namibian government’s GH2 masterplan. John Grobler visited to find out why...
18 January, 2024
Are municipalities good for JET money?

Financing for the Just Energy Transition is increasing, but is being undermined by indebted municipalities in Mpumalanga that are not bankable. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
29 November, 2023
Green concerns over green hydrogen

Namibia’s ambitious GH2 project poses threats to a sensitive biodiversity hotspot and local communities, critics say. John Grobler investigates...
17 November, 2023
Question marks over Namibia’s green hydrogen plans

Hyphen’s ambitious GH2 venture is flawed and opaque, according to local critics. John Grobler spoke to them...
16 November, 2023
Solar’s not shining for all in Cabo Delgado

Mozambique's Energy for All programme has made great strides in far northern Mozambique, but not everyone is happy with it. Buanamade Assane investigates...
30 October, 2023
Mpumalanga joins the green hydrogen shift

HySHiFT project at Secunda is pioneering sustainable aviation fuel to help meet South Africa’s industry decarbonisation goals. Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
25 October, 2023
Solar powers up lives in northern Mozambique

Government authorities and communities have switched to solar panels and photovoltaic plants to power health units, schools and water supply systems, reports Nelsa Momade Pedro...
17 October, 2023
Nampula far from renewable energy goals

Investors are keen to support solar power in Northern Mozambique, but development on the ground is slow to take off. Amade Abubacar investigates why...
10 October, 2023
Pledges roll in for SA’s energy transition

South Africa expects more pledges as COP28 gathers steam, but how far have Western countries come in delivering on previous commitments they made? Thabo Molelekwa investigates...
22 September, 2023
A spoke in Mpumalanga’s power wheel

Wheeling electricity offers a solution to South Africa’s power crisis, so why is it not happening in the energy heartland? Andiswa Matikinca and Thabo Molelekwa investigate...
30 August, 2023
SA’s coal lobby pushes back against green transition

Coal lobbying has long been an influential force in South Africa’s politics and economy. Thabo Molelekwa investigates its impacts on green energy investments...
19 June, 2023
The status of SA’s energy transition financing

Much has been made about the US$8.5-billion pledged to support South Africa’s Just Energy Transition. Thabo Molelekwa investigates where it is...
23 May, 2023
A new light on the future of Eskom’s assets

A business coalition in SA’s energy heartland proposes a private take-over of Eskom’s assets – but not everyone agrees with privatising energy production. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
15 May, 2023
Mind the (green skills) gap

SA’s transition to renewable energy is challenged by a shortage of skills development and training. Thabo Molelekwa investigates, with support from the Pulitzer Center...
04 April, 2023
JustSA answers #PowerTracker question

Launch of catalytic renewable energy programme in Mpumalanga follows Oxpeckers data exposé. Roxanne Joseph reports...
16 March, 2023
Coal-mining web encircles Africa’s oldest game reserve

'Get-rich-quick’ coal prospecting rights threaten ecologically & economically vulnerable areas bordering Hluhluwe-iMfolozi reserve. Tony Carnie investigates for Our Burning Planet...
10 March, 2023
Where are Mpumalanga’s new energy projects?

South Africa’s power capital is being left behind in the race for renewable energy generation, reports Andiswa Matikinca...
02 March, 2023
Left in the dust for a greener future

Environmentalists and coal-dependent communities say people at the frontline of SA’s energy transition are in the dark about how it will unfold. Thabo Molelekwa speaks to them...
25 January, 2023
South Africa’s energy transition rises in the east

Mpumalanga, the province ‘where the sun rises’, takes centre stage in SA’s Just Energy Transition Plan. Yolandi Groenewald unpicks the details...
18 November, 2022
Sweet and sour future for sugar power

Giant sugar companies in Eswatini diversified into biopower cogeneration to keep the lights on, but how long will the strategy last? Phathizwe Zulu investigates...
21 October, 2022
Biogas power raises hot air in Botswana

An ambitious public-private biogas project needs to be scaled up if it is to contribute to Botswana’s renewable energy targets by 2030. Sharon Tshipa investigates...
06 October, 2022
Zimbabwe changes gear for electric vehicles

In response to extreme climate fall-out, Zimbabwe is ramping up its transition to electric vehicles as one of its key mitigation measures. Debra Matabvu investigates...
28 September, 2022
South Africa (M)ainstreams wind and solar power

Independent producers are already feeding enough power into the grid to replace two coal-fired stations. Thabo Molelekwa investigates the status of SA’s renewable energy roll-out...
22 September, 2022
Gone with the wind: Lesotho’s $15-billion energy pipedream

A wind farm hailed as Africa’s largest renewable energy project and the solution to Lesotho’s hefty electricity costs has ground to a halt. Sechaba Mokhethi investigates why...
16 September, 2022
Meet the #PowerTracker journalists

Oxpeckers’ latest project, #PowerTracker, brings together journalists from across Southern Africa to investigate financing of renewable energy projects...
12 August, 2022
Deep Trouble: research shows coal is still king

While the world is shifting away from fossil fuels, data on planned new mines indicates the coal mining industry might not be winding down any time soon. Andiswa Matikinca reports...
25 June, 2021
SA sets hard rules at COP24

South Africa and its allies at the COP24 climate negotiations are pushing for a strong rulebook on the Paris Agreement. Yolandi Groenewald reports from Katowice...
13 December, 2018