[South Africa plans to add 8GW a year to the grid]On June 2, 2023, South Africa's current rollout of solar and wind power to increase the share of solar and wind in the country's energy mix from 7% to 40% by 2030 is the fastest way out of the electricity crisis, according to the South African Presidency's Climate Commission (PCC). It is also the cheapest option to build the energy sector South Africa needs to stick to its global climate commitments. The PCC, which was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020 to advise on issues such as a just energy transition, released a set of recommendations on electricity planning in South Africa on June 1. The PCC said South Africa aimed to solve its power crisis by integrating at least 8GW of wind and solar power into the grid annually over the next two to four years. About 2.5GW of new renewable energy projects are now registered with South Africa's national energy regulator. Experience shows that this target is achievable in the first three months of 2023. Ultimately, South Africa will need to add 50 to 60Gw of renewable energy by 2030. Steve Nicholls, head of mitigation issues at the PCC and climate change adviser at the National Business Initiative, said this would take the share of renewables in South Africa's energy mix to about 40 per cent. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, coal-fired power will account for around 80% of electricity generation by 2022, with renewables (excluding hydropower) accounting for 7%. Editor/Xu Shengpeng
On April 29, 2026, the Chongqing Guizhou Back to Back Interconnection Project (Guizhou side) started construction in Xishui, Zunyi. Southern Power Grid invested 580 million yuan and plans to put it into operation in June 2027. The project involves the construction of 87.9 kilometers of transmission lines and 179 iron towers, connecting the national and southern power grids. The project is located in the mountainous area of northern Guizhou, and needs to overcome karst geology and 352 crossing difficulties. After being put into operation, it will meet the annual growth demand of 6.4% and 7.8% of the load in Chongqing and Guizhou. Editor/Cheng Liting
On April 27, 2026, the cumulative sales volume of natural gas in the Sichuan Chongqing exploration area of Daqing Oilfield has exceeded 5 billion cubic meters, reaching 5.03 billion cubic meters, and the daily gas production has remained stable at 5.7 million cubic meters, injecting strong momentum into the construction of the Chengdu Chongqing economic circle and national energy supply guarantee. Editor/Cheng Liting