In this episode, Investec's Martin Meyer and Ayan Ghosh are joined by Rudi Dicks, the head of project management in the office of the Presidency. Together they discuss the challenges facing Eskom and the feasibility of the plans to turn the ailing utility around. The episode covers infrastructure constraints, particularly in transmission, skills needed, investment, collaboration, unbundling, and a look at Brazil as a developing country from which SA can learn much about renewable energy transition.

00:00 Intro

02:04 Eskom’s “chicken and egg” maintenance dilemma

04:16 German VGBE consortium’s damning report

06:28 Investment in transmission is the most important factor

07:40 Eskom needs to decarbonize for economic and sustainability reasons

11:08 Balancing FDI and local investment into renewables

12:43 Progress on the unbundling of Eskom into three separate entities

15:59 South Africans will need to be patient. The transition will be slow

16:37 What lessons can we learn from Brazil’s energy transition

18:22 South Africa is the leading investment destination for renewable energy

20:58 Poor logistics network is impacting Eskom

23:07 Evidence providing hope that Eskom is on the right track

This episode was brought to you by Investec Corporate and Institutional Banking. The Energy and Infrastructure team offer funding solutions and a full range of specialist financial services across a wide range of infrastructure sectors, including renewable energy.

The team comprises diverse skills in banking, advisory, finance, law, engineering, power development and project management.

Learn more: https://www.investec.com/en_za/investec-for-corporates/finance/power-and-infrastructure-finance.html ICIB Energy and Infrastructure finance · Investec Focus Radio SA