Renewable Energy Certificates and Grid Emission Factors in Corporate and National Emissions Accounting

 

Date: Wednesday 29 October 2025.

Time: 10h00 – 12h30.

Platform: Zoom Webinar 1000.

Cost: Free-of-charge, all welcome.

 

Register to attend the webinar here

 

Hosted by: EE Business intelligence

 

Supported by: DFFE, Meridian Economics, Hulamin, Globeleq, MAC Consulting, Victoria Energy Policy Centre.

 

Presenters:

 

•  Presenter 1: Jongi Witi, Chief Directorate, Climate Change Monitoring and Evaluation, DFFE.

• Presenter 2: Dr Emily Tyler and Dr Brett Cohen, Meridian Economics.

• Presenter 3: Sanelisiwe Mdlalose, Sustainability Manager, Hulamin.

• Presenter 4: Jonathan Frick, Director: Business Development, Globeleq.

• Presenter 5: Prof. Bruce Mountain, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University, Australia.

• Presenter 6: Dave Collins, MAC Consulting.

 

Background and concept:

 

South Africa’s electricity supply industry (ESI) is undergoing a profound restructuring as unbundling and liberalisation take hold. Alongside these structural reforms, a critical technical and policy issue is emerging: how to identify and track the clean energy attributes of electricity as distinct from the underlying electrons in a robust and credible manner that supports both voluntary and compliance-based electricity emissions reporting.  

 

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE) has published a methodology for calculating South Africa’s Grid Emission Factor (GEF), but this 2021 framework did not anticipate the new market reality where IPPs, traders and Eskom Green may sell electrons and RECs separately. Without a system for creation, transfer and retirement of RECs, South Africa risks distorted carbon accounting, regulatory gaps, and reputational risks for both government and corporates.

 

This webinar will:

 

• Explore the implications of REC trading and market reform for GEF calculations, robust emissions reporting, and rigorous corporate Scope 2 accounting under the Greenhouse Gas Protocol.

• Assess international best practice in REC tracking and emissions-factor methodologies.

• Consider the institutional and systems architectures required to govern REC issuance, verification and tracking.

• Discuss the calculation of the National Grid Emission Factor (NGEF) – especially as Eskom Green, IPPs and imports alter the carbon intensity of the residual grid mix.

• Highlight the risks for companies on their assumptions about a reducing grid emissions factor and accompanying decarbonisation.

 

Expert speakers will draw on analysis from the DFFE, NBI, Meridian Economics, CSIR, UCT-ESRG and industry stakeholders to unpack these emerging challenges and chart a way forward.

 

Register to attend the webinar here

Format: 

 

This will be a 2.5-hour webinar conducted on the Zoom Webinar 1000 platform, which can accommodate up to 1000 concurrent participants/attendees. Six expert presenters will present on various aspects of the subject of the webinar and thereafter there will be a 30-minute open discussion and Q & A session, before closure.

 

Target audience

 

• Policy makers, government officials, regulators and standards bodies.

• Leaders and decision makers in business, manufacturing, industry and mining.

• Engineers, technologists, technicians and ICT professionals.

• Development finance institutions, commercial banks, investment funds and financiers.

• Renewable energy IPPs, developers and EPCs.

• Electricity generators, transmission system operators, market operators and distributors

• Municipalities, electricity utilities, Eskom and other state-owned enterprises.

• Economic, legal, financial, accounting, consulting, sustainability reporting and planning professionals.

• Organised labour, NGOs and civil society.

• Universities, researchers and academia.

 

Programme

 

10h00 – 10h05: Welcome and housekeeping: Chris Yelland, EE Business Intelligence.

10h05 – 10h20: Presenter 1: Jongi Witi, Chief Directorate, Climate Change Monitoring and evaluation, DFFE.

10h20 – 10h50: Presenter 2: Emily Tyler and Brett Cohen, Meridian Economics.

10h50 – 11h05: Presenter 3: Sanelisiwe Mdlalose, Sustainability Manager, Hulamin (to be confirmed).

11h05 – 11h20: Presenter 4: Jonathan Frick, Director: Business Development, Globeleq.

11h20 – 11h30: Comfort break

11h30 – 11h45: Presenter 5: Prof. Bruce Mountain, Victoria Energy Policy Centre, Victoria University, Australia.

11h45 – 12h00: Presenter 6: Dave Collins, MAC Consulting.

12h00 – 12h28: Q & A session: Facilitated by Chris Yelland.

12h28 – 12h30: Thanks and closure: Chris Yelland.

 

Register to attend the webinar here