Botswana plans to add 600 MW of coal-fired and solar power by 2026

Botswana plans to add 600 MW of solar and coal-fired power in the next six years as the country looks to wean itself off imports while also eyeing power exports, the minerals and energy minister said on Monday. Botswana currently has national demand of 600 MW, but recurring breakdowns at one of its main power stations have left the country reliant on imports and diesel generators to cover shortfalls.
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Sasol Lake Charles project remains shut after Hurricane Laura

Petrochemicals company Sasol says manufacturing facilities at its Lake Charles Chemicals Complex, in the US, remain shut down as a result of Hurricane Laura. The group last week activated its inclement weather protocols at the complex, in preparation for Hurricane Laura, which made landfall near the project on August 27.
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Ethiopia seeks US clarification on reports of planned aid cut

Ethiopia asked the US government to clarify reports it may withhold about $130-million of aid in a bid to pressure the Horn of Africa nation to review its plans to fill a new dam that have affronted its neighbors. “We have asked for clarification on reports of the United States’ decision not to give the $130-million it assigned to Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US, said on Twitter. “We have heard that the issue is related to the ongoing negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
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Coal to remain relevant despite growing shift to renewable energy, says consultancy

The use of coal is enabling the energy transition, owing to its provision of a basis for the economy to develop, drive wealth and enable economic progress, which then, in turn, creates and enables the funds for stronger and further investment into renewable energy, says Boston Consulting Group MD and partner Tycho Möncks. “Very often the discussion is that coal and renewables are enemies; that it’s either one or the other and I don’t think that’s the right mindset [to have],” he tells Engineering News and Mining Weekly.
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Regulations, pricing a challenge for local LNG uptake

Despite there being vast benefits to using liquefied natural gas (LNG) locally, natural gas producer Renergen tells Engineering News that regulations and pricing are impeding the growth of the LNG sector.
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LPG upcoming in SA’s energy mix

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has an important role to play in the complete energy mix of South Africa – it is a clean-burning, sustainable and portable fuel, with further applications in water heating, space heating and cooking, says industry association and body the Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association of South Africa (LPGSA).
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Laser tech key to developing economy

It is vital that South Africa has an in-depth understanding of the impact photonics-based technologies will have on its economic development, as they underpin the communication systems and sensors needed to drive the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The country also needs to ensure that it can develop, engineer and incorporate new photonics-based technologies into its economy and people’s daily lives, says Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) National Laser Centre (NLC) research implementation manager Hardus Greyling.
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Regional developments expected to ignite South Africa’s gas economy

There has long been discussions about the development of a gas economy having the potential to help transform the South African landscape and, despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, about gas emerging as a game changer both in terms of its role in the country’s energy transition and the new opportunities it presents. These opportunities for South Africa are likely to arise directly from the megascale liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects that are starting to take shape in northern Mozambique, as well as various other projects in and around the country.
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M&R holds on to shrinking South African unit amid hopes of infrastructure-led recovery

JSE-listed engineering and construction group Murray & Roberts (M&R) is “holding on” to its South African-aligned business unit that focuses on power, industrial and water despite the fact that its contribution to the group’s R54.2-billion order book has slumped to less than one percent, or only R400-million. By contrast, M&R’s energy, resources and infrastructure platform, which is headquartered in Australia, but also has global activities, reported a record order book of R34.4-billion at the end of June, which helped lift M&R’s overall order book to its highest level in 15 years.
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Camden power station resumes operations

Operations at the Camden power station resumed on August 27 after a four-month shutdown. The shutdown was implemented to relocate ash from an unsafe dam at the station.
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