Kangnas Wind Farm starts commercial operations

The Kangnas Wind Farm on November 15 achieved its commercial operations date, making it the first Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) Bid Window 4 wind farm in the Northern Cape to come on stream.

Construction started in June, 2018 but was halted by the national Covid-19 lockdown, as were many other wind farm projects, only starting again after May 19.

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Opinion: Breathing fresh air into old coal power stations

In this opinion piece, Wärtsilä South African business development manager Wayne Glossop writes about the benefits of converting old coal-fired power plants to modern gas engine power plants. AGL Energy Limited undertook a successful transformation of an old coal plant to a modern flexible gas engine power plant to support more renewables into the South Australian power system
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Sasol working to reset business for low-carbon world

Financially an environmentally beleaguered energy and chemicals group Sasol is working to reset its business for a low-carbon world. Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer unpacks the emerging strategy.
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Eskom ordered to rectify pollution issues at three power plants

Eskom Holdings, South Africa’s state power utility, was ordered to comply with pollution limits at three of its coal-fired plants this year while two more are being investigated, the government’s environment department said in its first disclosure about most of the orders. The violations listed in the National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report 2019-20 include excessive emissions of particulate matter and groundwater pollution. The violations and orders are as follows:
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Vivo sees growth potential for hybrid fuel, solar energy solution in Africa’s mining sector

Vivo Energy, which sells and distributes Shell- and Engen-branded fuels and lubricants in Africa, believes it will be able to transform how energy is supplied to mines across the continent. It announced last month that it had reached an agreement to supply Canadian mining company Robex Resources’ Nampala gold mine, in Mali, with a hybrid fuel and solar energy solution for a period of five to fifteen years.
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Cape Town’s largest bus company now a net exporter of green energy 

Cape Town’s largest bus company, Golden Arrow Bus Services (GABS), has become a net exporter of electricity. This achievement is the culmination of a multiyear collaborative effort between Golden Arrow, New Southern Energy and the City of Cape Town.
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Glencore tests market for self-generation solutions at chrome, vanadium operations

Mining group Glencore has issued a pre-qualifying tender for companies interested in supplying ‘alternative green’ electricity and storage solutions to its chrome and vanadium operations in South Africa. In the tender notice, Glencore Alloys states that the generation facilities should have a capacity to produce between 10 MW and 20 MW of electricity, with storage capacity of 1 MWh to 2 MWh.
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Makwetu hailed as gentle, unwavering giant in the fight against corruption

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) president Sipho Pityana has hailed outgoing Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu as a gentle and yet unwavering giant in the fight against corruption and maladministration, following the news of his death. Makwetu died on Wednesday, at a hospital in Johannesburg, following his battle with lung cancer since 2016. 
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CER lauds court halting Thabametsi power station plans

The Centre for Environmental Rights says major climate impacts and exorbitant costs have managed to sound the death knell for one of the last new proposed coal-fired power stations in South Africa.

The environmental organisation’s statement follows the successful setting aside of plans for the Thabametsi power plant in court, after litigation launched by environmental justice groups Earthlife Africa and GroundWork in 2016.

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European firms say South Africa’s poor utilities deter investment

European businesses are delaying investment in South Africa because of poor power and water supply and the costs of complying with Black economic empowerment legislation, representatives of an industry body said. South Africa has suffered intermittent power outages since 2008 after the state electricity monopoly failed to invest adequately in new generation capacity and the provision of other services such as water has deteriorated.
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