Botswana issues licence for first large scale solar power plant

The Botswana energy regulator has granted a generation licence for a 100 MW solar project to local firm Shumba Energy, a company executive said on Monday, making it the first independent power producer to set up a large scale solar plant in the country. Botswana does not currently have large scale solar power generation and its 600 MW national energy demand is met by state owned coal-fired plants and imports, primarily from South Africa and Mozambique.
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New IEA report paints complex picture for future of gas demand

A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report on the outlook for gas presents a complex picture of the fuel’s role in the unfolding energy transition, as well as the outlook for demand. The report forecasts that there will be an immediate 3.5% recovery in demand from the Covid-afflicted 2020 year, when demand fell by 1.9%.
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Sasol, IDC team up to stimulate South Africa’s green-hydrogen industry

JSE-listed Sasol and the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) have signed a memorandum of cooperation to jointly advance South Africa’s green-hydrogen economy. In a joint statement, the two companies said the memorandum recognised that South Africa was in a unique position to leverage its world-class renewable resources and Sasol’s Fischer-Tropsch technology and skills to position the country as a global hydrogen leader.
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IFC, Canada invest in Kinguele Aval hydropower plant in Gabon

Development finance institution the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and various Canadian government organisations are providing a financing package for the 35 MW Kinguele Aval hydropower plant, in Gabon. Meridiam Infrastructure Africa Fund FIPS, Meridiam Infrastructure Africa Parallel Fund FIPS and the Fonds Gabonais d’Investissements Strategiques (FGIS), with the support of the government of Canada, are providing funding for the project, which is the first independent power producer project in Gabon.
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Nafcoc pushes for transformation amid promise of energy generation opportunities

Federated chamber the National African Federated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Nafcoc) has welcomed the announcement by President Cyril Ramaphosa that the licensing-exemption threshold for distributed generation projects will be increased to 100 MW from the previous cap of 1 MW. “We are delighted with this development as it allows ordinary companies and independent power producers (IPPs) to contribute significantly to the country’s energy requirements and it also creates an environment that is conducive to investment in clean energy in South Africa,” says Nafcoc Gauteng spokesperson Refilwe Monageng.
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KfW issues RFI for €200m South African green-hydrogen programme

A request for Information (RFI), aimed at gathering information on potential green hydrogen project opportunities in South Africa, has been released. The RFI has been issued by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Meridian Economics on behalf of German development bank KfW, which has set aside up to €200-million in concessional financing on behalf of the German government for the initiative.
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Dartcom to distribute Longi solar panels in South Africa

Telecommunications and power equipment company Dartcom has signed an agreement with solar power equipment manufacturer Longi Solar to distribute its panels in South Africa. The deal will result in Dartcom importing, warehousing and distributing various product ranges of Longi Solar panels in bulk.
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Climate Commission sees no downside to more ambitious emissions pledge

South Africa’s Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) has recommended that government make an improved carbon-reduction commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and should also confirm a long-term target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In a report delivered to President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 1, the PCC argues that South Africa’s target range for 2030 should be lowered to between 350- and 420-million tons carbon dioxide equivalent (MT CO2-eq).
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Energy transition to have a net positive effect on jobs

Creamer Media’s Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about a new report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency that shows that an energy transition aligned with a 1.5°C-compatible climate pathway will have a net positive effects on job creation and about what this could mean for South Africa.
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US Security Council likely to meet next week on Ethiopia dam

The United Nations Security Council will likely meet next week to discuss a dispute between Sudan, Ethiopia and Egypt over a giant dam built by Ethiopia on the Blue Nile, French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said on Thursday. Arab states earlier this month called on the 15-member council to meet to discuss the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) and Ethiopia’s plans fill the dam for a second time this summer without an agreement with Sudan and Egypt.
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