Zimplats plans 185 MW solar power plants

Impala Platinum Holdings Zimbabwe unit Zimplats plans to build two solar power plants with generation capacity of 185 MW to power its operations, the country’s energy regulator said on Monday. The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority said Zimplats, the biggest platinum group metals producer in Zimbabwe applied to build a 105 MW plant at Ngezi, southwest of Harare, where it has mines and two concentrators, and 85 MW at nearby Selous where there is a smelter and concentrator.
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$31m mixed-use office precinct to be built in Mauritius

Mauritius-based Gateway Real Estate Africa (GREA) is developing a $31-million mixed-use office development – The Precinct – in Grand Baie. The development is designed to accommodate corporate tenants’ fluctuating space needs in addition to catering for the gig economy with rentable desks, access to a shared boardroom and conference facilities, as well as individual work pods.
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FMF calls for accelerated gazetting of 100 MW distributed generation licensing-exemption threshold

Independent nonprofit public benefit organisation the Free Market Foundation (FMF) is calling on government to accelerate the process of detailing and Gazetting President Cyril Ramaphosa’s June announcement about raising the threshold for companies to produce their own electricity without a licence, to 100 MW.

During his June announcement, Ramaphosa said he would give Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe 60 days to Gazette the amendment.

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Report calls for freeze on new coal, warns of risks if energy transition is delayed

South Africa should freeze investment in new private coal plants, as delaying South Africa’s “inevitable” transition away from the carbon-emitting energy mineral will cause economic damage, a new Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) analysis on the country’s coal value chain states. Co-authored by TIPS economists Neva Makgetla and Muhammed Patel, the report argues that the coal sector is mired in a classic process of creative destruction, whereby disruptive technologies have developed to a point where older assets can no longer compete and ultimately have to be written off.
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Eskom enhances its digital platforms

State-owned power utility Eskom has embarked on a digital journey to increase its availability and accessibility to its customers. The enhanced MyEskom Customer app and the introduction of Alfred the chatbot are the first of many digital solutions to be launched to enhance Eskom’s customer self-help channels, the embattled electricity provider said on July 23.
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Micro-Grid Academy Young Talent awards recognise eight finalists for innovation

The Micro-Grid Academy Young Talent of the Year 2021 Awards have named eight finalists from across Africa in recognition of their sustainable energy innovations.

This yearly competition is backed by RES4Africa Foundation, Enel Green Power and the European Investment Bank (EIB). It encourages young entrepreneurs from across Africa to develop projects that expand energy access, enable greater use of renewable energy and accelerate sustainability.

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AfDB finances cross-country power initiative, youth development in Ethiopia

The African Development Bank (AfDB) has signed two grant agreements for new projects with the Ethiopian government, which aims to boost youth employment and electricity trade between Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The grants are grouped under the bank’s concessional lending window and will comprise $47-million towards productivity enhancement in agricultural industrial parks and $71-million to power interconnection between the two countries.

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Wheeling framework remains an inhibitor to IPPs, says association

The current South African power industry structure is supportive of wheeling, in theory, but issues persist that limit the development of more third-party network access and the development of a competitive, open-access electricity market, the South African Independent Power Producers Association (SAIPPA) highlighted this week.

It unpacked some of these regulatory framework and implementation issues during a webinar on July 22.

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Platinum giants eye solar power as green answer to blackouts

The world’s biggest platinum miners are ramping up plans to build renewable energy plants to free them from power outages that have plagued South Africa for more than a decade and to reduce their carbon footprint. Sibanye-Stillwater, the No. 1 platinum miner, Impala Platinum Holdings and Anglo American Platinum said they plan to scale up solar and wind farms for their own use to cut reliance on state-owned utility Eskom Holdings, some of whose aging coal-fired plants have failed to keep up with electricity demand.
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Hybrid solar installation completed in Zimbabwe

The active partnership between South Africa-based solar solutions provider Blockpower SA and German-managed microgrid integrator Dhybrid has resulted in the completion of a 1.4 MWp, 1 MVA, 480 kWh hybrid solar system at an agriculture estate, in Zimbabwe. The Tanganda Tea Company, which operates several agriculture estates in the Chipinge district, procured the services of Blockpower to install a hybrid solar solution for its tea processing plant.
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