Quarter-four completion for R135m solar carports project at Ford’s Silverton plant

The 13.5 MW, R135-million solar carport project at Ford South Africa’s Silverton assembly plant, in Pretoria, should be completed in the fourth quarter of this year, says Uhuru Energy CEO Mark Kaplan. The project forms part of a larger programme – Project Blue Oval – to develop an integrated renewable-energy solution for the facility, with the aim for the plant to be entirely green and energy self-sufficient by 2024.
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Itochu partners with Shell to lower its mining sites’ carbon footprint

Petrochemicals company Shell International and Tokyo-headquartered investment firm Itochu Corporation have agreed to collaborate to accelerate the digitalisation and decarbonisation of Itochu’s mining sites, as well as increase the operational efficiency thereof.

Shell will offer its sectoral expertise in decarbonisation and digitalisation pathways expertise to find solutions that meet the specific needs of Itochu, which manages a metals and minerals portfolio that includes mining sites across the world.

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Aligning energy transition with 1.5°C climate target will yield jobs windfall

An energy transition aligned with a 1.5°C-compatible climate pathway has net positive effects on job creation, a new report published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena) states. The full ‘World Energy Transitions Outlook’ document shows that under a scenario that limits the global average temperature increase to 1.5°C above preindustrial levels by the end of the century, jobs will exceed those created under a planned energy scenario, or PES, which reflects the current energy plans of governments.
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Union welcomes High Court’s decision to set aside ‘unlawful’ Econ Oil supply deal

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has welcomed the Gauteng High Court’s ruling to set aside the R8-billion tender between power utility Eskom and oil blender Econ Oil after the matter was heard on June 9.

The court on June 29 found that the contract was unlawful.

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Eskom’s debt below $28bn amid funding talks, Gordhan says

South African power utility Eskom Holdings has reduced its debt to less than R400-billion as discussions ensue to secure funding for a transition to renewable energy, Public Enterprises Minister Pravin Gordhan. The state-owned company announced in May it had reduced debt by a fifth to about R401-billion.
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First South African city readies to seek private power generation

Ethekwini, the South African municipality that includes the port city of Durban, plans to seek initial proposals for the construction of 400 MW of power generation. The so-called request for information will be the first by a South African municipal area since the government said last year that cities could buy electricity from providers other than Eskom Holdings, the State utility that’s subjected the country to intermittent outages for over a decade.
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Africa’s top emitter seeks $10bn for shift from coal

South African State power utility Eskom, Africa’s biggest greenhouse-gas emitter, is pitching a $10-billion plan to global lenders that would see it shut the vast majority of its coal-fired plants by 2050 and embrace renewable energy. Discussions have already started with development finance institutions like the World Bank and the African Development Bank, a senior Eskom official told Reuters.
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Britain to accelerate its phase-out of coal-fired power stations

The UK government announced on Wednesday that the phasing out of the use of coal to generate electricity in Great Britain will be brought forward by a full year, to October 2024. (The only coal-fired power plant in Northern Ireland was already scheduled to close by 2024.) This is part of the British government’s programme to decarbonise the country’s electricity supply. To this end, it will introduce new legislation in Parliament as soon as practical. London is also urging all other countries to accelerate their phasing out of the use of coal for electricity generation.
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New learning hub aims to equip social practitioners to raise impact of IPP upliftment programmes

A new learning and innovation hub to develop the skills and knowledge of social-performance practitioners in South Africa’s renewable-energy sector has been officially launched. Known as the Initiative for Social Performance in Renewable Energy, or INSPIRE, the venture aims to improving the effectiveness and sustainability of the enterprise and socioeconomic development initiatives undertaken by independent power producers (IPPs).
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Hydropower important for storage, just transition to low-carbon electricity – IEA

Hydropower’s role in achieving a clean energy transition and in supporting the faster expansion of solar and wind generation capacity, is undervalued, the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) inaugural ‘Hydropower Special Market’ report states. Hydropower has a key role in the transition to clean energy not only through the massive quantities of low-carbon electricity it produces, but also because of its unmatched capabilities for providing flexibility and storage. Many hydropower plants can ramp their electricity generation up and down very rapidly compared with other power plants such as nuclear, coal and natural gas, the IEA says.
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