Africa can increase natural gas supply, exports to Europe

Export capacity constraints currently hamper some African countries from increasing their exports of natural gas and liquefied natural gas and, while exploration has dropped off, new gasfield discoveries present an opportunity for Africa to grow the supply of natural gas to Europe, said energy industry experts during the ‘Energy in Africa’ think-tank discussion this week. Natural gas, as an energy transition fuel, is available in Africa. It also has multiple industrial uses, burns significantly cleaner than other carbon sources, such as coal or oil, and has a suitable export market, especially since the start of the Russia-Ukraine crisis, said consulting and market research multinational Frost & Sullivan Africa energy and power consultant Patrick Prestele on July 14.
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Enel Green Power South Africa appoints new country manager

Renewable energy corporation Enel Green Power South Africa (EGP SA) has appointed Manuele Battisti country manager.

Battisti, who succeeded William Price, joined Enel Group in 2008 and has held various positions within the company, before moving to South Africa in 2019.

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South Africa to unveil solutions to power crisis within days

The South African government will within days announce new ways to address the country’s worst power crisis yet, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday. Addressing a South African Communist Party (SACP) conference, Ramaphosa said the government needed to “use every available means and remove every regulatory obstacle to bring extra electricity onto the grid as soon as possible”.
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Numsa signs above-inflation increase for Eskom Rotek members

The National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) has signed an above-inflation wage agreement with Eskom’s wholly-owned construction, maintenance and transportation services subsidiary Eskom Rotek Industries (ERI).

The wage agreement – valid for a year and expiring on June 30, 2023 – entitles all bargaining unit-affiliated ERI employees a 7% increase in basic salaries across the board, effective June 30. 

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European-Japanese project to cut costs of turning carbon dioxide into methanol soon to start tests

The Euro-Japanese Laurelin project, to develop innovative technologies to convert carbon dioxide (CO2) into renewable methanol, is completing the assembly of three advanced chemical reactor demonstrators, to test three different CO2 conversion technologies. The project has been running for a year, and is funded by the European Union’s (EU’s) Horizon 2020 programme and the Japan Science and Technology Agency. It involves research organisations, universities and small and medium enterprises in EU …
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Energy crisis may spur South Africa to allow more private power

South Africa is considering more than doubling the amount private power producers can generate without requiring a license in a bid to reduce blackouts that are hobbling the economy, people with knowledge of the matter said. President Cyril Ramaphosa is racing to make an announcement as soon as Sunday, the people said, asking not to be identified as the matter isn’t public. South Africa last year removed a license requirement for private investors to build their own power plants of up to 100 megawatts under a plan to reduce excessive bureaucracy and add generation capacity.
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Africa needs all hands on deck to meet 2030 energy goals

To achieve universal energy access by 2030, Africa will need a range of technologies and policy changes that open national grids to private participation, enable the establishment of microgrids and move to regional power trading and power pools, energy industry experts highlighted during a webinar this week. The ‘Energy in Africa’ think-tank webinar, hosted by consulting and market research multinational Frost & Sullivan Africa on July 14, debated the opportunities, challenges and dynamics in the energy industry in Africa.
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Platinum-containing hydrogen fuel technology driving net-zero ambitions – WPIC

The World Platinum Investment Council (WPIC) says platinum group metals (PGMs) are enabling many sectors globally to achieve net-zero carbon emissions goals through their use in hydrogen energy and low-emissions technology, and especially through green hydrogen production.

Hydrogen fuel – made from methane or by electrolysis of water – can be used in hydrogen fuel cells to produce electricity, which is, in turn, used to power drive systems in vehicles, offering an alternative to internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles.

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ANC considers second State-owned power utility to challenge Eskom ‘monopoly’ – Ramaphosa

African National Congress (ANC) President Cyril Ramaphosa on Friday announced that the party is strongly considering the establishment of a second State-owned power utility to reduce the risk posed by Eskom’s failings. Ramaphosa, who gave the ANC’s message of support on the third day of the South African Communist Party’s elective congress, said the proposal was initially made by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe after the power utility plunged the country into stage six load-shedding.
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Actis hires Citi to sell African renewables firm

Buyout firm Actis appointed Citigroup to help with the sale of its BTE Renewables business in South Africa and is seeking a value close to $1-billion, according to people familiar with the matter. The parties are close to putting together a shortlist of potential buyers, said the people, who asked not to be identified as the plans are still private. While the deal is attracting some interest there’s no guarantee a transaction will go ahead, they said.
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