A co-benefits study undertaken by industrial research body the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has shown that technical and vocational education and training (TVET) colleges can play a central role in supporting the transition of Mpumalanga’s economy to renewable energy from coal mining and coal-fired power generation, CSIR energy industry acting research group leader Aradhna Pandarum has said. The team, in collaboration with renewable energy transition foundation Renewable Energy Solutions for Africa, looked at the value chain of renewable solar photovoltaic and wind energy operations to identify the skills that Mpumalanga needs to develop to ensure its people can work in new jobs.
South Africa’s skills policies are not in line with its environmental commitments and the country needs to significantly improve its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) ecosystem to produce the skills required to develop and capitalise on the just transition. “Environmental challenges are cross-cutting issues. They do not belong to one sector, and the transition involves multiple systems, but our skills system does not have the capacity to deal with cross-cutting skills requirements,” University of the Witswatersrand Future of Work Programme research centre director Presha Ramsarup said this week.
Confirmation that only five solar photovoltaic (PV) projects – and potentially one other – had been appointed following the latest renewables bid window is sending shockwaves through the industry. It is doubly shocking as the round, which was launched in April, was delayed specifically to allow for an expansion in the procurement allocation from 2 600 MW to 4 200 MW as part of interventions announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 25 to tackle extreme loadshedding.
The latest Real Economy Bulletin (REB), published by economic research institution Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) on December 8, points to an upswing in South Africa’s economy and its trade and investment performance, with gross domestic product (GDP) exceeding pre-Covid-19 levels for the first time.
This outcome points to considerable resilience, especially around private-sector adaptations to the extraordinarily high levels of loadshedding over the past quarter.
Uganda said on Friday it would not renew South Africa power firm Eskom’s licences to run two hydropower stations when they expire in March next year, as part of plans to bring the electricity sector under government control to reduce costs to consumers. The government will create the Uganda National Electricity Company Limited (UNECL), a state-run company to manage the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity sector, the ministry of energy and mineral development said in a statement.
Organised business has called on government to fund adequate and reliable diesel supply for the country’s national peaking generators, which it describes as critical to ensuring that Eskom can best manage a stable grid and mitigate a further escalation in loadshedding levels. In a joint business statement on loadshedding, the Energy Council of South Africa, Business Unity South Africa and Business Leadership South Africa said that, while they recognise diesel generation to be a short-term measure, it was nevertheless “an important bridge for the ongoing maintenance work and unplanned outages over the next six months”.
Business and South Africa’s energy sector have emphasised their support for Eskom’s current leadership, who have come under fire for the latest prolonged bout of load shedding, especially from Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. “We strongly urge that it is a time for calm and well-executed actions, and we express our support for Eskom leadership and staff who are managing through this crisis,” the Energy Council of South Africa, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), and Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) said in a joint statement.
South Deep, Gold Fields’ Westonaria-based flagship gold mine, is entering the final stage of a four-part strategic journey it embarked on in 2017 to stabilise the operation, improve sustainability and longevity, reduce operational costs, improve efficiencies and ensure it meets the criteria to be classified as a mine of the future. From the third quarter of 2017 to the first quarter of 2018, Gold Fields started the journey to reshape South Deep by conducting the first stage of the strategy to identify and analyse challenges at the mine, which it plans to address, says Gold Fields South Deep executive VP Martin Preece.
The Health Promotion Levy (HPL), commonly known as the sugar tax, still poses the greatest threat to the continued existence of the sugar industry, says South African Sugar Association (SASA) executive director Trix Trikam. The HPL has resulted in the beverages sector reformulating its products away from sugar to avoid the levy, leading to substantial revenue loss for the sugar industry.
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