Cabinet approves measures to restrict scrap exports, but details yet to be released

Cabinet has approved a “comprehensive package” of policy measures to restrict trade in scrap metal to limit damage to public infrastructure, including the ongoing theft of copper cables, which is said to be costing the economy R46-billion yearly. Details of the measures have not yet been released, but it has been confirmed that they will involve restrictions on the trade of waste scrap and semi-processed metals.
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Beer manufacturer aims to Brew a Better World

Beer manufacturer Heineken continues its journey to being a sustainable company through its Brew a Better World strategy. The strategy is built on three pillars: the environment, social impact and the responsible consumption of alcohol.
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Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy launched

The Milken Institute and the Motsepe Foundation have launched the Milken-Motsepe Prize in Green Energy, a $2-million prize competition to reward entrepreneurs and innovators working to address accessibility to green and renewable energy. The winning individual or team will be awarded $1-million, with an additional $1-million to be disbursed throughout the competition as finalists progress and field test ideas.
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Eskom must issue fresh boiler maintenance tender after Babcock’s disqualification is declared …

The Gauteng High Court has reviewed and set aside an Eskom decision to exclude Babcock Ntuthuko Engineering from contracts to maintain and repair of boiler pressure parts and high-pressure pipework across 15 power stations. The contracts are valued at R16.3-billion. The contracts were awarded in October 2021 to Actom and Steinmuller Africa, with Babcock disqualified by Eskom for failing to submit a welding certificate, which the utility described as a “mandatory returnable for evaluation”.
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COP27 draft leaves out pledge to phase down all fossil fuels

Countries negotiating at the climate summit in Egypt are on track to reject calls for phasing down the use of all fossil fuels, snuffing efforts by India and key developed nations to target oil and gas as well as coal in an overarching deal at COP27.

The Egyptian presidency published the first draft of its so-called “cover decision” and largely kept last year’s pledge made at Glasgow to “accelerate measures towards the phase down of unabated coal power” and phase out fossil fuel subsidies. It also stuck with a commitment to keep global warming to 1.5 ºC. It highlighted that countries are currently falling well short on meeting the climate finance needs of developing countries.

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IAEA launches initiative highlighting nuclear power’s role in mitigating climate change

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an autonomous specialised agency of the United Nations, has launched a new initiative to help countries understand the role nuclear energy can play in reducing their carbon emissions. The initiative, Atoms4NetZero, was announced by IAEA director-general Rafael Mariano Grossi at the COP27 Climate Summit, in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. COP27 was the first Climate Summit at which the IAEA had a pavilion, named the Atoms4Climate pavilion. “Nuclear energy …
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AfDB invests $20m in fund targeting renewables projects in sub-Saharan Africa

Finance organisation the African Development Bank Group has approved an equity investment of $20-million in Evolution Fund III, a pan-African clean and sustainable energy private equity fund that is mobilising about $400-million into renewable energy and resource-efficiency assets across sub-Saharan Africa over a ten-year period. Inspired Evolution Investment Management is a fund manager with more than 15 years of experience and a record of deploying more than $310-million in renewable energy projects in African counties.
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South Africa’s strong solar PV outlook offers localisation platform – report

The prospect of rapid growth in solar photovoltaic (PV) installations across South Africa will create opportunities for the localisation of supply chains and for domestic manufacturing, a new study commissioned by the South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) has confirmed. However, the report also underlines the importance of economies of scale and stable and predictable demand for facilitating the investments needed for the manufacture of components such as PV modules, inverters, mounting structures and cables.
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Contractor arrested for alleged sabotage at Camden power station

A contractor working at the Camden power station was arrested on November 16 after he was positively linked to an incident of sabotage following intensive investigative work by State-owned Eskom. The perpetrator, who is employed by a maintenance company working at the power station, intentionally removed a bearing oil drain plug from a bearing, causing the oil burners to trip repeatedly, Eskom said.
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Maintenance worker arrested for sabotage at Eskom’s Camden power station

A contractor working at Camden power station in Mpumalanga was arrested on Tuesday after being positively linked to an incident of sabotage.  The contractor admitted to intentionally removing the oil drain plug from a bearing on Thursday last week, causing oil burners to trip repeatedly, Eskom said in a statement.
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