Omnia turns on the first phase of its 10 MW solar farm in Sasolburg 

JSE-listed chemicals company Omnia on January 27 unveiled the 5 MW Phase 1 solar power plant at its Sasolburg operations, in the Free State, followed immediately by a sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of construction on an additional 5 MW power plant.  This second phase of the solar power plant, which will bring the total capacity up to 10 MW, will be completed by September, Omnia manufacturing MD Francois Visagie said at the event. 
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Yellen says South African coal communities need $3.5bn

South Africa has identified more than R60-billion of investments needed to help communities in the coal-mining Mpumalanga province as the industry gradually winds down, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said as she announced an additional $45-million in grant support. The investments form part of a 1.5 trillion-rand government blueprint to reduce South Africa’s reliance on coal, which is currently used to generate more than 80% of its electricity. A group of rich countries are backing that program, known as the Just Energy Transition Plan, with $8.5-billion in climate finance in the form of concessional loans, debt guarantees and grants. The US is providing more than $1-billion.
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Yellen positive on cap talks after EU floats Russia diesel price

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said she’s confident that discussions aimed at extending restrictions on the sale of Russian petroleum products will be concluded within an approaching deadline that coincides with new European Union sanctions against Moscow. “We’re in the middle of discussions with all of our partners,” Yellen told reporters Friday while travelling in South Africa. “But I am encouraged we will be able to come to agreement by February 5.”
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Breather from Stage 4 loadshedding from Saturday

Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented until 05:00 on Saturday morning, after which it will be reduced to Stage 3, Eskom said on Friday.  Stage 4 loadshedding will be implemented nightly from 16:00 – 05:00 on Saturday and Sunday, while Stage 2 loadshedding will kick in from 05:00 – 16:00 on Sunday.
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Local energy storage company marks success by opening new, enlarged, facility

South African stationary energy storage battery systems company Blue Nova Energy officially opened its new combined head office and assembly facility in Somerset West, near Cape Town, on Friday. The company produces a range of systems based on lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4 for short) batteries and has to expand its facilities to meet growing demand, both in the domestic and export (especially, but not exclusively, other African) markets. The company is focused on serving customers who need to …
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Roadmap sets out the critical skills South Africa needs for a just energy transition

The South African National Energy Association (Sanea), together with the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), has launched an ‘Energy Skills Roadmap’ for South Africa, highlighting the requisite human capacity skills to deliver the technical energy solutions and socioeconomic improvements needed for a just energy transition.

The roadmap is informed by research, gap analysis and stakeholder engagement workshops having been undertaken in earnest since 2020 by Sanea, Wits’ Centre for Researching Education and Labour (REAL) and Wits Business School’s African Energy Leadership Centre.

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Eskom to borrow R4bn for diesel as Treasury dishes out tough love

The stand-off between Eskom and the National Treasury over funding for diesel has ended with an agreement that government will support Eskom borrowing from commercial banks, should it be unable to reprioritise its own resources.  In December, Eskom declared that it had run out of money to buy more diesel, having spent R12-billion, overshooting its annual budget by more than 100% – with four months to go until the end of the financial year. 
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IFC ESG programme for pension funds to boost development impact investment

Development finance institution the International Finance Corporation (IFC) has launched the Integrated Environmental, Social and Governance (IESG) programme in South Africa to support and enable pension funds to play a greater developmental role in South Africa, said IFC South Africa and Southern Africa country manager Adamou Labara. “The importance of integrating ESG into pension funds’ processes cannot be overemphasised. Given the areas in which they invest and their footprint, they have the reach and impact to lead the financial sector [in integrating ESG principles into practices],” he said this week.
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Coils and poles manufactured for client in Cameroon

Electric motor repair service provider Marthinusen & Coutts finalised the manufacture and delivery of four new replacement field coils and poles for a 25 MVA 36-pole generator at a hydroelectric power station in Cameroon. Finalised in September, the order, booked in June, for hydropower project manager Voith Hydro in Africa, entailed the full development of tooling and jigs specially designed to suit the manufacturing needs for the coils and poles.
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