GreenCape reports highlight most promising green economy investment opportunities

South African nonprofit organisation GreenCape has released the 2023 edition of its yearly green economy market intelligence reports (MIRs), which highlight the most promising market opportunities in key green economy sectors in South Africa. The reports are published in partnership with the UK’s Partnering for Accelerated Climate Transitions (PACT) programme, Germany’s Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom and the Western Cape Government Department of Agriculture.
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Plans for Karpowership’s Saldanha Bay project hit another delay

Karpowership SA has withdrawn an environmental impact assessment report for its proposed Saldanha Bay project, which forms part of its application for environmental authorisation. Given the withdrawal of this document, its application for environmental authorisation has lapsed, according to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE).
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Investec first participant in initiative to keep Sandton traffic lights working during …

Financial services company Investec has become the first property owner to participate in an initiative spearheaded by the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) and the Sandton Central Management District to ensure traffic lights at major intersections in Sandton Central continue to operate during bouts of loadshedding by using generator power sourced from adjacent building owners. Investec’s participation in the Traffic Signal Secondary Power Initiative will see the company’s generator resources power the traffic lights at two key intersections: Grayston drive and Rivonia road; and Grayston drive and West road south. The roadworks required to connect generator power to these two busy intersections are already under way.
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More than 200 financial institutions are now pursuing coal exclusion policies

More than 200 financial institutions globally, including five South African banks, have established coal exclusion policies, a new report by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) shows. These include asset managers and owners with assets under management of more than $50-billion, as well as international banks, insurance and reinsurance companies, export credit agencies, multilateral development banks and development finance institutions with assets exceeding $10-billion.
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South Africa urged to explore co-location of wind and solar to maximise limited grid capacity

Co-locating wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities at a single grid connection point could help maximise the use of South Africa’s existing, albeit constrained, transmission network capacity and would improve supply consistency, Enertrag South Africa project development head Mercia Grimbeek argues. Grimbeek notes that, while solar and wind power plants can be built in the fraction of the time needed to build other thermal power solutions, more connecting points on the grid are required to alleviate pressure, especially in the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape provinces.
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Treasury begins engagements with municipalities on conditions for writing off R57bn debt owed …

The National Treasury is embarking on provincial roadshows to communicate the 14 conditions under which the debt owed to Eskom by municipalities can be written off over the coming three years. As of March 31, Eskom was owed a whopping R57-billion by municipalities and the municipal debt issue has continued to worsen despite several previous attempts to address the problem.
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More Stage 6 loadshedding as breakdowns approach 19 000 MW

Stage 6 loadshedding will be implemented from 16:00 on Tuesday until 05:00 on Thursday, Eskom said in a statement.  After that, stages will vary between 4 and 6 until late on Friday. 
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Renergen, Timelink ink ground-breaking LNG supply agreement

Dual-listed natural gas and helium producer Renergen, through its subsidiary Tetra4, has signed agreements with transport company Timelink to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) and displace a significant portion of diesel in Timelink’s line-haul fleet. Timelink will also convert its fleet to operate on diesel dual fuel (DDF) technology.
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South Africa rejects nonprofit’s charge in win for Karpowership

South Africa’s environment ministry dismissed a complaint by a nonprofit against Karpowership’s plan to moor a ship-mounted power plant off the nation’s west coast, a rare win for the Turkish company. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, in a letter to The Green Connection dated April 26, rejected the nonprofit’s allegations that Karpowership’s consultants misrepresented small-scale fishers. The department will go ahead and review the company’s proposal to set up a 320 MW plant in Saldanha port, according to the letter provided by the consultants.
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Mantashe: Govt’s plans to end loadshedding not about ‘mobilising votes’

Dealing with loadshedding is not about “mobilising votes”, according to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe. The minister was answering questions from members of Parliament’s National Council of Provinces on Tuesday. Democratic Alliance MP Mlindi Nhanha had asked about the progress made on government’s Energy Action Plan. South Africa has only had two days this year without loadshedding, while up to 29 days of Stage 6 have been implemented thus far.
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