Engineering News editor Terence Creamer discusses the significance of the National Council of Provinces’ (NCOP’s) vote to pass the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill; if the Bill is likely to face any opposition; and what further actions can be expected once the Bill becomes law.  
A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report describes the sharp decline in critical mineral prices over the past year as a double-edged sword, cautioning that, while it has been a boon for clean energy deployment and affordability, it is a bane for critical mineral investment and diversification. The ‘Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2024’ highlights that, following two years of dramatic increases, the prices of critical minerals fell steeply in 2023, returning to levels last seen before the pandemic.
Flow control solutions developer Valmet announced in April that it would deliver a major boiler rebuild to the Steven’s Croft biomass power station in Lockerbie, Scotland in the UK, which is operated by energy infrastructure operator E.ON. The order is included in Valmet’s orders received in the first quarter 2024, and the rebuild will secure “trouble-free operation of the boiler for years to come”.