Entries by

France’s Engie South African solar projects to progress as more awaited

Engie expects to move forward with three South African solar projects this week as the nation struggles to accelerate a program to add renewable power. The French developer plans to sign power-purchase agreements for a total of 225 MW of solar projects after being selected as a preferred bidder as part of the so-called fifth bid window, according to Mohamed Hoosen, Engie’s managing director for renewables in Africa, Middle East and Asia.
December 7, 2022 by

SSC to build massive wind farm, green hydrogen production plant

Diversified minerals and investment group Siyakhula Sonke Empowerment Corporation (SSC Group) has confirmed it is in pre-feasibility stage and finalising an environment risk assessment on a 117 MW wind farm project, which will power a 69 MW electrolysis production plant, in Jeffreys Bay, in the Eastern Cape.

The electrolysis plant will have a green hydrogen production capacity of about 9.8 t/y.

December 7, 2022 by

Coega Development Corporation adopts sustainability framework

The board of industrial park management agency the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) has adopted a sustainability framework that will guide the organisation’s projects, investments and operations. The framework is a policy statement of its commitments to sustainability, which will be measured against environmental, social and governance (ESG) outcomes.
December 6, 2022 by

Partnership formed for circular, recycled battery materials

Recycling technology and supply chain platform ACE Green Recycling (ACE) and diversified miner Glencore have entered into a long-term supply agreement for recycled lead, as well as key battery metal based end products from recycled lithium-ion batteries.

This strategic partnership will help create a circular supply chain on a global scale for high-demand battery materials, while reducing their environmental footprint.

December 6, 2022 by

Energy crisis driving an acceleration in renewables installations – IEA

The global energy crisis is driving an unprecedented acceleration in the installation of renewable power, with total capacity growth worldwide set to almost double in the next five years to reach 2 400 GW by 2027, according to the ‘Renewables 2022’ report published by the International Energy Agency (IEA) on December 6.

The report also finds that renewables are set to account for over 90% of global electricity expansion over the next five years, as well as adding as much renewables in the next five years as it did in the past 20, overtaking coal to become the largest source of global electricity by early 2025.

December 6, 2022 by

Canadian Solar to supply modules for 256 MW North West projects

Solar technology group Canadian Solar has announced that its majority-owned subsidiary CSI Solar had signed a 256 MW module contract with SOLA Group, the Cape Town-based independent power producer that is building two utility-scale projects in South Africa on the back of pioneering private power purchase agreements. The 126 MWp and 130 MWp apiece projects are located in the North West province and are the first to be registered with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa following a market reform allowing such projects to proceed  without a licence.
December 6, 2022 by

Clough’s collapse leaves more than $8bn in projects in limbo

More than $8-billion worth of gas, power, rail and mining projects across Australia, Mongolia and Papua New Guinea face delays following the collapse of engineering firm Clough on Monday. Projects that could be hit include the expansion of the Oyu Tolgoi copper mine in Mongolia, run by Rio Tinto, and major power plant and transmission projects essential to maintaining a stable grid in Australia from 2023.
December 6, 2022 by

Depleted Kariba dam leaves Zimbabweans without power for 19 hours a day

Zimbabweans are being subjected to 19 hours of power cuts a day, because there is insufficient water in the Kariba dam to drive the nation’s main hydropower plant. The worst outages since 2019 are wreaking havoc, causing snarl-ups in Harare, the capital, where most traffic lights are no longer working, and interrupting mobile phone services because batteries used to run base stations don’t have time to recharge. Supermarkets, restaurants and some other businesses rely on generators to keep operating, but they are unable to run them perpetually for an extended period.
December 6, 2022 by

Metair performing well despite supply chain disruptions

JSE-listed automotive and energy components manufacturer Metair says its verticals are performing well relative to their challenging operating environments, while also assuring shareholders that key projects remain on track in the automotive components vertical, despite the impact of global supply chain disruptions, semi-conductor shortages and shipping constraints, including port disruptions at State-owned Transnet’s operations. Further, the energy storage vertical continues to deliver strong automotive battery volumes and revenues despite the Turkish and Romanian operations navigating through short-term inflationary cost pressures and the ongoing war in Ukraine.
December 5, 2022 by