Author Archive for: Engineering News

Leading South African mineral sands producer Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) has entered into a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with independent power producer Voltalia for the supply of wheeled renewable energy from a 148 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) facility in Limpopo to its smelting and processing facilities in KwaZulu-Natal. Voltalia and its black economic empowerment partners will begin construction of the Bolobedu solar project in 2023 at a site that is about 120 km east of Polokwane.

South Africa has submitted to some of the world’s richest nations a revised plan for how it will spend a proposed $8.5-billion to help it transition away from coal, two people familiar with the situation said. The new draft — sent to funding partners the UK, US, France, Germany and the European Union — advances a process that’s been mired for almost a year in complex negotiations. The people, who asked not to be named because talks are ongoing, declined to give any detail on what the amendments involve.

Africa must make use of all its energy resources, as it needs to achieve development. So affirmed African Union (AU) Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy Amani Abou-Zeid in her keynote address to the Africa Oil Week conference in Cape Town. She highlighted that some 50% of African people still had no access to modern energy. Moreover, for the first time, the process of connecting Africans to modern energy had slowed down. “Africa will have to utilise all forms of its energy sources to meet all its needs,” she said. “Now is not the time to be picking and choosing.”

Kenya’s President William Ruto, who took office last month, urged Africa to embrace renewable energy, breaking ranks with continental peers that are pressing ahead with plans to develop natural gas resources. In order to boost energy generation from renewable sources and to adapt to a warming climate, Africa will need funding and technology from the rich world, Ruto said in an opinion piece in the UK’s Guardian newspaper on Tuesday. Unlike many African countries, Kenya already derives 92% of its energy from renewable sources and aims to increase that to 100% by 2030, Ruto said, referring to the country’s geothermal, wind and solar plants.

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said power cuts should start easing within the next 10 days when big generation units are expected to come back online.  The state utility ramped up power rationing to 4 000 megawatts from 18:00 Tuesday until further notice due to generation trips at its Kendal and Lethabo plants and has imposed a record 120 days of blackouts so far in 2022.