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Overcoming energy crisis requires awareness of global marketplace movements

A global increase in demand for renewable energy solutions is complicating global supply chains and capacity at the same time that South Africa is planning an aggressive ramp-up in its renewable energy plant build rates, says Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) CEO Busi Mavuso.

She also states that she finds “little solace” in South Africa sharing an energy crisis with many other countries, having experienced Stage 4 load-shedding over the weekend.

September 12, 2022 by

SOLA, African Rainbow Energy reach financial close on two 100 MW solar projects

Following the regulatory change in August 2021 to raise the licensing limit for distributed generation projects from 1 MW to 100 MW, the first two registered 100 MW energy projects have reached financial close. The financial close of the projects happened less than six months after the power purchase agreements were signed in mid-March. Construction of the projects will now begin.
September 12, 2022 by

Next renewables round reduced to 4 200 MW to avoid a ‘delay’

Government has confirmed that the procurement allocation for Bid Window Six (BW6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has been scaled back to 4 200 MW from the 5 200 MW announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on July 25. The National Energy Crisis Committee announced on Sunday that the decision to proceed with a 4 200 MW request for proposals (RFP) had been decided so as to ensure that the procurement process was not delayed, given that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) still needed to concur with a Ministerial determination opening the way for the procurement of more solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity.
September 11, 2022 by

Vissershok landfill to generate electricity from 2024/25 – City of Cape Town

The City of Cape Town says the landfill gas well field and flaring system at its Vissershok Landfill will soon begin operation, complementing existing systems at the Coastal Park and Bellville landfills.  The city says it is also making steady progress toward the generation of electricity from landfill gas, as part of a dual effort to reduce emissions associated with landfill sites, and reduce reliance on Eskom.
September 9, 2022 by

Eskom restarts sale process for R9bn home-loan book

South Africa’s indebted power utility Eskom Holdings restarted the sale of its mortgage unit, one of many measures the utility is taking to stabilise its finances. Eskom “commenced with a process” to sell Eskom Finance, which has a R9-billion loan book, by inviting prospective bidders, the company Thursday said in a response to emailed questions.
September 9, 2022 by

IFM Electronics seeing green shoots in automation, Industry 4.0 sectors

With global growth expected to climb significantly in 2022, sensor, networking and control systems manufacturer IFM Electronics says the positive sentiment is evidenced in the “high level of interest” in the automation sector, especially as the Fourth Industrial Revolution (Industry 4.0) continues to gain traction globally. In advancing this, IFM says it will be driving to get technology to everyone “with a clear focus on developing smart products for everyone”.
September 9, 2022 by

Luminaires best fit for refineries

Leading manufacturer of luminaires Beka Schréder deems their luminaires as the best fit for zoned environments, such as oil refineries. “All products produced by Beka Schréder are locally manufactured in Olifantsfontein, Gauteng, and developed specifically to withstand South Africa’s harsh environmental conditions and meet customers’ desired applications,” states Beka Schréder petrochemicals and liquified natural gas technical sales representative Saylen Govender.
September 9, 2022 by

Shutdown of oil refineries requires more oil imports

Local manufacturers and independent blenders of petroluem byproducts have to increase import expenses, owing to the shutdown of oil refineries, says lubricants manufacturer Oilflow director Enoch Qua-Enoo. “The closure of oil refineries has resulted in a detrimental position for companies operating in the global market, owing to limited options to source base oil. Import rates are constantly increasing, which ignite the increase of commodity costs.”
September 9, 2022 by