Author Archive for: Engineering News

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) welcomes the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) amendment of its request for proposals (RFP) for Bid Window 6 (BW 6) of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP). The amended REIPPPP BW 6 RFP, which was released on July 7, doubled the wind energy allocation to 3 200 MW for the bid window, thereby making up the majority of the increased allocation of 4 200 MW across all technologies.

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.

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.

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.

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”.