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AfDB provides $6m grant to launch West Africa desert-to-power programme

Development finance institution the African Development Bank (AfDB) has provided a $6-million grant to the West African Power Pool (WAPP) to conduct prefeasibility studies for the construction of the Sahel Transmission Backbone that will link regional solar parks in five countries that contribute to the WAPP. The grant is to launch the initial phase of the Desert to Power West Africa Regional Energy Programme. The AfDB-led Desert to Power initiative is expected to transform the Sahel by harnessing the region’s abundant solar potential.
July 13, 2021 by

Shell expresses concern over RMIPPPP delays as it confirms Karpowership SA partnership

Shell South Africa country chairperson Hloniphizwe Mtolo has confirmed that the energy group is the exclusive supplier of liquified natural gas (LNG) to Karpowership SA, whose three projects, totalling 1 220 MW, were named in March as preferred bidders under government’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP). In a statement, Mtolo argued that the three projects would assist the country to address its prevailing electricity shortfall and that Shell was “extremely concerned” about delays to the RMIPPPP.
July 13, 2021 by

Despite tailwinds, South Africa’s recovery could fade into ‘another lost decade’ without …

The World Bank expects South Africa to grow by 4% in 2021, supported by the strong global economic recovery from Covid and favourable commodity prices. However, the bank also warns that the medium-term outlook remains uncertain and will depend largely on whether the country is able to implement deeper economic reforms that support job creation and entrepreneurship. In its thirteenth South Africa Economic Update, released on July 12, the bank shows that the 2021 rebound, which follows the dramatic 7% contraction of 2020, is being underpinned by strong recoveries in key trading partners such as China and the US, as well as a marked improvement in its terms of trade.
July 12, 2021 by

Eskom remembers former chairperson Dr Ben Ngubane

State-owned power utility Eskom has conveyed its “heartfelt” condolences on the death of former chairperson Dr Ben Ngubane, who succumbed to Covid-19-related illness on the morning of July 12.
 
Ngubane joined the Eskom board of directors as a nonexecutive director on December 11, 2014, and was appointed interim chairperson on March 30, 2015. He was later appointed as chairperson but resigned from the organisation on June 12, 2017.
July 12, 2021 by

High-capacity vehicles could be a cost-saver for Eskom

State-owned entities, like South Africa’s Eskom, should consider using high-capacity vehicles to reduce overall capital costs, says Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) principal research engineer Christopher de Saxe. A high-capacity vehicle is essentially a vehicle that carries more load than what is conventional for the country in which it operates in, and in South Africa, regulations permit vehicles up to 56 t, and 22 m in length – any vehicle that exceeds this would be considered a high-capacity vehicle.
July 12, 2021 by

Botswana woos Chinese investors as lenders shun coal projects

At a time when funding for fossil fuel projects is drying up, Botswana is racing to develop six new coal mines and a rail link for exports, with the government prepared to put its own money into the projects. The southern African nation, the world’s second-biggest diamond producer, has more than 200-billion tons of untapped coal reserves. To kickstart the industry, it has turned to investors from the largest global coal consumer, China.
July 12, 2021 by