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De Ruyter says ‘substantial’ concessional finance available to support just energy transition

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter said on Tuesday that the message of the climate envoys who visited South Africa in the run up to the COP26 climate talks in Scotland was that there is “substantial concessional financing available” to enable South Africa to pursue a just energy transition. He indicated, however, that the initial focus would likely be on supporting Eskom to build the infrastructure required for decarbonisation, as well as to support vulnerable workers and communities, rather than to address Eskom’s legacy debt.
October 5, 2021 by

WindAc Africa 2021 kicks off after two-year hiatus

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) held its fourth industry academic conference – WindAc Africa 2021 – on October 5, with a keynote address delivered by Danish Energy Agency (DEA) director-general Kristoffer Böttzauw.

The DEA is a SAWEA strategic partner and a keen supporter of the wind energy sector.

October 5, 2021 by

Eskom is now world’s biggest sulphur dioxide emitter, CREA says

Eskom Holdings, South Africa’s coal-reliant power utility, has become the world’s biggest emitter of sulphur dioxide, a pollutant linked to ailments ranging from asthma to heart attacks, the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said. Eskom produced 1 600 kilotons of the pollutant in 2019, the latest year for which comparable data is available, according to the report released on Tuesday by CREA, an air-pollution research organization. That was more than any company, and the total emission of the power sector of any country with the exception of India.
October 5, 2021 by

China’s CMOC eyes solar and hydro for Congo copper/cobalt expansion

China Molybdenum Co (CMOC) is looking to tap more hydropower projects and potentially use solar energy as it expands its production of copper and cobalt in Democratic Republic of Congo, its vice-chairperson said. Steele Li, who is also chief investment officer at CMOC , said the company was committed to hydropower through the supply arrangement it inherited when it bought a majority stake in the giant Tenke Fungurume mine in Congo in 2016.
October 5, 2021 by

Full-scale mock-up of and advanced small modular nuclear reactor unveiled in the UK

Two nuclear technology companies, the Anglo-Dutch U-Battery and the UK’s Cavendish Nuclear, have unveiled a full-scale mock-up of U-Battery’s advanced modular reactor (AMR) design. The mock-up includes the reactor vessel, the intermediate heat exchanger vessel, and the connecting duct (which is U-shaped). The creation of the mock-up was made possible by funding from the UK’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, provided under its Advanced Manufacturing and Materials …
October 4, 2021 by

COP26 must unlock climate support from developed to developing countries – Creecy

South Africa’s Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy says the COP26 climate talks scheduled for Glasgow, Scotland, in November need to prioritise the securing of finance, technology and capacity building support from developed to developing countries. Addressing a virtual event on Monday, Creecy reiterated that Africa – which had contributed only one percent of global emissions historically and was already being unfairly burdened by the effects of climate change – required such support if it was to turn its climate change liability into a new opportunity for green growth and job creation.
October 4, 2021 by

Wind Atlas South Africa project offers freely available wind resource modelling methods, data …

The third phase of the Wind Atlas South Africa (Wasa 3) project has developed free-to-use wind resource estimation methods, data and tools that private and public organisations can use to inform decisions and policies. These can also be shared with the rest of Africa and the world to support wind energy use for sustainable development, says United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) South Africa resident representative Dr Ayodele Odusola.
October 4, 2021 by

IEA implores countries to help lower the production cost of hydrogen

The International Energy Agency (IEA) reports in its ‘Global Hydrogen Review 2021’ report, released on October 4, that although investment is increasing in hydrogen projects to support a clean energy transition, further efforts are needed to reduce costs and encourage wider use across sectors.

As such, the agency says governments need to move faster and more decisively on a range of policy measures to enable low-carbon hydrogen to fulfil its potential to help the world reach net-zero emissions, while also supporting energy security.

October 4, 2021 by

Eskom says Nersa’s MYPD5 rejection creates ‘regulatory vacuum’

State-owned utility Eskom says the rejection, by the Energy Regulator, of its latest allowable-revenue application has created a regulatory vacuum for the electricity supply industry. “Eskom is accordingly considering how to proceed, and is taking advice on its position following the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) decision,” the utility said in a statement on Friday.
October 1, 2021 by