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100 MW reform ‘precursor’ to new market-driven electricity supply industry – De Ruyter

Eskom CEO Andre de Ruyter has described the decision to lift the licence-exemption cap on own- or embedded-generation plants from 1 MW to 100 MW as not only positive for addressing South Africa’s immediate electricity shortages, but also as “the precursor to the development of a new electricity supply industry in South Africa, which is going to be driven by far greater market dynamics than has hitherto been the case”. In a virtual conversation directed by Citigroup chief country officer Peter Taylor as part of the SA Tomorrow conference, De Ruyter said the higher threshold would likely be an “important contributor to adding much-needed capacity to the grid”.
June 18, 2021 by

Fishermen, oyster farmers fear power-generating ship will kill business

A floating gas-turbine generator meant to alleviate South Africa’s crippling power cuts has run into objections by oyster farmers and small-scale fishermen, who fear the environmental damage will destroy their livelihoods. The seafood sellers fear the 415 MW ship – to be moored for two decades at Saldanha Bay, 140 km north of Cape Town – will pump hot water into the bay and make endless noise, spoiling farmed oysters and scaring off fish as Africa’s most industrialised country scrambles to fix electricity problems.
June 18, 2021 by

Kenya utility joins global emissions project, plans carbon trade

Kenya Electricity Generating Co, Africa’s largest geothermal producer, joined a United Nations-backed emissions-reduction programme as it looks to begin a domestic carbon market. KenGen, as the State-run company is known, announced its participation in the Business Ambition for 1.5°C programme on Wednesday. Under the project, the company commits to emission-reduction targets through investments in green and clean energy to help combat global warming, as per the 2015 Paris Agreement guidelines.
June 18, 2021 by

Strong policy needed to grow a green biofuels industry

To ensure that the South African biofuels industry grows sustainably, World Wide Fund for Nature South Africa (WWF-SA) Bioenergy programme manager Tjaša Bole-Rentel says there needs to be a differentiation at policy level based on each biofuel’s environmental impact. Biofuels have the potential to be an environment-friendly alternative to fossil fuels, however, if the environmental impacts of the feedstock’s origins are negative, this can, in some instances, be worse for the environment than fossil fuels.
June 18, 2021 by

Biofuels framework is inadequate

Although the biofuels regulatory framework aims to provide guidance and regulation for the industry and its processes, its falling short in several areas could inhibit its growth in an already challenging environment, says Wits Business School African Energy Leadership Centre director Professor Lwazi Ngubevana. The framework, published on February 7, 2020, provides certainty for the industry in terms of addressing key priorities and results in “promising signs with new projects looking to come online in the near future”.
June 18, 2021 by

Localisation of equipment promotes price stability

Rand volatility has a big impact on projects that require imported biogas equipment ,however the localisation of some equipment can help the biogas industry gain some stability, says organic waste solutions company Logical Waste director Jason Gifford. It was a good time to import equipment over the past six months owing to the falling rand. However, when developing a project, it will not be developed in six months – it can take several years, during which time the rand exchange rate will change.
June 18, 2021 by

Association offers value to stakeholders

Stakeholders in the biofuels and biogas industry can advocate for better legislation and connect with other stakeholders by being active members of associations such as the Southern African Biogas Industry Association (SABIA). The association also makes it possible for stakeholders and interested parties to gain access to industry knowledge and news.
June 18, 2021 by

Rolls-Royce announces net zero emissions plans

Power and propulsion engineering company Rolls-Royce has announced its plans to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050, at the latest.

The company’s actions and the development of new low-carbon technologies will enable the users of such products to, in turn, lower their carbon emissions, enabling an accelerated take-up of sustainable fuels and driving step-change improvements in efficiency, the company states.

June 17, 2021 by

Kibo Energy seeks to sell coal assets as its focus shifts to renewables

Africa and UK-focused energy company Kibo Energy’s primary focus going forward will be on renewable energy opportunities, part of which will see Kibo jointly develop a portfolio of waste-to-energy projects in South Africa. Kibo, therefore, intends to appoint specialist advisers to assist it in developing and implementing an appropriate disposal strategy to dispose of its coal assets or possibly repositioning these assets to make use of alternative fuel sources other than coal, given rapid advances in developing alternative fuel sources in this domain.
June 17, 2021 by

GreenCape’s 2021 market intelligence reports highlight Western Cape investment opportunities

GreenCape’s 2021 market intelligence reports (MIRs), produced in partnership with the Western Cape Government’s Department of Economic Development and Tourism, are now available for download. The reports highlight the investment opportunities in key sectors of the green economy in the province, which has been “working hard to ensure the province is an attractive destination for investors looking to start or expand their businesses,” says Western Cape Finance and Economic Opportunities Minister David Maynier.
June 17, 2021 by