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Sudan says it is open to conditional interim deal on Ethiopian Renaissance Dam

Sudan is open to a partial interim agreement on Ethiopia’s multibillion-dollar Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile, on specific conditions, Irrigation Minister Yasir Abbas told a news conference on Monday. The conditions include the signing-off of everything that has already been agreed on in negotiations between both countries and Egypt; provisions to ensure that the talks continue even after the filling scheduled for July; and the negotiations adhering to a timetable, Abbas said.
June 14, 2021 by

DNG seeks to interdict winners of South African power tender

A losing bidder in a South African tender for the provision of 2 000 MW of power is seeking to interdict the winners from completing their agreements. The application to South Africa’s High Court by DNG Energy threatens to halt the provision of electricity needed to ease recurrent outages in Africa’s most industrialized economy and imperils investment estimated by the government at at least R45-billion.
June 14, 2021 by

Freeing up electricity generation could boost economic growth, says TIPS

The latest economic data highlights that both economic growth and employment have not recovered to pre-Covid-19 levels; however, economic recovery should be boosted by government’s announcement to free up electricity generation, Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies’ (TIPS’s) first-quarter Real Economy Bulletin (REB) for 2021 indicates. The REB represents a deep dive into the latest economic data.
June 14, 2021 by

Fluor repositions South African unit to support energy transition drive

Global engineering and construction company Fluor, which has been closely associated with South Africa’s liquid fuels and chemicals industries since the 1960s, has restructured its South African operations to align with the unfolding transitions under way in the energy and mining sectors. Fluor South Africa GM Bill Langenbach tells Engineering News that the domestic restructuring is fully calibrated with the American multinational’s broader reorientation to provide professional and technical solutions for accelerating global urbanisation, as well as energy transitions that are supportive of a shift to net-zero carbon emissions. Fluor itself is aiming to be carbon-neutral by 2023.
June 14, 2021 by

Infrastructure and import substitution at heart of new master plan’s vision for steel revival

A new master plan aimed at stabilising South Africa’s steel industry and creating a platform for the revival of the country’s embattled downstream steel fabricators was signed by representatives from business, labour and government on Friday. The ceremony, which took place amid the constant hum of heavy machinery at Hall Longmore’s factory in Wadeville, in Gauteng, was address by Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel, who said a new partnership was required if South Africa was to rebuild a “strong, competitive and job-rich steel industry”.
June 11, 2021 by

University spinoff company develops energy, water efficiency solution for schools

Stellenbosch University (SU) spinoff company GreenX Engineering’s initiatives to help equip Cloetesville Primary School, in Stellenbosch, with energy-saving technology ensured that it became the first school in South Africa to receive an electrical performance certificate (EPC). The school received an A-rating for the electrical consumption of the system, with 17 kWh/m2.
June 11, 2021 by

DTIC says to resolve Atlantis SEZ challenges

The Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (DTIC) has committed to resolving the challenges flagged by investors during a site visit to the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (SEZ), in the Western Cape, earlier this week, Deputy Minister Nomalungelo Gina says. Major challenges faced by investors in the renewable energy sector that are located in the SEZ were highlighted during the visit, including concerns around policy uncertainty surrounding the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) and speeding up the process of the Bid Window 5 implementation, as well as local content manufacturing on designated steel products.
June 11, 2021 by

South Africa on its way to decentralised power system – SAWEA

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has welcomed President Cyril Ramaphosa’s announcement that the licensing-exemption threshold for companies to produce their own electricity will be increased from 1 MW to 100 MW. SAWEA says it views this as another indication the country is well on its way to a decentralised, and decarbonised, renewable energy generation power system.
June 11, 2021 by