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Eskom tightens reins on power station managers

The Eskom board has pledged its support for group CE André de Ruyter’s decision, on September 3, to suspend the Tutuka and Kendal power station managers, pending disciplinary inquiries.

The decision was taken after load-shedding was escalated from Stage 2 to Stage 4 on September 2 and 3.

September 4, 2020 by

SA’s Eskom suspends managers over power station breakdowns

South Africa’s Eskom said on Friday it had suspended managers at two of its power stations after breakdowns which forced the utility to ramp up rolling blackouts earlier this week to avoid tripping the national grid. Eskom, which has implemented rotational powercuts on and off for more than a decade due to infrastructure failures largely blamed on years of inadequate maintenance, said its group chief executive André de Ruyter suspended the managers at the Tutuka and Kendal stations on Thursday morning pending disciplinary inquiries. 
September 4, 2020 by

World-first heat pump to launch at Electra

Krugersdorp heat pump manufacturer EMS Holdings will officially launch its world-first 200 ℓ low-pressure, integrated heat pump alongside its official distributor, ACDC, at Electra Mining Africa 2020 Connect from September 7 to 11. “For the first time in a long time, we have something that is uniquely indigenous to South Africa. It is a South African-engineered and -manufactured product, which contributes to job creation, especially if we expand our factory,” says EMS director Franco Diederiks.
September 4, 2020 by

Opinion: Wake up, the sun is shining

In this opinion piece, South African Photovoltaic Industry Association (SAPVIA) chairperson Wido Schnabel writes that the country has everything it needs to not only work its way out of the recession that is coming, but to actually improve the situation for every individual and elevate the country’s standing internationally. In 1992, the phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid” was painted by James Carville, Bill Clinton’s political strategist, on the walls of the presidential campaign office. With …
September 3, 2020 by

Rolls-Royce French unit wins Chinese nuclear contract

UK-based global industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has been awarded a multi-million euro contract to supply Neutron Flux Monitoring Systems to two nuclear reactors being built in China. The contract is from the China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) and will be executed by Rolls-Royce Instrumentation and Controls (I&C), which is based in Grenoble in France. The exact value of the contract has not been released. “For more than 25 years, we have been collaborating with CNNC in China,” pointed out Rolls-Royce Civil Nuclear France business unit director Stéphane Lessi. “We are delighted to have signed this new contract, which is further proof of the confidence that CNNC places in our I&C technologies and in our people.”
September 3, 2020 by

$25m investment expands horizon for clean-energy firm

Independent private equity fund manager Metier has announced a $25-million investment into clean-energy company Broadreach Energy, which specialises in deploying renewable-energy and energy efficiency projects in the commercial and industrial (C&I) sectors of various African countries. The investment has been made through Metier’s second Sustainable Capital Fund, or MSC II,  which has received $133-million in commitments to support renewable-energy, energy efficiency, water and waste-management investments in sub-Saharan Africa.
September 3, 2020 by

FNB cuts the carbon footprint of its branches by 50% over five years

After the adoption of carbon-cutting measures to drive energy efficiency across a network of more than 600 branches in South Africa, financial services provider First National Bank (FNB) FNB has reduced the carbon dioxide (CO2) footprint in its branches by nearly 50% over a period of five years.

FNB’s energy efficiency measures include, but are not limited to, fitting light-emitting diode (LED) lighting in new branches and retrofitting existing branches with LED lighting to enable a substantial reduction in electricity consumption.

September 1, 2020 by

IFC confirms $225m green-economy loan to FirstRand

The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has extended a $225-million loan to South Africa’s FirstRand Bank, which will deploy the finance in support of “energy-efficient and water-smart projects” in South Africa. The loan includes a $75-million contribution from the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO, which funds sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets.
September 1, 2020 by