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Tesla’s gigafactory electrifies California-Germany culture clash

With final approval for its German factory potentially just weeks away, Tesla’s Elon Musk will make an appearance in the tiny town of Gruenheide this Saturday to host a county fair. Despite pandemic-related curbs limiting gatherings in Germany to under 5 000 people, Tesla applied for – and got – a permit to have 9 000 at the Oct. 9 ‘Giga-Fest’, after local authorities agreed the event would be COVID safe.
October 7, 2021 by

South Africa should not rush move away from coal, minister says

South Africa must manage its transition away from coal-fired power generation systematically and not rush a switch to renewable energy sources, Mining and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe said on Thursday. “I am not saying coal for ever, … I am saying let’s manage our transition step by step rather than being emotional,” Mantashe told a mining conference, when asked how China’s pledge to not build new coal power stations abroad would affect South Africa.
October 7, 2021 by

Mature local wind energy industry ready to deliver 14.4 GW of capacity over the next decade

The tenth yearly wind industry conference Windaba, which opened on October 7, marks a decade of wind power in South Africa and the industry has matured to the point that it is ready and able to build an additional 14.4 GW of wind power capacity over the next decade, says industry organisation South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) chairperson Mercia Grimbeek. “Our celebration of ten years of wind energy in South Africa brings us to a confluence as our industry stands ready for the next decade of growth that will be characterised as a resurgence and a period of exponential growth in our country’s energy narrative,” she notes.
October 7, 2021 by

Thyssenkrupp, Wismut to study potential to repurpose old South African gold mines for energy storage

Diversified industrial group Thyssenkrupp Uhde South Africa and German uranium mining company Wismut have been appointed to execute a prefeasibility study for a renewable underground pumped hydroelectric energy storage (Ruphes) project on a specific but undisclosed site owned by a South African mining company. Thyssenkrupp Uhde South Africa is collaborating with international specialist companies to facilitate mine repurposing and has already signed a cooperation agreement with Wismut.
October 6, 2021 by

Pele Green-EDF SA consortium to build 100 MW solar PV plant at Mogalakwena

JSE-listed platinum-group metals (PGMs) miner Anglo American Platinum (Amplats) has selected the Pele Green Energy – EDF Renewables South Africa consortium as the preferred supplier to build a 100 MW solar photovoltaic (PV) plant at its Mogalakwena mine, in Limpopo. Pele Green Energy develops, owns, procures, builds and operates renewable energy power projects, while EDF Renewables South Africa has global expertise in renewable energy technologies such as wind, solar PV and battery storage.
October 6, 2021 by

NUM gets behind Cosatu strike on October 7

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) has decided to join the October 7 national strike launched by Congress of South African Trade Union (Cosatu).

The NUM has, therefore, issued a call to its members in the mining, energy construction and metals sectors to join planned activities across the country – in accordance with Covid-19 guidelines – or withdraw their labour by staying at home on the day, as part of the Global Day for Decent Work.

October 6, 2021 by

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