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Range provides dependable power distribution

Electrical and digital building infrastructure provider Legrand’s range of Zucchini busbars includes the LB PLUS range of busbar trunking systems, designed for the distribution of power from 25 A to 63 A. This durable busbar trunking system is an efficient single product solution for dependable lighting and power distribution, that replaces the need for multiple components in industrial and commercial installations.
February 12, 2021 by

Electricity regulations to be amended to raise licence-exemption cap for distributed generation …

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced on Thursday that Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act would be amended within the next three months to increase “the licensing threshold for embedded generation”. The current licence-exemption cap is set at 1 MW, with projects above that size required to follow a licensing process with the National Energy Regulator of South Africa that has been designed primarily for utility scale investments.
February 11, 2021 by

Eaton welcomes move away from sulphur hexafluoride switchgear

Power management solutions company Eaton welcomes a move by the European Union (EU) away from sulphur hexafluoride- (SF6-) based electrical switchgear toward more environment-friendly alternatives.

Eaton power division business development manager Marcel Buckner, presenting during a webinar on the subject of SF6 switchgear on February 11, says such gear was developed during the 1960s as a better alternative to oil but that leakage of the odourless and colourless gas from gear is polluting the environment.

February 11, 2021 by

ESG is key to future resilience, says Mgojo

In the recent past, environmental, social and governance (ESG) criteria were predominantly focused on environmental impact and related governance issues, such as climate change.

However, since the Covid-19 pandemic has affected the everyday lives of people across the world, more companies are realising the importance of the social and governance aspects of ESG, says diversified miner Exxaro Resources CEO Mxolisi Mgojo, who is also president of the Minerals Council South Africa.

February 11, 2021 by

Improved trading environment lifts ARB earnings

A much improved trading environment has enabled investment and property holding company ARB Holdings to achieve increases across the board during the six months ended December 31, 2020. Following a year of lockdowns and restrictions amid a global pandemic which dragged the company’s 2020 full year results, ARB has “bounced back” from the adverse conditions to report a solid performance in the first half of the year.
February 11, 2021 by

Zondo blasts ‘negligent’ former Eskom board over R1.68bn prepayment to Gupta entity

Failure by the 2015 Eskom board to interrogate the submission to authorise a R1.68-billion prepurchase payment to a Gupta-owned company cast doubt on the directors prudence, with State Capture Commission chairperson Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo going as far as calling them negligent on Wednesday. The board had approved the transaction as part of a contract to secure continued coal supply by the Optimum Coal Mine, which was on the verge of changing hands. The mine, formerly owned by Glencore, was at the time in the throes financial ruin and undergoing business rescue. Tegeta Exploration and Resources, a Gupta-linked company, had been lining up to buy the mine.
February 11, 2021 by

Bank sees load-shedding, factionalism impeding strong fixed-investment recovery in 2021

A leading bank economist expects fixed investment in South Africa to remain muted in 2021, weighed down by ongoing power shortages, political uncertainty and the Covid-19 pandemic. Standard Bank chief economist Goolam Ballim forecasts that investment levels will pick up in 2022, however, spurred by a recovery in global economic growth, as well as a rise in consumer confidence as the health and economic impacts of the pandemic taper in line with mass vaccination campaigns.
February 10, 2021 by

Solarise Africa adds Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia to renewable leasing solutions

Renewable energy leasing solutions company Solarise Africa has announced its expansion into Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia after signing a partnership agreement with turnkey energy services company Centennial Generating . The partnership adds seven projects in Rwanda, spread across the education, healthcare, retail, manufacturing, hospitality and agriculture sectors; two projects in Zambia; and one upcoming project in Uganda to the Solarise Africa portfolio.
February 10, 2021 by

Eskom to implement Stage 3 load-shedding from 13:00

Power utility Eskom say sit will implement Stage 3 load-shedding from 13:00 on February 10 to 06:00 on February 11. This is necessary as the power generation system is still severely constrained as a result of high generation unit breakdowns during the past three days, as well as the need to replenish diminishing emergency generation reserves, it states.
February 10, 2021 by