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Institute working to host international event locally

The South African Institute of Tribology (SAIT) is collaborating with industry bodies and relevant government departments to host the International Tribology Council’s (ITC’s) eighth International World Tribology Congress in South Africa in 2025 or 2026, says SAIT president Patrick Swan.  “We are working hard to get interested parties involved. the Department of Science and Innovation, the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, and other companies are supporting us.”

Water, offtake markets core focus areas for green hydrogen project developers in South Africa

While renewable energy prices are tracking lower and electrolyser technology is evolving, the availability of water as an input for the production of green hydrogen, sustainably generated from renewable power sources, and the specific markets for green hydrogen products are important focus areas for project developers, a panel of industry experts said on June 3. Industrial technology multinational Siemens Energy Southern and Eastern Africa sales and generation VP Mark van Antwerp, law firm Webber Wentzel partner Gillian Niven and environmental consultancy SLR Africa power sector lead Stuart Heather Clark spoke during a briefing on the global, technological and local regulatory framework, obstacles and opportunities for the production of green hydrogen in South Africa.

Macsteel seeks reimbursement for ‘unlawful’ duty payments

Macsteel CEO Mike Benfield is confident that the company has a strong legal case against the continued application of an 8% safeguard duty on hot-rolled coil (HRC) and confirms that it is also asking the court for an order granting that it be reimbursed for the duties paid since the extension was confirmed in August last year. Should Macsteel succeed in its challenge, which is scheduled to be heard on June 22, it is possible that other domestic steel consumers that have imported HRC from nonexempt countries since August will seek similar reimbursements from the South African Revenue Service.

STI Norland South Africa optimistic about solar market developments

Solar tracker manufacturer STI Norland South Africa is optimistic about the solar market in South Africa, particularly as Bid Window 5 of the renewables programme was launched earlier this year and a 10 MW licence-exemption threshold for small-scale embedded generation has been proposed by government.

The company stands ready to supply the market with its proven STI-H250 dual-row solar trackers, after establishing its presence in 2013 and moving its office to Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape, in October last year.

The five steps Meridian says South Africa should take in the next 500 days to future-proof …

Specialist economics advisory group Meridian Economics has outlined five practical actions that could be taken in the next 500 days to address South Africa’s immediate electricity crisis and position the broader energy sector for future sustainability and climate resilience. In a briefing note prepared for the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion Colloquium, hosted this week by the Government Technical Advisory Centre and funded by the European Union, authors Dr Grové Steyn, Celeste Renaud and Lonwabo Mgoduso argue that the five actions would “jump-start South Africa’s journey to a 21st century  energy sector” and open the way for a myriad of new industrial and employment opportunities.

Germany’s KfW launches green hydrogen programme for South Africa

On behalf of the German government, the German development bank KfW has initiated a programme of up to €200-million in size to support the establishment of green hydrogen projects in South Africa and it intends releasing a formal request for information (RFI) by the end of June. The funding, which is in the form of concessional loan finance, must be disbursed by December 2023 and KfW has appointed the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and Meridian Economics to help it identify and evaluate high-potential projects for implementation during the course of this year.