Entries by

As South Africa veers from NDP jobs and poverty goals ‘course corrections’ proposed

With the National Development Plan’s (NDP’s) goals of achieving full employment and eliminating poverty by 2030 already out of reach ahead of the onset of the deadly Covid-19 pandemic, which has since obliterated the plan’s objectives entirely, the outgoing National Planning Commission (NPC) has outlined recommendations for a “course correction” in a 170-page analysis. The document, titled a ‘Review of Economic Progress towards Vision 2030’, was first published in December and was formally canvassed with stakeholders during a well-attended webinar on Thursday.
January 21, 2021 by

NUM tackles De Ruyter over Eskom’s poor performance, load-shedding

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) on Thursday said it is unhappy with the load-shedding being carried out in South Africa and “very disappointed” with the performance of Eskom under the leadership of chief executive André de Ruyter. “The current management team has taken the country to stage 6 for the first time in the history of this country. This team is perpetually failing to produce sufficient power to avoid load-shedding. Under this leadership, load-shedding is expected to be with us for the next two to three years,” said Khangela Baloyi, NUM Eskom energy sector co-ordinator.
January 21, 2021 by

Zeerust Power begins commercial operations

Zeerust Solar, in the North West province, has started commercial operations, having achieved full compliance on January 1. This 100% South African-owned photovoltaic (PV) project joins the Bokamoso and Waterloo Solar plants, putting the North West on the map as a player in the renewable energy sector, not only delivering additional power to the country’s national grid, but also to benefit the rural communities through impactful economic development programmes, Zeerust Solar said in a statement.
January 20, 2021 by

Aggreko to implement hybrid power solution for Gold Field’s Salares Norte in Chile

Mobile and modular power solutions provider Aggreko has signed a ten-year contract with global miner Gold Fields to provide a 25.9 MW hybrid solar and thermal power solution for the Salares Norte openpit gold/silver mine, in Chile. This solution has been designed to provide power for the entire mine, which sits at an altitude of 4 500 m in the Andes mountain range and is 190 km from the nearest town.
January 20, 2021 by

Raising distributed-generation licensing threshold to 50 MW would unlock at least 5 000 MW in …

Lifting the licensing threshold for distributed-generation projects to 50 MW or higher could unlock an estimated 5 000 MW of additional capacity in five years and go a long way to rapidly easing South Africa’s debilitating power supply constraints. This is the conclusion of a Meridian Economics analysis of a recent industry survey conducted by EE Business Intelligence at the request of Meridian Economics.
January 20, 2021 by

Project launched to define role of finance in South Africa and India’s ‘just transitions’

A new multi-partner initiative has been launched with the aim of defining the role that finance can and should play in supporting both South Africa and India’s aspirations to implement “just transitions” to more climate-resilient economies. The ‘Just Transition Finance Roadmaps in South Africa and India Project’ is being backed by the UK’s development finance institution, the CDC Group, in partnership with Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) and the National Business Initiative (NBI), of South Africa, as well as the Observer Research Foundation, LSE Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, the Harvard Kennedy School’s Initiative for Responsible Investment and the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy.
January 19, 2021 by

Mainstream Renewable Power signs equity investment deal with Aker Horizons

Global wind and solar company Mainstream Renewable Power has signed an agreement with renewable energy investment company Aker Horizons, which will take a 75% equity stake in the company, subject to regulatory approval. The deal values Mainstream at €1-billion (including a potential earn-out of up to €100-million in 2023 and subject to customary adjustments), which represents a significant return for shareholders of up to 5.5 times investment, the company acclaims.
January 19, 2021 by

Renergen hoping to highlight importance of diesel dual fuel with new truck

Emerging natural gas and helium producer Renergen has replaced its old transport truck with a new one, equipped with the diesel dual fuel (DDF) kit and tank from the former truck, in a bid to prove the equipment will “outlast the truck”. While the truck itself is not linked to the company’s recently announced cold-chain storage solution, the company uses the truck to transport gas to its customers.
January 19, 2021 by

Renewable Energy Development Zones vital for a just energy transition − SAWEA

Renewable energy development zones (REDZ) have a key role to play in the South Africa’s just energy transition, creating priority areas for investment in the electricity grid and increasing South Africa’s green energy map, by enabling higher levels of renewable power penetration, industry organisation the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) says. REDZ are geographical areas where wind and solar photovoltaic power development can occur in concentrated zones.
January 18, 2021 by