Electricity minister says it’s ‘highly irresponsible’ to predict when loadshedding will end

Newly appointed Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa believes government will be ambitious in its plans to stop loadshedding, but he is not yet ready to say when that is expected to happen. “Loadshedding, and I want to emphasise [this] on national TV we are going to resolve it… [but] it is highly irresponsible to just shoot from the hip and say this date, that date,” Ramokgopa said in an interview with the SABC on Thursday evening.
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Company’s new furnaces under scrutiny

Luxemburg-based ArcelorMittal’s path to net zero emissions has come under scrutiny as it starts the construction of a new coal-based blast furnace in India which contrasts with low-carbon steelmaking in Europe and Canada. In a report released last month it was suggested that ArcelorMittal should prepare for difficult questions in its upcoming annual general meeting in May about how the company intends to reach net zero by 2050, as the company builds this new coal-powered blast furnaces in a joint venture with metal producer Nippon Steel of Japan (AM/NS India). 
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How battery storage can help SA navigate its grid and loadshedding challenges

Amid the current energy crisis, declared to be a state of disaster during last month’s State of the Nation Address by President Cyril Ramaphosa, battery energy storage systems (BESS) could potentially provide some near-term relief in areas of grid constraint, while also allowing households some protection against loadshedding. The ‘Understanding Energy Storage’ handbook – released last year by the African Legal Support Facility in partnership with the Commercial Law Development Program and Power Africa – outlines the implications of implementing BESS as an alternative to traditional power solutions.
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Public Enterprises Ministry to ‘cease to exist’ on formation of SOE holding company

President Cyril Ramaphosa has confirmed that the position of Public Enterprises Minister and the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) will “cease to exist” once a new holding company for strategic State-owned enterprises (SOEs) has been created. Appearing in Parliament to reply to questions posed by members of the National Assembly on Thursday, Ramaphosa said that government intended adopting the recommendation of the Presidential SOE Council that a State-owned holding company be established to house strategic SOEs and to exercise coordinated shareholder oversight.
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Successful first close for third energy transition Evolution impact fund

African private equity firm Inspired Evolution successfully achieved the first closing of its third energy transition, net-zero climate impact Evolution fund on March 3. Evolution III closed at $199.4-million in conditional commitments from seven international investors, allowing a further 12- to 18-month window to reach its target close of $400-million in capital commitments, the company says.
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Increase in solar panel recycling needed to avoid a future environmental hazard

Solar photovoltaic (PV) panels could result in an environmental hazard in 30 years’ time, as only 10% of the most widely used panel types are recycled in the US, while this data is unknown in South Africa, Stellenbosch Business School Institute for Futures Research (IFR) research assistant Francois Pretorius says. South Africa imported more than R2.2-billion worth of solar panels during the first half of 2022 and the pace of imports is set to increase dramatically as the country’s energy crisis mounts.
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Cape Town received 600 solar PV applications from businesses, households in Feb

As the City of Cape Town works towards independence from the national grid, it has recorded a best month on record for new solar photovoltaic (PV) installations.

The city received more than 600 solar PV installation applications in February, which, added to the applications the city received in January, totals 1 040 for the year so far.

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Metair expects 105% knock to earnings in FY22

JSE-listed energy storage and automotive components manufacturer Metair advises that its earnings per share (EPS) and headline earnings per share (HEPS) for the financial year ended December 31 will be at least 105% and 104% lower, respectively.

EPS and HEPs will, therefore, be at least 369c lower than the EPS and HEPS of 350c and 354c, respectively, reported for the 2021 financial year.

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Power-starved South Africa halts Karpowership bid for port plant

Karpowership, the Turkish company seeking to supply 1 220 MW of electricity to South Africa, had its environmental application to moor a ship-mounted power plant at the port of Saldanha Bay suspended after allegations that the views of small-scale fisheries were misrepresented. Triplo4 Sustainable Solutions, the company’s consultant, was given until March 17 to respond to allegations by environmental nonprofit The Green Connection that it used the views of commercial fishing companies and aquaculture operators to represent those of smaller operators.
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Funding green transition is a major focus for Nedbank CIB

Helping corporate clients transition to a future low-carbon economy is a major focus for Nedbank Corporate & Investment Banking (Nedbank CIB). The bank was the first South African commercial bank to issue a Green Bond, in 2019, and it financed the first private sector energy wheeling arrangement in the country. Staying with energy, it already has a R50-billion commitment into South Africa’s Renewable Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. “One of the key priorities for South Africa right now should be to decarbonise electricity generation,” highlights Nedbank Investment Banking Sustainable Finance Solutions Head Arvana Singh, speaking exclusively to Engineering News. “That has to change. The South African power sector is very coal intensive right now and it needs to switch to greener energy sources. Focusing on renewable power allows us and corporates in general to make a big impact in the near term.”
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