Omnia activates first of two 5 MW solar power plants

JSE-listed chemicals company Omnia has unveiled its new solar power plant at its Sasolburg operations, in the Free State. Darren Parker tells us more.
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NECOM outlines plan for adding and recovering 8 800 MW in 2023

Initiatives being coordinated under the aegis of the National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM) will seek to add about 8 800 MW of capacity to the South Africa’s electricity supply during the course of 2023 in an effort to reduce the intensity of loadshedding, a senior official from the NECOM secretariat has confirmed. In a briefing to editors, head of the project management office in the private of the President Rudi Dicks, who is also heading the NECOM secretariat, indicated that the additions do not include any success Eskom may have in recovering the performance of its coal fleet.
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Omnia signs MoU with German energy group to explore green ammonia production

Chemicals group Omnia has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with WKN Windcurrent, a subsidiary of German renewable energy group PNE, to explore the feasibility of developing a green ammonia production plant in South Africa. Omnia CEO Seelan Gobalsamy says ammonia is a key ingredient in the agricultural and mining markets, which are the primary sectors that Omnia supplies.
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Dhesen Moodley to lead new SAWEA board

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced its new board of governance, following its eleventh annual general meeting, held in Cape Town, on January 27. As the country accelerates its energy transition and pushes for energy security, the men and women who hold positions on this board will be charged with steering and advocating for wind, the industry body notes.
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Stage 6 loadshedding returns on Tuesday night after more breakdowns

Eskom has announced that loadshedding will escalate to Stage 6 on Tuesday night, after six generating units suffered breakdowns over the past 24 hours.  Loadshedding will initially jump to Stage 5 from noon on Tuesday, until 21:00. From there Stage 6 will run until 05:00 on Wednesday. From there, Stage 5 would continue until further notice. 
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Bushveld delivers record production despite loadshedding; electrolyte plant construction on track

Integrated primary vanadium producer and energy storage solutions provider Bushveld Minerals produced a record 3 842 t of vanadium in the 12 months to December 31 and has set its production guidance for this year at between 4 200 t and 4 500 t of vanadium. Although production in 2022 was higher than the 3 592 t produced in 2021, output was slightly below the company’s revised guidance range of 3 900 t to 4 100 t as loadshedding resulted in about 200 t of lost production at Bushveld’s Vanchem processing facility, in Mpumalanga.
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Ramaphosa says govt looking into State of Disaster to tackle energy crisis

As economically-crippling loadshedding continues unabated across the country, President Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed that government is going through to motions of establishing whether a National State of Disaster could be declared to alleviate power cuts. Speaking at the African National Congress’s (ANC’s) National Executive Committee lekgotla in Johannesburg on Monday, Ramaphosa acknowledged widespread calls for a State of Disaster from various sectors.  
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Temporary Kusile stacks set to bypass FGD for a year while remediation works are completed

Eskom reports that it is currently expecting to operate temporary stacks on the three Kusile units – which have been inoperable since October 23 when the Unit 1 flue duct failed in a way that also compromised the Unit 2 and 3 flue ducts – for about a year while permanent remediation works are carried out. The temporary stacks will bypass the flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) system and Eskom is, therefore, preparing to seek an exemption from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) in order to allow it to operate the units without using the air-pollution control system.
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Ramaphosa affirms Nersa’s independence in setting tariffs, but still calls for mitigation solution

President Cyril Ramaphosa has acknowledged that tariffs that reflect the cost of producing electricity are necessary for Eskom’s financial sustainability, as well as for the utility to service its debt and to undertake the critical maintenance needed to end loadshedding. Writing in his weekly newsletter he also affirmed the independence of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) in setting such tariffs using a prescribed process, which includes public consultation, as well as the “importance of following the due legal process in setting tariffs”.
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Omnia turns on the first phase of its 10 MW solar farm in Sasolburg 

JSE-listed chemicals company Omnia on January 27 unveiled the 5 MW Phase 1 solar power plant at its Sasolburg operations, in the Free State, followed immediately by a sod-turning ceremony to mark the start of construction on an additional 5 MW power plant.  This second phase of the solar power plant, which will bring the total capacity up to 10 MW, will be completed by September, Omnia manufacturing MD Francois Visagie said at the event. 
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