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.

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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.

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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Green hydrogen and powerfuels could revive ailing PetroSA, unlock green steel and create …

The combination of South Africa’s world-class wind, solar and land resources, its platinum group metals reserves, as well as its historical experience in industrial-scale synthetic-fuel manufacture, position the country strongly for the production of green hydrogen and tradeable synthetic powerfuels, a new report affirms. These competitive advantages open up major export opportunities potentially worth €160-billion a year, as well as near-term prospects to repurpose PetroSA’s ailing gas-to-liquids refinery in Mossel Bay to produce carbon-neutral aviation fuel and to revive the mothballed Saldahna Steel to produce green steel.
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Hydrogen growth to continue as energy users increasingly look to green technology

Following a surge in stock prices throughout 2020, the growth of the hydrogen energy sector looks set to maintain momentum throughout this year, financial services firm finnCap’s new quarterly energy report for the first quarter of 2021 states.

The report, titled ‘Hydrogen − this time it’s for real’ finds that recent gains differ from earlier hype cycles with factors such as government buy-ins, lower production costs, large-scale private partnerships and technological advancements having coalesced to assert hydrogen’s role in the energy transition.

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Hyde Park Corner rolls out solar panel project

Shopping centre Hyde Park Corner has installed a 384 kW solar photovoltaic (PV) system on its two office block roofs and carports on the North Eastern parking deck to lower its carbon footprint. The system, rolled out by specialist solar PV company Solareff, comprises 900 430 W half cut Mono Percium panels.
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