Pan-African renewable power producer company BioTherm Energy, backed by emerging market investor Actis, has announced the official start of operations at its Excelsior Wind Energy Facility at the end of 2020. This marks the completion of its third Independent Power Producer (IPP) project in South Africa during the year as part of the fourth round of the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, boasting a combined generating capacity of 165 MW.
Integrated green technology company VanadiumCorp Resource has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for a trilateral partnership with Conoship International Projects from the Netherlands and Vega Reederei and Partners from Germany. Key engineering work is planned to commercially develop next-generation vanadium redox flow-battery (RFB) technology and high-energy-density electrolyte technologies for marine propulsion applications.
State-owned power utility Eskom will be implementing Stage 2 load-shedding between 22:00 and 05:00 on January 6 and 7. The load-shedding is necessary to recover and preserve the emergency generation reserves that have been used to support the system during the week following the earlier-than-planned shutdown of Koeberg power station’s Unit 1 and other units whose return to service has been delayed, the utility notes.
Researchers from the Fitzpatrick Institute of African Ornithology (Fitztitute) at the University of Cape Town (UCT), HawkWatch International and the University of Amsterdam have developed a new tool that offers developers more accurate guidance on where to safely build wind farms to prevent birds of prey being struck by wind turbines. UCT points out in a statement that the rapid uptake of wind energy globally offers hope of a transition toward sustainable renewable energy, but also presents a real threat to soaring birds of prey, particularly the Verreaux’s Eagle.
The World Bank expects the South African economy to recover by 3.3% in 2021 and return to a “near potential pace” of 1.7% in 2022 after contracting by an estimated 7.8% during Covid-afflicted 2020. However, it warns in its flagship Global Economic Prospects report, published on Tuesday, that the pandemic has precipitated a dramatic fall in per capita income, which has pushed tens of million more people in South Africa and the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa into extreme poverty.
Africa-focused hydropower developer Tembo Power Holdings (TPH), formerly Tembo Power Limited, has appointed Jacques Barouhiel to lead its financial structuring business as MD.
TPH is an independent power producer (IPP) with a focus on small hydropower in sub-Saharan Africa. It holds rights over 13 projects across Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi and Cameroon, for a total installed capacity of about 300 MW.
Power plant company Scatec has launched its new logo and profile, with this transformation following the company’s broadened growth strategy and the name change to Scatec from Scatec Solar. “2020 was a monumental year for Scatec. During the crisis, we made the greatest expansion since our establishment, by broadening our strategy and acquiring SN Power. I am, therefore, pleased to start the new year by unveiling a profile and logo supporting our ambition to become a global large-scale player in solar, hydro, wind and storage solutions, and an integrator of high-value infrastructure solutions,” says CEO Raymond Carlsen.
Renewable energy developer and operator Enel Group’s South African renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power (EGP) has successfully reached commercial operation of its 140 MW Nxuba wind farm in the Eastern Cape.
The project, built at a cost of about €200-million, is expected to generate 460 GWh/y of energy.
Electricity utility Eskom reported on Monday that Koeberg Unit 1 would be taken offline for repairs one month ahead of scheduled maintenance after an increasing leak rate was detected from one of the unit’s three steam generators. Eskom said in a statement that the leak rate was “well within the safety limits” and posed “no risk to plant, personnel, or the environment”. It also described the decision to take the unit offline as a conservative one.
The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, and Nedbank have partnered to increase financing for renewable energy projects in South Africa in an effort to help the country transition to cleaner forms of power, reduce greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions and create jobs in the renewable energy sector.
Being the third investment dedicated to green finance in South Africa’s financial sector, the IFC will provide Nedbank with a loan of up to $200-million to help it expand its green finance operations and grow its climate portfolio by funding renewable energy projects.
Being the third investment dedicated to green finance in South Africa’s financial sector, the IFC will provide Nedbank with a loan of up to $200-million to help it expand its green finance operations and grow its climate portfolio by funding renewable energy projects.
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