The World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC) has extended a $225-million loan to South Africa’s FirstRand Bank, which will deploy the finance in support of “energy-efficient and water-smart projects” in South Africa. The loan includes a $75-million contribution from the Dutch entrepreneurial development bank FMO, which funds sustainable private sector growth in developing countries and emerging markets.
Juwi Renewable Energies has announced that the Droogfontein 2 Solar Park, near Kimberley, has reached full grid code compliance and started commercial operations.
The 179 ha area, which comprises 260 000 solar panels on a single-axis tracker system, is supplying 75 MW to the national grid.
In this opinion article, Vantage GreenX MD Alastair Campbell, who spent 25 years as an investment banker and who manages the R5-billion GreenX Debt Funds, says the renewables programme has proved that the private sector will invest in South African infrastructure once policy certainty is established.
The Zambezi River Authority (ZRA) is preparing to conduct disclosure meetings with communities in Zambia and Zimbabwe whose land or livelihoods could be affected by the construction of the proposed 2 400 MW Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme (BGHES), a transboundary project located 47-km downstream of the Victoria Falls. Jointly owned by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe, the ZRA operates and maintains the Kariba Dam Complex and is responsible for investigating and developing new dam sites on the Zambezi River.
South African utility Eskom said on Tuesday it would be forced to resume rotational power cuts from midday to 10 pm due to breakdowns in its generating units which slashed power supply. “Eskom regrets to inform the public that due to a severely constrained generation system as a result of multiple unit breakdowns, it has become necessary to implement stage 2 load-shedding,” the State-owned company said, warning this was likely to persist for the rest of the week.
South African utility Eskom said on Tuesday it would be forced to resume rotational power cuts from midday to 22:00 due to breakdowns in its generating units which slashed power supply. “Eskom regrets to inform the public that due to a severely constrained generation system as a result of multiple unit breakdowns, it has become necessary to implement stage 2 load shedding,” the state-owned company said, warning this was likely to persist for the rest of the week.
Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems, a major subsidiary of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group (MHI Group), has officially changed its corporate name to Mitsubishi Power.
The company says the rebrand marks the start of a new chapter in its mission to grow as an energy solutions provider and help solve the foremost energy challenges of our time, which includes decarbonising energy and bringing reliable power to people all over the world.
Botswana plans to add 600 MW of solar and coal-fired power in the next six years as the country looks to wean itself off imports while also eyeing power exports, the minerals and energy minister said on Monday. Botswana currently has national demand of 600 MW, but recurring breakdowns at one of its main power stations have left the country reliant on imports and diesel generators to cover shortfalls.
Petrochemicals company Sasol says manufacturing facilities at its Lake Charles Chemicals Complex, in the US, remain shut down as a result of Hurricane Laura. The group last week activated its inclement weather protocols at the complex, in preparation for Hurricane Laura, which made landfall near the project on August 27.
Ethiopia asked the US government to clarify reports it may withhold about $130-million of aid in a bid to pressure the Horn of Africa nation to review its plans to fill a new dam that have affronted its neighbors. “We have asked for clarification on reports of the United States’ decision not to give the $130-million it assigned to Ethiopia,” Fitsum Arega, Ethiopia’s ambassador to the US, said on Twitter. “We have heard that the issue is related to the ongoing negotiations on the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.”
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