BHP CEO Mike Henry has called for a “small set of common standards” covering environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to underpin the access to capital required to unlock investment in the critical minerals needed for the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy generation. Speaking at the International Energy Agency’s (IEA’s) inaugural critical minerals summit in Paris, France, Henry argued that there were currently too many standards for the same ESG dimensions.
African connectivity, digital and financial services company, Vodacom is on track to finalise the transformation of its Midrand campus, in Gauteng, into a 10.5 gigawatt-hours-a-year grid-based solar photovoltaic plant by December, about five months ahead of schedule. Tracy Hancock tells us more.
Automation and energy management company Schneider Electric has rejoined the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBSA).
The company says the move confirms its commitment to promoting and enabling sustainable practices in the local building industry.
Eskom is aiming to limit loadshedding to Stage 4 during the summer months to the end of March by restricting unplanned breakdowns to 14 500 MW during what is also its high-maintenance season, when planned outages of about 7 000 MW will be implemented. Interim CEO Calib Cassim indicates that the addition of 2 880 MW from the Kusile power stations will be critical for narrowing the prevailing supply/demand gap in the coming months and providing the space required for maintenance.
Government has committed to finalise a Freight Logistics Roadmap, outlining a sequenced set of actions to fundamentally reform the logistics system, by the end of October. The commitment was made at a meeting of Cabinet members and senior business leaders held at Discovery Place in Sandton on September 26, and chaired by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
Financial and policy advisory company Krutham, formerly Intellidex, has recommended that the Presidential Climate Commission, with the support of the National Treasury and the Auditor-General of South Africa, undertake a detailed study on municipalities –particularly in Mpumalanga – to establish what support is required to improve their financial position and how to incorporate the just energy transition (JET) into their long-term financial planning processes.
The Mpumalanga provincial government, with support from the Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency, could also work with municipalities to develop coherent JET strategies, the company states.
Four of South African State utility Eskom’s 15 coal-fired power plants are breaching government emissions regulations as it pushes ageing facilities to their limits, a Reuters analysis of company data found and Eskom officials confirmed. Africa’s most developed economy is facing its worst power crisis on record, with a persistent electricity shortfall necessitating daily scheduled rolling blackouts – known locally as loadshedding – of up to 10 hours for the past 18 months.
Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment Minister Barbara Creecy has upheld the decision of the National Air Quality Officer (NAQO) to permit the temporary operation of the Kusile coal power station using temporary stacks that bypass the flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) pollution-control plant. The NAQO, in concurrence with the Nkangala district municipality, confirmed on June 25 that it had granted a postponement for the Kusile power station to meet Minimum Emission Standards (MES) from June 5, 2023, until March 31, 2025.
African energy finance platform Nithio has invested in solar irrigation and farming technology solutions company SunCulture. The investment was made through Nithio investment vehicle Nithio FI, which is part of the Productive Use Appliance Financing Facility (PUAFF), which catalyses the uptake of productive use appliances across Africa. PUAFF is managed by international non-profit organisation Collaborative Labeling and Appliance Standards Program (Clasp), which improves the energy and environmental performance of appliances and equipment, and Nithio, with support from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet (GEAPP).
JSE-listed energy company Sasol has placed on hold the implementation of its planned additional gas reforming capacity at its Secunda plant, in Mpumalanga. Speaking at an investor site visit on September 22 in Secunda, Sasol environmental sustainability VP Sarushen Pillay said that the decision was made owing to changes in the attractiveness of the liquid natural gas (LNG) markets.
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