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LHWP II Commercial Centre in the preparatory stages of construction

Preparatory stages of construction of the Polihali commercial centre at Masakong are under way after the Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) awarded the M11.3-million contract to Unik Construction Engineering in mid-January. The construction of the centre, which is expected to enhance day-to-day access to goods and services in the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP) Phase II project area, is expected to be completed by December 2023, along with the bulk of the Phase II advance infrastructure.
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Can SA finally turn the switch on its power crisis in 2023?

Stage 4 to 6 loadshedding has become more commonplace over the past few months, with many analysts expecting it to continue and possibly worsen before South Africa’s energy crisis has abated.   Stage 6 has been the highest level of loadshedding introduced so far, although several economists have made the case that blackouts have actually been worse than that, owing to load curtailment on heavy industrial users.  
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Returning in-person Indaba to host Africa energy discourse

The fifteenth edition of the Africa Energy Indaba (AEI) – which will be hosted from March 7 to 9 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, in the Western Cape – will be hosted as a fully physical event for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic and aims to “bring people together to network, engage and learn”. Since the early stages of the pandemic, it was necessary for the company to “think outside the box and challenge the norms” to ensure that Siyenza could continue facilitating progress and collaboration in the energy sector, says event organiser Siyenza Management MD Liz Hart.   
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More investment needed to finance energy projects in Africa

Raising capital for energy projects and building sustainable pipelines is complex in a market that is challenged by demand for fossil fuels, while simultaneously trying to satisfy carbon-neutral policies and commitments. Events organiser Siyenza Management states that data shows that despite Africa’s sizeable population, it only attracts sub-5% of global energy investment.
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Milestone for gas project

Global energy major BP and project partner Technip Energies have reached a new milestone regarding the development of the highly-anticipated Greater Tortue Ahmeyim (GTA) liquefied natural gas (LNG) project located offshore Mauritania and Senegal. In January, the project partners announced that the floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) unit for GTA has officially left China, for the project site. Following three years of construction and successful sea trials of the FPSO unit, the facility – comprising eight processing and production modules – will enable the processing of up to 500-million cubic feet of gas and the production of 2.3-million tonnes a year of LNG during GTA’s first phase.
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Ramaphosa to appoint Minister of Electricity as crisis is declared a national disaster

President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that he would be appointing a new Minister of Electricity in The Presidency coordinate the response to the electricity crisis, which has now officially been declared a “national disaster” with immediate effect. In his seventh State of the Nation Address on February 9, which was initially disrupted by the Economic Freedom Fighters, the President acknowledged that the country was “in the grips of a profound energy crisis”, which was not only stymying the economic recovery from Covid but also threatening social stability and food security.
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Embedded generation investment a begrudging tonic for the economy

While South Africans lament having to make the grudge purchase of embedded electricity generation capacity, it has been a tonic for the economy in terms of investment, Standard Bank chief economist Goolam Ballim has said. Speaking at Standard Bank’s headquarters, in Johannesburg, on February 9, he added that, with the level of investment in embedded electricity generation, South Africa could add up to 1 GW a year, which would equate to about one level of loadshedding reduction.
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Cape Town allocates extra R87m for electrical maintenance arising from loadshedding

The City of Cape Town Energy Directorate has budgeted an additional R87-million for electrical infrastructure maintenance to deal with loadshedding fall-out and ensure reliable service delivery in this and the next financial year. “Loadshedding continues to hammer city infrastructure that has not been designed for constant loadshedding. Contingency measures are in place, as far as possible,” says City of Cape Town energy MMC Beverly van Reenen.
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Steinmüller Africa celebrates 60 years of growing its African business

Steam generation and high-pressure piping solutions company Steinmüller Africa celebrated 60 years of business in Africa on November 7, 2022.

The company started its presence in South Africa in 1962 with nothing but a post box, which was checked only when the company’s first MD Werner Oehler passed through South Africa en route to Australia from Germany.

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Eskom air pollution puts almost 80 000 lives at risk, study says

Air pollution from coal-fired power plants run by South Africa’s Eskom Holdings risks killing 79 500 people from 2025 until they are due to be shut, according to a study submitted to a government-appointed panel. The research by the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air assumes that the utility will continue to operate its plants as it does currently, with many of them breaching South African emission standards. The study was cited on Wednesday by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), a legal organisation representing environmental activist organizations in its submission to a panel on air pollution.
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