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Programme launched to build green skills, enterprise development

A solar photovoltaic (PV) green skills, enterprise development and sustainability research programme was launched on May 4 with the aim to upskill 900 youth, women and entrepreneurs over the next three years. The programme is aimed at ensuring the participation of the youth, women and entrepreneurs in the green economy.
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Energy specialist encourages mines to consider hybrid energy systems

Electrical energy solutions provider Senergy energy specialist Wilco de Villiers has encouraged miners to consider the value of implementing hybrid energy systems at their operations, as mines cannot function effectively without reliable energy supply. Speaking during this year’s Energy & Mines Africa conference, De Villiers said mines should expect hybrid power systems to at least maintain the reliability and predictability of the power system, if not improve it.
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M&R’s Clough awarded R1.1bn EPC contract for New South Wales power station

Murray & Roberts (M&R) subsidiary Clough has been awarded a R1.1-billion contract for the engineering, procurement and construction of the Tallawarra B gas turbine power station in New South Wales, Australia. Tallawarra B is a 300 MW expansion of the existing Tallawarra A power station.
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Eskom calls union wage demands unaffordable in tense negotiation

Eskom Holdings said the South African state utility is unable to agree to certain union demands over wage increases and declined to make an offer on basic salary until labor groups respond. The loss-making electricity provider “cannot afford” proposals such as an improvement in pay inequality, according to a May 4 letter reviewed by Bloomberg. A request by unions to raise worker housing allowance has “no justification” and the required funds aren’t available in any case, the company said.
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IEA report outlines urgent need to accelerate investment in critical minerals needed to drive …

A new International Energy Agency (IEA) report is warning of a potential supply deficit for some of the ‘critical minerals’ needed to support a global shift in the energy system that is aligned with the Paris Climate Agreement, as well as the growing number of country commitments to cutting carbon emissions to net-zero by 2050. Titled ‘The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions’, the report outlines the metals- and minerals-intensity of technologies such as solar photovoltaic, wind and electric vehicles (EVs) when compared with their fossil fuel-based counterparts – a reality that is transforming the energy sector into a major force in mineral markets.
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African mines note benefits of investing in renewables

The mounting pressure by governments and investors on industries globally to reduce emissions, coupled with favourable economics and the need for reliable and cost efficient power, are increasingly nudging mining companies towards considering renewable energy.

TSX- and LSE-listed gold miner Centamin Martin Horgan on May 4 said investors were applying higher standards to environmental performance and were therefore demanding cleaner operations.

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DFFE denies enviro authorisation for a new 30-year ash disposal facility at Kendal

The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) has refused an integrated environmental authorisation application by State-owned power utility Eskom to build a new 30-year ash disposal facility at the Kendal power station, in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga, on the basis of insufficient mitigation of potentially detrimental environmental impacts. “The Wetland Offset Strategy does not meet wetland offset targets as per the requirements of the second additional information requested and the offset land is not secured (not sterilised from future mining). The alternatives indicated by Eskom, like taking over wastewater treatment works in the catchment and making it compliant, are not feasible for enhancing the ecological category of the catchment,” the DFFE said in a statement on May 4.
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BioTherm connects another wind farm to national grid

Pan-African renewable energy project developer BioTherm Energy’s 120 MW Golden Valley Wind Energy Facility, in the Eastern Cape, has become the latest wind farm to be connected to the national grid. “We are pleased to announce the successful commissioning of all 48 wind turbine generators as the year draws to an end and we prepare to have our portfolio in operation in the next quarter,” says BioTherm CEO Robert Skjodt.
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Appetite for renewables remains strong, despite economic uncertainties

Despite ongoing economic uncertainties globally, investor appetite for renewables remains strong, with optioned renewable capacity increasing by 15% year-on-year in the nine months from January through to October 2020, compared with the same period the previous year. This sets a new record, juwi Renewables global hybrid director David Manning said during a conference on May 4.
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Solar energy to power Centamin’s Sukari mine into the future, juwi Renewables

Gold miner Centamin has awarded engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contracts for its 36 MW solar farm and 7.5 MW battery-energy storage system at the Sukari gold mine, in Egypt, to renewable energy specialist juwi Renewables and systems integrator company Giza Systems. juwi has been contracted to design, supply and integrate the Sukari solar and battery plant into the current diesel power plant, while Giza has been contracted to install the Sukari solar plant.
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