Engineering News | News This Week

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July 01, 2022

STORAGE SPIN-OFFS

Batteries and decentralised power seen as key way to boost security of supply

Cover Story

Batteries and decentralised power seen as key way to boost security of supply

By: Cameron MackayIndustry body the South African Energy Storage Association chairperson Mikhail Nikomarov emphasises the importance of a decentralised power system and the benefits it can provide, and how this can be supported using battery energy storage systems (BESS) in the local market. “Energy storage... →

First Word

Investment-linked applications should be automatically approved if set deadlines are not met

By: Martin CreamerSystems must be put in place to ensure that bureaucracy does not halt much-needed economic investment. One system that could be considered is for, say, exploration and mining licence applications to have a fixed deadline of, for example, 120 days. Should approval not be granted in that time, the... →

News & Insight

Climate Commission sets sights on energy mix as it wraps up work on just transition framework

By: Terence CreamerThe Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) is initiating a process of research and consultation on South Africa’s future energy mix, which it aims to present to Cabinet before the end of 2022. Speaking at a conference hosted by the RES4Africa Foundation in Johannesburg, executive director Dr... →

Coalition mobilises $25bn to connect the unconnected

By: Natasha OdendaalThe newly launched Partner2Connect (P2C) coalition has secured over 400 connectivity pledges, representing an estimated combined financial value of $25.05-billion, with more pledges still coming in, to advance universal meaningful connectivity globally. The inaugural P2C Digital Development... →

Eskom has 32 GW of grid capacity, but not where most renewables investors want it

By: Terence CreamerEskom acknowledges that transmission constraints remain an obstacle to the introduction of new renewables generation, but the utility also highlights that 32 GW of grid capacity is immediately available to those independent power producers (IPPs) willing to build projects outside of the country’s... →

Feasibility study on the City of Cape Town’s takeover of Metrorail gets under way

By: Irma VenterThe City of Cape Town will, on July 1, start a feasibility study on the devolution of the city’s passenger rail system from the Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa (PRASA) to the metro. PRASA currently operates all commuter passenger rail systems in the country, with the exception of the Gautrain. →

Hino SA restarts production after Durban floods

By: Irma VenterHino South Africa (SA) has restarted truck assembly at its plant in the Toyota Prospecton manufacturing complex, in Durban, following extensive flooding in April. The remainder of the Toyota plant remains in recovery mode. →

Inclusion of nuclear in EU’s future energy plan rejected

By: Rebecca CampbellTwo European Parliament committees have voted against the European Commission’s plan to include nuclear energy and gas in the European Union’s (EU’s) future energy taxonomy. (The European Commission is the EU’s executive body.) The two committees concerned are the Economic and Monetary Affairs... →

Motsepe Foundation, partners invest in projects to uplift farmers, communities

By: Darren ParkerNonprofit organisation the Motsepe Foundation has launched two large-scale agricultural and farming projects involving rural and traditional communities in Limpopo and Mpumalanga, in partnership with agriculture industry association Agri SA and established commercial farmers and agribusinesses.... →

MTN SA targets 25% 5G coverage by year-end

By: Natasha OdendaalTelecommunications group MTN South Africa (SA) aims to have 25% of South Africa’s population covered by fifth-generation (5G) connectivity by the end of 2022, as it ramps up its deployment. MTN currently has over 1 000 active 5G sites servicing dozens of towns and cities across South Africa... →

Nedbank using innovative finance solutions to support companies’ ESG ambitions

By: Natasha OdendaalBanking giant Nedbank is leveraging its innovative sustainability-linked finance solutions to support South African – and African – companies’ environmental, social and governance (ESG) targets and expand sustainability-linked finance into mainstream markets. Amid a growing appetite for... →

New report outlines strategy for ending load-shedding by early 2024, but delivery hinges on ‘substantial political will’

By: Terence CreamerA comprehensive strategy for drastically reducing, or even eliminating, the scourge of rotational power cuts in South Africa by early 2024 has been outlined in a new public-interest report published by Meridian Economics. The authors warn, however, that load-shedding is poised to rise to extreme... →

Power constraints too complex for Eskom alone – EIUG

By: Donna SlaterThe Energy Intensive Users Group (EIUG) says that the task of mitigating risks related to the system performance and defining future electricity supply is too complex to be resolved by power utility Eskom alone, but instead requires active participation by other stakeholders as well. EIUG CEO... →

South Africans can now order their Ineos Grenadiers online

By: Irma VenterSouth African customers can now order their Ineos Grenadier online, with the starting price for the base model set at R1.41-million. The vehicle launches as a five-seat sports utility vehicle, with permanent four-wheel drive, two-speed transfer case and centre-locking differential included as... →

Sustainable aviation fuels seen contributing to a 65% reduction in aviation-sector pollution by 2050

By: Schalk BurgerSustainable aviation fuels (SAF) can contribute to a 65% reduction of emissions in the aviation industry by 2050, and South Africa has an excellent resource base to produce like-for-like replacements for fossil fuel-derived fuels that can be used with existing equipment and aeroplanes, says... →

Third-party rail access unlikely to unlock private investment, owing to restrictive terms – ARIA

By: Irma VenterAfrican Rail Industry Association (ARIA) CEO Mesela Nhlapo says the association has serious concerns regarding the restrictive terms and conditions Transnet has imposed on the use of the national rail network by private third-party freight operators. A key element of the newly unveiled National... →

Vantage Data Centers, SolarAfrica enter power purchase agreement

By: Natasha OdendaalHyperscale data centre campuses provider Vantage Data Centers has secured 87 MWp of solar energy for its Johannesburg (JNB1) data centre campus through a 20-year power purchase agreement with solar energy financing firm SolarAfrica. The agreement, which will enable Vantage to supplement the local... →

Editorial Insight

Slow but steady

By: Terence CreamerSome solid, albeit slow, progress is being made to convert the $8.5-billion offer of concessional climate finance to accelerate South Africa’s transition from coal to renewables and to support workers and communities currently reliant on the coal value chain into project transactions. It has been... →

Mining Weekly News

AECI Mining’s incoming CEO aims to cut carbon footprint, grow outside Africa in the medium term

By: Irma VenterNewly appointed AECI Mining CEO Mark Kathan (51) says his main focus over the medium term will be the greening of the company’s manufacturing and logistical footprint, while also growing the firm’s presence in the rest of the world. Kathan, the former AECI CFO, put up his hand for the top job at... →

ESG provides profitable returns from smart capital allocation – analyst

By: Martin CreamerEnvironmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks not only help businesses and the communities in which they operate but can also generate positive returns as mining companies reduce operating expenses and receive favourable investor interest and cheaper finance. When it comes to ESG, the... →

Localisation strategies must identify, remove constraints for local producers

By: Darren ParkerEffective localisation strategies must start by identifying the constraints on local producers that make it harder for them to compete with foreign suppliers, a report issued by economic research firm Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (Tips) on June 10 states. Tips identified several... →

Namibia has potential to become new-age battery metals Pilbara – AfriTin

By: Martin CreamerNamibia has the potential to become the Pilbara of new age battery metals. That is the view of AfriTin CEO Anthony Viljoen, who spoke to Mining Weekly in a Zoom interview. →

Prieska Power Reserve partners with IDC to further South Africa’s green hydrogen ambitions

By: Martin CreamerEmerging green hydrogen company Prieska Power Reserve on Tuesday announced a partnership with the State-owned Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) to advance a green hydrogen project in Prieska, in South Africa’s Northern Cape province. The Prieska Power Reserve Project is described on the... →

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