Новости за 15.01.2021

South African State-owned Land Bank said on Thursday it was working on a new debt restructuring plan after the National Treasury declined to provide a partial government guarantee. The country's largest agriculture-focused lender defaulted on its debt in April and has been in talks with creditors since.

China is buying South African coal at a time when analysts are forecasting a buoyant average coal price of $100/t for the first half (H1) of 2021. The purchase of South African coal by China follows Chinese relations with Australia deteriorating last year and imports of coal from Australia being restricted.

The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has welcomed the decision by US authorities that all those travelling to the US will have to have proof of a negative Covid-19 test result, from a test carried out within three days before their departure for the US. The new requirement was announced by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and will come into force on January 26. “Systematic pre-departure testing is key to giving governments confidence to reopen markets without quarantine,” affirmed Iata VP... Читать дальше...

The Water Research Commission (WRC) and the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) are calling on interested stakeholders to apply for the Water Seed Fund programme. Higher education institutions and small and medium enterprises in the water sector have until January 29 to submit an expression of interest to be considered for funding to support their projects.

Agricultural association Free State Agriculture (FSA) has directed a letter to the Free State Department of Police, Roads and Transport requesting urgent actions to repair roads for critical access in the province. This comes as recent flooding in the province has caused severe damage to roads in the province.

UK-based hybrid clean energy company Shearwater Energy is developing a wind small modular reactor (SMR) and hydrogen production hybrid energy project in North Wales. The project will provide 3 GW of zero-carbon energy and is also expected to produce over three-million kilograms of green hydrogen a year for use by the UK’s transport sector, ensuring full use of the energy produced.

UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has functionally inaugurated its new leading edge engine testbed by successfully completing the first engine run in it (the official opening will take place later). The engine used to inaugurate the testbed was a Trent XWB, which was developed to power Airbus’ A350 XWB family of widebody airliners. The new facility, designated Testbed 80, is located in Derby in England and took three years to construct, at a cost of £90-million. It has... Читать дальше...

South African Breweries, part of Anheuser-Busch InBev, has cancelled a further R2.5-billion rand of investment earmarked for 2021 following a third local ban on alcohol sales in the country, it said on Friday. SAB's cancelled investments in South Africa in relation to the ban now total R5-billion. In August, the maker of Carling Black Label and Castle Lager beer cancelled R2.5-billion of planned expenditure following a second alcohol ban.

The December 2020 Sunburst campaign revealed the supply chain as a new attack vector that will continue to be exploited, says cybersecurity multinational McAfee senior VP and chief technology officer Steve Grobman. Sunburst exploited the SolarWinds Orion information technology (IT) monitoring and management software platform and used it to distribute a malicious software backdoor, called Sunburst, to dozens of that company’s customers, including several high-profile US government agencies.

Diversified miner Exxaro’s board of directors has approved the appointment of independent nonexecutive director Chanda Nxumalo, effective February 1. She has 15 years of experience in the renewable energy and power sector, having worked across North America and Europe gaining experience in delivering technical, commercial and environmental advisory services in the renewables sector.

Following food company PepsiCo’s announcement on January 14 of a plan to achieve net-zero emissions across its supply chain by 2040, data analytics and consulting company GlobalData has indicated that net-zero supply chains are the future of fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), as 84% of consumers globally show an interest in sustainable production. “Introducing an initiative to achieve net-zero emissions is an ambitious target for any player of this size in the FMCG industry. Meeting the goal would... Читать дальше...

Research has highlighted that a significant proportion of consumers re-use margarine, large yoghurt and ice cream tubs made from polypropylene (PP), extending their lifespan and keeping these products out of landfill. Led by nonprofit company the Polyolefin Responsibility Organisation (Polyco), the ‘PP tub re-use research’ aims to guide a higher-level of repurposing for these plastic packaging items by improving their design for re-use and recyclability.

The Department of Basic Education and the National Coronavirus Command Council announced on Friday that the reopening of private and public schools will be delayed by two weeks. The new dates for the reopening of private schools will vary depending on the calendar that they follow. For public schools and private schools which follow the same calendar, School Management Teams will report for duty on January 25, teachers will go back to school on February 1, and learners will return on Monday, February 15. Читать дальше...

Creamer Media's Chanel de Bruyn speaks to Engineering News Editor Terence Creamer about frameworks that have been put in place to allow companies that use electricity intensively to apply for an incentivised tariff.

South African private-sector airline Airlink has announced that Skukuza Airport in the Kruger National Park has been closed and will remain closed until January 28. This was due to an outbreak of Covid-19 at the Lower Sabie Rest Camp. “In order to protect our customers, crews and personnel from exposure to the virus, we have decided to halt all operations at the Skukuza Airport until the 28th January 2021,” stated airline MD and CEO Rodger Foster. “We apologise to ticketholders for any inconvenience... Читать дальше...

The advent of duty-free trade within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has come at a “critical time for the global economy” and will ultimately boost sustainable post-Covid-19 economic recovery for the African continent, AfCFTA Secretariat SG Wamkele Mene said during his address at the Southern Africa European CEO Dialogue, held in November. Trading under AfCFTA has been effective as of January 1, with the implementation date having been delayed by six months, owing to Covid-19-related challenges. Читать дальше...