Новости за 27.01.2021

A new global partnership has been formally launched in an effort to accelerate the decarbonisation of seven heavy industrial and transport sectors that together represent 30% of global greenhouse-gas emissions and where carbon-abatement pathways have yet to be defined. Known as the ‘Mission Possible Partnership’ it will focus specifically on the transportation sectors of aviation, shipping and trucking, as well as the aluminium, cement, chemicals and steel industries.

Automotive manufacturer Nissan Motor has set the goal to achieve carbon neutrality across the company’s operations and the life cycle of its products by 2050. As part of this effort, by the early 2030s, every all-new Nissan vehicle offering in key markets will be electrified, the company says.

Coal exports from South Africa’s Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) last year declined for the third consecutive year, with the 70.2-million tons exported to mainly Asia and single-digit percentages to Africa and Europe, taking exports back to what they were in 2013. In 2020, two-million fewer tons were exported than the 72.2-million tons of 2019, which was itself 3.3-million tons lower than the 73.5-million tons exported in 2018.

Industrial minerals and construction materials company Afrimat will sell the restructured Unicorn Capital Parents (UCP), which no longer holds a direct interest in the Nkomati anthracite mine. Afrimat last year acquired embattled UCP in order to take full ownership of the Nkomati mine, in which it, at that stage, already held a stake.

Administrators at national airline South African Airways (SAA) received R1.3-billion from the Department of Public Enterprises last week, a spokesperson for the administrators said on Wednesday. The money would be used to pay accepted and signed voluntary severance packages, employees who accepted a three-month back pay deal, and post-commencement creditors, spokesperson Louise Brugman said.

Cybersecurity awareness and training solutions company KnowBe4 Africa warns that the volume and sophistication of phishing emails – fraudulent emails designed to steal information and credentials or infect devices with malware –will continue to increase this year. KnowBe4 Africa Content Strategy senior VP Anna Collard adds that criminals are likely to start applying artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies, such as deepfakes, in their social engineering attacks.

From January 30, at 12:01am EST, entry will be suspended for all foreign nationals who were in South Africa during the 14-day period preceding their travel to the US. In a statement from the US Embassy on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden’s proclamation comes into effect until further notice, as new Covid-19 variants continue to spread across the world.

The water levels of the dams within the Integrated Vaal River System (IVRS) are at steady levels this week as persistent wet weather conditions replenish the system. The average water level of the system, which comprises 14 dams, is at 78.1% this week, an increase from 76.6% last week and 64.5% at the same time in the preceding year.

The latest Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Predictions report reveals that open and virtualised radio access networks (RANs) are accelerating, the 8k television (TV) wave will expand and fifth-generation (5G) myths are being debunked. The twentieth yearly edition of the TMT Predictions report further highlights how many trends are being driven by the global Covid-19 pandemic’s economic and societal impacts, resulting in intensifying growth in video, virtual and cloud technologies, as well as in media segments such as sports.

Industry body Vinpro has approached the Cape High Court in efforts to secure urgent interim relief for the wine industry amid the third ban on alcohol sales in the last ten months. The organisation says that, following a hearing that is set down for February 5, the court could afford permission to Western Cape Premier Alan Winde to adopt deviations to enable off- and on-consumption sale of liquor in the province.

The 2020 fourth-quarter First National Bank (FNB) Commercial Property Broker Survey saw all three major commercial property sectors, that is, office, industrial and retail, showing slight increases in perceived market activity levels, with the office property market’s activity remaining the weakest and industrial the strongest. The survey includes input from a sample of commercial property brokers in and around the six major metros of South Africa, namely the City of Joburg and Ekurhuleni (Greater Johannesburg)... Читать дальше...

The De Wildt Solar farm, situated within the Madibeng local municipality, close to the town of Brits, in the North West province, on January 23 entered into commercial operations, having achieved facility completion. This 50 MW photovoltaic project is the fourth utility-scale plant that has come on line in the North West in under five months, helping to make the province a serious player in the renewable energy sector. All four projects are 100% South African-owned and do not only deliver much needed power to the country’s national grid... Читать дальше...

Renowned US aerospace companies Sikorsky (part of the Lockheed Martin group) and Boeing have unveiled some details and images of their offering for the US Army’s Future Long Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA) competition. Intended to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 Blackhawk family, the winner of the FLRAA competition will enter service around 2030.  The Sikorsky Boeing proposal is called the Defiant X. It will be, the two companies assert, the most manoeuvrable, the fastest and the most survivable assault (troop carrying) helicopter ever developed... Читать дальше...

South African businesses are increasingly prioritising energy efficiency as they seek to navigate a more challenging business environment, with energy bills continuing to rise and carbon tax now a reality. The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi) reports that it has seen an increase in the number of Section 12L Energy Efficiency Tax Incentive applications since March last year.

Global crude steel production decreased by 0.9% year-on-year to 1.86-billion tonnes for2020, industry association the World Steel Association (worldsteel) reports. South Africa produced 3.9-million tonnes of crude steel, a significant decrease from the 6.2-million tonnes produced in 2019.

Construction academy Tjeka Training Centre, based in Randfontein, is poised for the training and upskilling of future construction industry artisans, according to the centre. While the anticipated infrastructure boom is yet to happen, Creamer Media journalist Simone Liedtke finds out what the centre is all about.

African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina launched the Africa Adaptation Acceleration Program (AAAP) on January 25 to mobilise $25-billion to scale up and accelerate climate change adaptation actions across Africa. The launch announcement occurred during the Climate Adaptation Summit 2021, hosted by the government of the Netherlands and the Global Centre on Adaptation (GCA).

Emerging helium and natural gas company Renergen has appointed three companies for the engineering studies for Phase 2 of its Virginia gas project, in South Africa’s Free State province. The three companies are Saipem South Africa, EPCM Holdings and Sproule.

South African private sector airline Airlink has announced that it will resume scheduled flights to Skukuza Airport, in the Kruger National Park, from Thursday (January 28). The airport had been temporarily shut down on January 14 because of a localised outbreak of Covid-19 at a nearby location. Throughout the Skukuza shutdown, Airlink continued to operate services to Nelspruit’s Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport and to Hoedspruit Airport. These are the two closest alternative airports to the... Читать дальше...

The Department of Tourism has launched the R1.2-billion Tourism Equity Fund (TEF), aimed at driving transformation in the tourism sector. The fund has been established in partnership with the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) as a new financial support mechanism to stimulate investment and transformation in the tourism sector.

Construction company Aveng intends to raise R300-million by way of a fully co-underwritten renounceable rights offer so that it may restructure its balance sheet, which will allow the group to reset its capital structure. The rights offer comprises up to 20-billion ordinary no par value shares in Aveng and as many class A shares that may be required to be issued to the underwriters to ensure the minima of the rights offer as required by the underwriters is attained.