Новости за 03.06.2021

While renewable energy prices are tracking lower and electrolyser technology is evolving, the availability of water as an input for the production of green hydrogen, sustainably generated from renewable power sources, and the specific markets for green hydrogen products are important focus areas for project developers, a panel of industry experts said on June 3. Industrial technology multinational Siemens Energy Southern and Eastern Africa sales and generation VP Mark van Antwerp, law firm Webber... Читать дальше...

As South Africa seeks to scale up the move away from being reliant on coal-fired energy towards cleaner energy forms, the resultant just transition process to enable this must be cognisant of a number of different stakeholders. This was indicated during a ‘Key priorities and challenges for a Just Transition in Emalahleni and Steve Tshwete’ webinar held on June 3.

South African private sector activity expanded at a slightly slower pace in May, with continued increases in new sales driving output and employment growth, but price pressures capping the overall pace of activity, a survey showed on Thursday. IHS Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) dipped to 53.2 in May from 53.7 in April, staying above the 50 level that indicates an expansion for the eight month in a row.

South Africa's fiscal deficits are declining slightly faster than initial expectations, but slow progress on the rollout of coronavirus vaccines and structural reforms will continue to hamper progress, ratings firm S&P Global said on Thursday. S&P affirmed South Africa's sovereign rating of BB-, or three notches below the investment grade, and kept a stable outlook.

Corporate and VIP aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) company, Execujet MRO Services, has been certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Execujet MRO Services is based at Lanseria International Airport, northwest of Johannesburg, in Gauteng province. The certification followed a stringent safety, quality and facilities audit of the operation by the FAA. “The FAA certification is a valuable endorsement of our ongoing investment and focus on safety, quality and skills,” affirmed Execujet MRO Services VP... Читать дальше...

The representative body of the global airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (Iata), and the world’s two biggest commercial aircraft manufacturing companies, Airbus and Boeing, have jointly issued a press release calling on governments to make their Covid-19 border opening risk-management decisions on the basis of data. Modelling by Boeing and Airbus, in cooperation with Iata, has shown that borders can be opened without requiring international travellers to quarantine while... Читать дальше...

A recent report on emerging hydrogen economies reveals that, although earlier phases of hydrogen deployment were mostly driven by public authorities or public-private initiatives, more than 50% of such projects are currently being led by the private sector, which views projects as strategic investments in a new business area. The report, published by public-private partnership Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, also finds that locally integrated hydrogen ecosystems, used for climate change mitigation and regional economic development ... Читать дальше...

Botswana’s economy is expected to recover this year, with growth projected at 8.3%, driven by improvements in the global demand for diamonds, the easing of restrictions on mobility and the expansionary fiscal stance. The recovery is expected to be uneven across sectors, depending on improvements in both the domestic and external environment, while its current account and fiscal deficits are projected to narrow, reflecting the expected improvement in the global demand for diamonds, phasing out of the one-off Covid-related spending... Читать дальше...

While some industries have shown small employment gains, the overall picture is still a cause for concern, with a large decrease in employment between 2020’s fourth quarter and the first quarter of this year in industries classified as non-essential, which saw between 84 000 and 87 000 jobs lost. Employment by private households decreases by 70 000 jobs quarter-on-quarter, while the finance (215 000), community (16 000), utilities (16 000), mining (12 000) and manufacturing (7 000) sectors recorded increases in employment.

Following the reintroduction of travel restrictions by the Seychelles government from June 1, which affects travel between South Africa and the Seychelles, national airline Air Seychelles will be reducing the number of flights scheduled from Johannesburg until further notice. All flights on Fridays that connects to the airline’s Maldives service will still operate as scheduled and are still available for sale. South African passport holders are able to take these flights, regardless of vaccine status, the airline says.

Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises chairperson Khaya Magaxa has welcomed the announcement by Eskom’s board that it has cleared CEO Andre de Ruyter of racism allegations. Magaxa says the utility can now move on with turning the power utility around and meet its responsibilities.

Automotive group Motus has come on board to support the Youth Employment Service (YES) by providing 355 young people with work experience. YES was launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2018 and encourages the private sector to create critical work experience opportunities for young people across the country.

The British High Commission, together with voluntary coalition of South African and multinational companies the National Business Initiative (NBI) and nonprofit organisation GreenCape, have launched a Climate Finance Accelerator (CFA) programme in South Africa and have issued an open call for proposals. The CFA is slated to support South Africa’s efforts to implement its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) by bringing together stakeholders that can develop and finance climate projects at scale.

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) Mayoral Committee has launched a city-wide Climate Action Plan (CAP) with the objective of transitioning towards carbon neutrality and a resilient city by 2050. The CAP seeks to contribute to the objectives of the city’s Growth & Development Plan and aligns to the aspirations and objectives of the Paris Climate Agreement.

Agriculture’s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP) and employment is often underrated in South Africa, which particularly came to the fore at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, says Bureau for Food and Agricultural Policy (BFAP). During a Nedbank-hosted webinar on the sector, BFAP commodity markets and foresight manager Dr Tracy Davids pointed out that primary agriculture made up 2% of the South African economy, while agri-processing contributed another 5% on its own.

Macsteel CEO Mike Benfield is confident that the company has a strong legal case against the continued application of an 8% safeguard duty on hot-rolled coil (HRC) and confirms that it is also asking the court for an order granting that it be reimbursed for the duties paid since the extension was confirmed in August last year. Should Macsteel succeed in its challenge, which is scheduled to be heard on June 22, it is possible that other domestic steel consumers that have imported HRC from nonexempt... Читать дальше...

The City of Johannesburg (CoJ) on June 3 said the 50 000 m² Johannesburg International Transport Interchange (JITI) had reached practical completion and would launch at the end of the month. The international long-distance and cross-border transport hub is located in the city's central business district.

In this summary of a presentation made to a colloquium organised by Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion, Creamer Media CEO and Wits University economics lecturer Dr Kenneth Creamer outlines five priorities for South Africa’s electricity policy

Coal is seeing a dramatic spike in demand just as several major miners are hit with production problems, sparking a surge in prices from China to Europe and the US. Prices for the dirtiest fossil fuel are soaring as sweltering temperatures in North Asia increase air conditioning needs, adding to already strong demand due to the industrial recovery from the pandemic. Mine safety issues in China and heavy rainfall in Indonesia, meanwhile, are constraining output.

Solar tracker manufacturer STI Norland South Africa is optimistic about the solar market in South Africa, particularly as Bid Window 5 of the renewables programme was launched earlier this year and a 10 MW licence-exemption threshold for small-scale embedded generation has been proposed by government. The company stands ready to supply the market with its proven STI-H250 dual-row solar trackers, after establishing its presence in 2013 and moving its office to Gqeberha, in the Eastern Cape, in October last year.

South African growth and employment levels can be boosted significantly through a successful local industrial programme, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said at the Black Business Council Annual Summit on June 2. He pointed to successful examples of localisation in the past year, covering products ranging from medical supplies required to address the Covid-19 pandemic, to poultry, kitchen cookware and sugar products.

Engineering multinational SMEC on June 2 said it had been appointed as infrastructure consultant for the second phase of Tatu Industrial Park, which is part of the 5 000-acre special economic zone Tatu City outside Nairobi, in Kenya. SMEC will oversee the design, tender processing and construction of infrastructure. The scope of infrastructure works includes roads, storm drainage, street lighting, water distribution pipelines and wastewater reticulation, electrical networks and information and communications technology.

A report, commissioned by the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac) at the request of the Portfolio Committee of Trade and Industry, showed that, by 2019, the sugar tax had resulted in the sugar sector losing 9 154 jobs, – almost 10% of its workforce. Further, the tax resulted in a R1.19-billion decline in the industry's gross value-added contribution to the economy, industry body the South African Canegrowers Association (SA Canegrowers) says.

Specialist economics advisory group Meridian Economics has outlined five practical actions that could be taken in the next 500 days to address South Africa’s immediate electricity crisis and position the broader energy sector for future sustainability and climate resilience. In a briefing note prepared for the Capacity Building Programme for Employment Promotion Colloquium, hosted this week by the Government Technical Advisory Centre and funded by the European Union, authors Dr Grové Steyn, Celeste... Читать дальше...