Новости за 21.10.2021

The Steel and Engineering Industries Federation of Southern Africa (Seifsa) has confirmed the end of the strike that has affected the metal and engineering sector in the past three weeks. Seifsa, on behalf of its affiliated associations, and labour reached a "landmark" agreement on the issue of awarding increases on a rand and cents amount calculated on scheduled rates, which was the major point of difference in the past few weeks, CEO Lucio Trentini said on October 21.

Investment management company Sakhumnotho has acquired a 26% stake in the privately owned petrochemicals company Refinex and bulk liquid storage company South African Tank Terminals (SATT). This signifies the arrival of an important new player in the energy market, Sakhumnotho said.

The Lesotho Highlands Development Authority (LHDA) is calling for tender submissions for the construction of the Mabunyaneng and Khubelu bridges under Phase II of the Lesotho Highlands Water Project (LHWP). The tenders, which interested construction firms have until February 17, 2022, to submit, marks the last step in the procurement of Phase II major works construction, said LHDA Phase II divisional manager Ntsoli Maiketso.

Above-trend growth of 5.1% was expected for the global economy this year, independent solutions and insights firm Fitch Solutions Country Risk and Industry Research revealed during a webinar on October 21. Growth was likely to slow to 4.2% in 2022, it added.

Solar resource technical service providers GeoSUN has expanded into the wind energy industry through a newly formed brand GeoWIND. “We see the future of renewables being a combination of solar, wind and batteries, as well as other renewables. Clients will most likely be looking for a single service provider to offer both wind and solar measurements on their project site,” says GeoSUN MD Riaan Meyer.

Brazil-based global major aerospace group Embraer on Thursday released the numbers of commercial and executive (business) jets that it had delivered to customers during the third quarter of this year (3Q21) and the totals delivered during the first three quarters of this year. During 3Q21, the company delivered nine commercial and 21 executive jets. The executive jets were subdivided into 14 in the light category and seven in the large category. For the first nine months of the year, deliveries ...

Innovation is fundamental for a business and needs to be a continuous process, Discovery Group CEO and founder Adrian Gore has said. Speaking on day one of the Africa Strategy Conference, on October 21, he noted that he has observed six key learnings from innovation implemented at Discovery.

South Africa aims to meet with other governments and multilateral finance institutions on the sidelines of the upcoming COP26 gathering to progress talks on raising concessional funding, in phases, for a Cabinet-endorsed ‘Just Transition Financing Facility’ to fund green projects in the electricity, automotive and hydrogen sectors. As part of the first phase, South Africa is proposing a multitranche, multiyear facility, funded by a multilender syndicate, to fund decarbonisation and green projects.

The continued absence of a long-term vision for South Africa’s energy sector is creating a policy “vacuum” and undermining investment, the 2021 edition of the South African Energy Risk Report states. Published by the South African National Energy Association (Sanea), the report highlights that the country still has no overarching policy that offers an integrated approach to the energy sector.

Sasol posted a 44% rise in first-quarter revenue in its main chemicals business on higher chemical and crude oil prices, it said on Thursday. Revenue from its chemicals business, which accounts for almost 60% of its turnover and profit, came in at $2.5-billion, driven largely by an average price rise of $57 per tonne from a year earlier.

UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce on Wednesday highlighted its eagerness and ability to help the Indian Navy adopt integrated full- electric propulsion (IFEP) for its future warships. The company is the only producer of marine gas turbines that are integrated into IFEP systems, used to power aircraft carriers and destroyers. The Indian Navy operates both these categories of warship. “Rolls-Royce is well-positioned to partner India for the modernisation of its naval ...

The intensifying semiconductor shortage will slow the post-Covid-19 global recovery of light-vehicle sales over the next two years, says S&P Global Ratings in a newly published report. "In our revised scenario, we now expect light-vehicle sales will increase more moderately by about 2% to 4% in 2021, year-on-year, compared with the projections of 8% to 10% we made earlier this year," says S&P Global Ratings credit analyst Vittoria Ferraris.

The spot rate of booking a 40-foot container from Shanghai to Los Angeles hit $10 229 the first week of August, up 238% from the same time a year prior, according to Drewry, a maritime research consultancy. This is not a function of insufficient capacity, but rather of a severely imbalanced system, says Investec business logistics and pricing analyst Denys Hobson.

The Competition Commission has launched a multidisciplinary research grant programme aimed at promoting multidisciplinary research at South African tertiary institutions that can inform and enhance competition law enforcement in the country. The commission invites high-quality and substantive multidisciplinary research proposals relevant to competition law enforcement that may contribute to informing and improving enforcement in South Africa.

Water-scarce Egypt aims to more than quadruple desalination capacity by granting private companies concessions from its sovereign wealth fund to build 17 plants over the next five years with sustainable solar energy. The plan fits into Egypt's push to diversify its sources of fresh water for a fast-growing population as it faces competition for Nile river water from the giant hydropower dam that Ethiopia is building upstream.

Cement producer Sephaku Cement reports that it has experienced a further kiln stoppage owing to preheater refractory material damage caused by a corrosive element in one of the raw materials, which was subsequently replaced with an alternative option that mitigates the risk of future damage. The outage was necessitated by the requisite repair of the kiln internals to prevent damage to major components. This second plant stoppage started on October 16 and is expected to be completed on October 26.

JSE-listed chemicals company Omnia and Autumn Storm Investments will sell a majority interest in lubricants and oils supplier Umongo Petroleum to specialist chemical and food ingredients company Orkila South Africa for R1-billion Omnia, which acquired a 90% interest in Umongo in 2017, and Autumn Storm, which holds the other 10% stake in Umongo, will retain a shareholding in Umongo, subject to a two-year option agreement. Omnia will retain a 9% interest in Umongo and Autumn Storm 1%.