Новости за 02.11.2021

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe has expressed optimism that the newly established Energy Council of South Africa will provide a platform for greater coordination and cohesion within the sector, which has hitherto approached government and debates on the energy transition as “competitors” rather than as a unified voice. The CEO-led council was officially launched on Tuesday and includes representatives from Eskom, Sasol, the Central Energy Fund, Anglo American Platinum, Exxaro... Читать дальше...

Industry association the South African National Energy Association (SANEA) has named the winners of the 2021 Energy Awards, who were acknowledged for their contribution to the energy sector and the country’s energy community. The Energy Shapeshifter award was awarded to Lethabo Manamela, the interim CEO of the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI).

A new global renewable energy alliance between the wind energy and solar photovoltaic (PV) industries is calling on governments to implement energy transition action plans and cut red tape to meet net-zero targets. A joint study by industry organisations the Global Solar Council and the Global Wind Energy Council found that, by 2030, there will be a 29% shortfall in the projected wind and solar capacity required to keep the world on course to limit global warming to 1.5 ˚C above preindustrial levels... Читать дальше...

Industry organisation the South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) has announced the reappointment of Mercia Grimbeek as chair for a second two-year term. Grimbeek, who has served on the board of governance since 2018, has been part of South Africa’s renewable energy sector since its inception 11 years ago.

Forty-nine per cent of investors surveyed by PwC have said they would consider divesting from companies that are not taking sufficient action on environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues. The ‘2021 Global Investor ESG Survey’ captured the views of 325 investors from around the world, primarily active asset managers and analysts with investment firms, investment banks or brokerage firms.

President Cyril Ramaphosa on November 2 announced that South Africa had signed a political declaration with the governments of France, Germany, the UK and the US, as well as the leadership of the European Union, to establish a partnership to mobilise an initial $8.5-billion, or R131-billion, over the next three to five years through a range of instruments, including grants and concessional finance, to support the implementation of South Africa’s revised Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) through... Читать дальше...

Financial services provider Absa reports that its seasonally adjusted purchasing managers’ index (PMI) declined further in October, falling to 53.6 from a downwardly revised 54.7 in September. As was the case in September, Absa notes that the business activity and new sales orders indices lost the most ground in October, with at least two key developments in October contributing to the almost four-point drop, to 46.1 in the business activity index.

A new National Business Initiative (NBI) study offers support for gas as a transition fuel in South Africa’s shift from coal in the production of electricity and synthetic fuels (synfuels). The study stresses, however, that this role should be confined in the electricity sector to the provision of flexible balancing capacity for the country’s growing fleet of variable renewable-energy generators rather than to offer so-called baseload. In the manufacture of synfuels, meanwhile, it is regarded as a lower-carbon replacement for coal... Читать дальше...

Power utility Eskom will implement Stage 2 load-shedding from 16:00 on November 2 to 05:00 on November 3. This follows after a unit at the Kusile power station tripped on Tuesday afternoon. A unit each at the Matimba and Arnot power stations had also failed to return to service.

Ford Motor Company Africa president Neale Hill has taken over the reins at Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council until 2023. He succeeds Toyota South Africa Motors president and CEO Andrew Kirby. The new manufacturing original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) VP at the automotive industry body is Isuzu Motors South Africa president and CEO Billy Tom, with Kia South Africa CEO Gary Scott elected as retailing OEMs VP.

UK-based global major industrial technology group Rolls-Royce, and the Qatar State-led educational, scientific and community development agency, the Qatar Foundation, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly invest in, develop, and scale-up technology businesses focused on addressing climate change and the issues it creates (‘climate-tech’ businesses, for short). These businesses would be based in both Qatar and the UK. The two partners will develop a centre composed of two world-class... Читать дальше...

Safety at the Rheinmetall Denel Munitions plant in Macassar, Somerset West, has been called into question after an explosion on the premises on Sunday night. Trade union UASA said it was "anxious about the safety of those employed by the state-owned weapons manufacturer".

South Africa’s petrole prices are set to rise to a record on Wednesday, adding to inflationary pressures in an economy that imports almost all of its fuel. The retail cost of 95-octane gasoline will climb by almost 7% to a R19.54 a liter, the Central Energy Fund said in a statement on its website. Higher average oil prices, a weaker rand and higher levies on petrol and diesel are behind the latest increase, the fourth in the past five months.

Ford Motor Company says it will reveal the next-generation made-in-South Africa Ford Ranger pickup on November 24.  Ford says it “has reimagined, redesigned and reengineered the Ranger to be the smartest, most versatile and most capable Ranger yet for customers in more than 180 markets around the world”.

On Tuesday morning, Eskom warned that load-shedding may be implemented at short notice should any further breakdowns occur,  or should some of the generating units not return to service as expected. It asked that South Africans reduce their power use, as the electricity system is "severely constrained".

As the votes are being counted following the November 1 local government elections, many municipalities fall far short in delivering services to their residents, business organisation Business Leadership South Africa (BLSA) Busi Mavuso says in her weekly newsletter. “From rubbish collection to water delivery, and of course electricity, we often feel that our local services fall short of what we can reasonably expect.

While South Africa undertakes national interventions to meet greenhouse gas emission targets, President Cyril Ramaphosa cited the need for local government to focus on integrating climate change considerations into service delivery planning. Delegates from across the world are gathering in Scotland for the COP26 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference to accelerate action towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Development finance institution (DFI) the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a $57.67-million loan to State-owned Eskom to harness battery storage technology that will increase electricity generation from reliable and efficient renewable energy sources. The funding, a concessional loan, will come from the Clean Technology Fund – a multi-donor trust fund under the Climate Investment Funds.

The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) took advantage of last week’s International Astronautical Congress (held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates) to formalise their partnership. They did so by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). “Global partnerships are necessary for the sustainability and success of space programmes and SANSA appreciates and commits to explore opportunities to contribute towards this mutually beneficial collaboration with our... Читать дальше...

The UK is to become the first country in the Group of 20 major economies (G20) to require, by law, major companies to report their climate-related risks and opportunities. This requirement meets the recommendations of the international and industry-led Taskforce on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD). (The G20 is composed of 19 countries, including South Africa, and the European Union.) “If the UK is to meet our ambitious net-zero commitments by 2050, we need our thriving financial system... Читать дальше...

A research campaign to test the suitably of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) as the energy source for single-aisle airliners has been launched at Toulouse in France. The campaign will involve both ground and flight tests and is being jointly conducted by aircraft groups Airbus and Dassault Aviation, aeroengine company Safran, French national aerospace research centre ONERA and the French Ministry of Transport. The SAF is being supplied by Total Energies. The German Aerospace Centre will also be involved. Читать дальше...

Diversified mining company Anglo American, which is piloting the world’s biggest green hydrogen-powered haulage vehicle, is planning to replace its global truck fleet of 400 diesel trucks with hydrogen trucks over a ten-year period from about 2024. Introducing hydrogen mobility on its mines will be material to its ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2040 as diesel represents 17% to 18% of the London- and Johannesburg-listed company’s carbon emissions. This change is expected to reduce group carbon emissions by 15%.

Diversified mining company Anglo American can uplift the livelihoods of many thousands of people living around its communities in South Africa and support many jobs through its sustainability projects, attendees of Anglo’s second 2021 sustainability update were told. The London- and Johannesburg-listed company outlined how it is moving away from isolated one-off community-related sustainability projects towards much larger longer-term interventions that support broader economic diversification in the regions where it operates.

Diversified mining company Anglo American is planning to use water in its underground mines as batteries. The water will be pumped up when operations have excess renewable power and allowed to run back down when electricity is needed.