Новости за 08.11.2021

The South African Wind Energy Association (SAWEA) says it supports the first-of-its-kind $8.5-billion green financing deal announced at the COP26 climate talks earlier in November. SAWEA, on behalf of the wind power industry and South Africa’s broader renewable energy sector, says this deal – which comprises multi and bilateral grants, concessional loans, guarantees and private investment – will provide impetus for South Africa’s accelerated uptake of green energy.

Gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti is keeping a close watch on inflation from which its stocking strategies had provided delayed impact in the three months to the end of September, CFO Christine Ramon said on Monday, when the company reported higher costs that reflected a significant reinvestment phase. Newly appointed AngloGold CEO Alberto Calderon who has prioritised reductions in all costs, improvements in operating and capital efficiencies and the implementation of a new operating model, described... Читать дальше...

Financial advisory firm Mazars’ corporate finance division and Neu Capital Africa – now rebranded as Cala Capital Africa – have consolidated their capital raising advisory capabilities to establish a mid-market capital raising practice. The firms state that, as Africa continues to attract foreign investment and international interest, this partnership will address the inefficiencies and opacity associated with investing in Africa.

British air-breathing rocket propulsion technology company Reaction Engines, UK state research and development organisation, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), and venture capital enterprise, the IP Group, have combined to create a joint venture (JV) to advance the decarbonisation of the aerospace, other transport, and power generation sectors. It will do so by making ammonia a viable zero-carbon fuel. Reaction Engines will provide its revolutionary heat exchanger technology ...

JSE-listed Raubex Group has posted a significant 1 907% increase year-on-year in operating profit to R435-million for the six months ended August 31. This compares with the R21.7-million in operating profit generated in the six months ended August 31, 2020.

With South Africa now officially experiencing its worst-ever year of rotational power cuts, there is growing concern about both the level and flow of financing for maintenance, as well as the utility’s capacity to implement. Initial calculations by Jarrad Wright, formerly of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Energy Centre, indicate that 15% of 2021 would have been load-shedding-afflicted once Eskom has fully implemented its latest round of announced load-shedding, which is officially set to continue until Saturday, November 13.

Carbon tracking solutions company Seed10X will establish a carbon registry business in Botswana, where the Southern African Development Community's head office is, and will provide each Southern African country with its own secure carbon register, so that each country’s small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) can register their businesses and their green projects. “For the first time, Southern Africa will have a green toolbox to offer small firms extra rewards for cutting pollution. We plan... Читать дальше...

JSE-listed chemicals company Omnia expects to report an 89% to 109% year-on-year increase in earnings a share to between 287c and 317c for the six months ended September 30. Headline earnings a share are expected to be between 95% and 115% higher at between 291c and 320c.

According to data from WeBuyCars a vehicle is most likely to change ownership five to six times during its lifetime. “New car owners tend to keep their vehicles for six years, and second-hand car owners for three,” says WeBuyCars executive director Faan van der Walt.

JSE-listed real estate investment trust Redefine Properties has submitted a nonbinding proposal to Poland-based real estate investment company EPP, which, if approved, will result in EPP becoming an unlisted subsidiary of Redefine. Redefine currently holds 45.4% of EPP, with a R6.5-billion carrying value, thereby putting Redefine in a “good position” to benefit as retail demand increases further in Poland, Redefine says in a statement on November 8.

The National Nuclear Regulator (NNR) on Monday assured that a reported incidence of airborne contamination at the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant (NNP) did not come from the nuclear reactor. Koeberg, which is owned and operated by State-owned national electricity utility Eskom, has two reactors and is the country’s (and indeed Africa’s) only NPP. (The SAFARI-1 nuclear reactor at Pelindaba, west of Pretoria, is owned and operated by the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation and is a research reactor... Читать дальше...

With a focus on derisking its balance sheet and bolstering liquidity, JSE-listed real estate investment trust Redefine Properties has increased its cash and committed access facilities from R2.8-billion in the 2020 financial year, to R5.8-billion for the financial year ended August 31. As such, the company declared a dividend of 60.12c a share for the year, on the back of Redefine’s board resolving not to pay a dividend in 2020 after the ongoing Covid-19 uncertainty and its impact on the company’s liquidity.

Stage 4 load-shedding will start at 13:00 on Monday, Eskom has announced. This follows a "major incident" in Zambia that affected power supply from Cahora Bassa, the power utility said on Sunday. Stage 4 will last until Friday morning, after which Stage 2 will continue until Saturday. Total breakdowns amount to 14 874MW and planned maintenance is at 5 579MW of capacity. Eskom said it had become necessary to ration its reserves as load-shedding continued. "It was anticipated that an additional seven... Читать дальше...

World Bank Group member IFC has entered into a partnership with independent fibre and digital services provider Liquid Intelligent Technologies to increase digital connectivity and inclusion in Africa and to support the region’s growing digital ecosystem. The partnership aims to expand data centre capacity and the rollout of fibre-optic cable across Africa to support universal and affordable broadband access.

Addressing climate change will not be achieved without a massive willingness to change how South Africans currently do their jobs and live their lives, and will require unprecedented innovation, says business organisation Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busi Mavuso. "The challenge is that there will be trade-offs. Jobs are going to be lost in some parts of the economy as we shift from carbon-intensive forms of production to manufacturing based on renewable energy. We must ensure that those who... Читать дальше...

An empty 19-coach Blue Train has derailed at the Union Station Loop in Germiston on Sunday. According to transport company, Transnet Freight Rail (TFR), the derailment occurred at approximately 00:35.

Industrial and electronic products distributor Electrocomponents has launched its comprehensive 2030 environmental, social and governance (ESG) action plan, titled ‘For a better world’. During a virtual media conference on November 4, subsidiary RS Components social responsibility and sustainability VP Andrea Barrett explained that the company had set four goals to drive its ambition to lead the global industrial sector in ESG.

Mercedes-Benz Vans South Africa (MBVSA) has taken the conversion of the Sprinter panel van into the Sprinter minibus taxi in-house at its Eastern Cape facility. “To deepen our commitment to the local taxi industry and in support of the South African economy, our 23-seater Sprinter Inkanyezi vehicles are now being converted locally at our East London conversion facility,” says MBVSA product and marketing head Marinus Venter.

President Cyril Ramaphosa, in his weekly letter, said the fourth South African Investment Conference, which would have been held this month has been moved to March next year owing to several events, including the local government elections, the Conference of the Parties (COP26) climate conference and the Intra-African Trade Fair, which will be held in eThekwini next week. Another important reason for holding it next year is that there will be far greater Covid-19 vaccination coverage by then, making both travelling and gathering easier... Читать дальше...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasingly being deployed to solve challenges of air pollution, rising fuel prices and global warming, but also to assist electricity grids as distributed energy sources, making use of large battery packs for more than just mobility. E-mobility company Next Dimension MD Bjoern Chirstensen says EV batteries can support a multitude of energy applications, including driving, vehicle-to-home power, frequency regulation (as done in Denmark), peak and off-peak arbitration... Читать дальше...

Gold mining company AngloGold Ashanti on Monday reported third-quarter production of 613 000 oz, which was 5% higher quarter-on-quarter, excluding Obuasi, the Ghana mine impacted earlier this year by the voluntary suspension of underground mining activities. Newly appointed AngloGold CEO Alberto Calderon has prioritised reductions in all costs, improvements in operating and capital efficiencies and the implementation of a new operating model to ensure accountability and operational consistency and... Читать дальше...

North African economies experienced three shocks in 2020 – the Covid-19 pandemic, a collapse in oil prices and a steep drop in tourism.  Along with the impact of sharp contractions in the region's main European trading partners, real gross domestic product (GDP) growth was negative, at -1.1%, in 2020.