Новости за 06.05.2024

Last month copper mining company Copper 360 surprised on the upside by producing its first copper concentrate from surface material well ahead of schedule. Now, this month, it is doing the same on the underground mining front in that it will be opening its Rietberg underground copper mine three months ahead of schedule.

State-owned defence technology company Denel is displaying its guided weapons and landward defence systems at the Defence Service Asia (DSA) exhibition this week. Its Umkhonto surface-to-air missile can be launched from naval vessels or ground-based launchers. It travels at more than twice the speed of sound, can be configured to carry up to eight missiles and can reach simultaneous targets.

In her latest weekly newsletter, Business Leadership South Africa CEO Busisiwe Mavuso warns that South Africa could face a “gas cliff” when the supply of gas to industrial users ceases in 2026. In the May 6 newsletter, she says this is a crisis for businesses that collectively employ 70 000 people and generate R500-billion a year for the economy and argues that this crisis can only be avoided with a coordinated and rapid plan between business and government.

Oil major Shell will divest its majority shareholding from a local South African downstream unit after a comprehensive review of its businesses across all regions, it said on Monday. "As a result of this review, Shell has decided to reshape the downstream portfolio and intends to divest our shareholding in SDSA ... this decision was not taken lightly," a Shell statement said. It did not specify when the decision took effect.

State power utility Eskom has said it has "no choice" but to approach the Johannesburg High Court to force City Power to pay just over R1-billion in unpaid debt. Eskom noted that City Power began to default on payments in October 2023 and that it did not receive any payment for March, this year.

Cape Town-based bedding and linen manufacturer Sheraton Textiles (Sheraton) on Monday officially inaugurated its new factory and launched its Workers Trust employee share ownership programme (ESOP). The company is currently 100%-owned by national development finance institution the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), which invested R140-million in the establishment of the new, state-of-the-art, factory, which greatly increases the company’s efficiency and competitiveness. The ESOP will ...

Telecommunications group Telkom is preparing to support South Africa’s upcoming national elections as the information and communications technology partner to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC). South Africa’s 2024 elections are set to be held on May 29.

New-vehicle sales have finally moved into positive territory following eight gruelling months of decline. Not all market segments experienced growth, however.

KwaZulu-Natal provincial entity Dube TradePort Corporation (DTPC) has launched its Dube TradeZone 2 – the second phase of the industrial precinct and special economic zone (SEZ) adjacent to the King Shaka International Airport. Dube TradeZone 2 has, to date, attracted R1.8-billion in private-sector investment and this phase is expected to create 600 jobs within the next five years.

Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa denies that the prevailing reprieve from loadshedding has been “stage managed” to improve the prospects of the governing African National Congress ahead of the May 29 poll, attributing it instead to “orchestrated” engineering efforts undertaken by Eskom over the past 18 months. Speaking during a briefing that coincided with the fortieth consecutive day of no loadshedding and amid growing societal cynicism about the timing of such supply stability, the Minister... Читать дальше...

President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday assured that government is working to get rid of red tape that impedes and slows down investment. Ramaphosa wrote in his weekly letter to the nation that it was only through attracting higher levels of foreign and domestic investment that a swift, sustainable economic recovery could be assured.

JSE-listed Redefine Properties reported solid results for the six months to February 29, despite prevailing challenging economic conditions in South Africa, including the impact of high interest rates, loadshedding and consumer strain, CEO Andrew König said in a briefing on May 6. He said the group was choosing to be "mindfully optimistic" about the future, cognisant of the challenges, but also of the opportunities it could capitalise on.

ASX- and JSE-listed gas producer Renergen is now able to liquify helium in batches from its wells at the Virginia gas project, in South Africa’s Free State province. Since April 2, the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) that supplied the equipment had brought the helium cold box to the appropriate temperature to liquify helium. A part of this process involved the purification of the helium to a level of 99.999% purity, which Renergen said had been validated by an independent third-party laboratory.

The South African rand was stronger in early trade on Monday, after private sector activity rose marginally in April. At 0724 GMT, the rand traded at 18.4650 against the dollar, about 0.3% stronger than its previous close.

Industrial and specialty gas manufacturer and supplier Air Products South Africa is looking to leverage on the group’s global expertise and experience in the hydrogen industry, as well as its technology offering, to play a pivotal role in establishing a sustainable and thriving hydrogen mobility ecosystem in the country. Air Products on-site general manager Dumisa Gina told Engineering News in an exclusive interview that Air Products, headquartered in the US, was the leading supplier of hydrogen globally... Читать дальше...

The initial direct cost of placing South Africa on an energy transition pathway over the coming five years in line with its decarbonisation targets is calculated at a hefty R1.5-trillion in the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP). Less visible, however, are the socioeconomic costs associated with failing to pursue the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of reducing carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions to the lower end of the NDC range of between 420-million and 350-million CO2-eq tons in 2030.