South African mines must adopt and invest in renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency measures as part of their sustainability measures. This will require a programme of decarbonisation, decentralisation and digitisation. The minister of energy, Jeff Radebe, speaking to the Energy and Mining Sectors session at the recent Investing in Mining Indaba, held at Cape Town’s […]
Using the established multi-year price determination (MYPD) application system, Eskom has applied to the national energy regulator, Nersa, for tariff increases in excess of three-times the current inflation rate for the next three successive years. In response, Business Unity South Africa (BUSA) has made the following submission to Nersa regarding the power utility’s fourth multi-year price […]
Variable speed drives (VSDs) usually consist of a variable frequency source derived from the main supply by means of a DC converter. Techniques using magnetic coupling allow the motor to be run at its optimum speed while supplying a VSD to the load, as well as providing mechanical separation of motor and load. Magnetic couplings […]
. There has been much speculation in the media on the pending restructuring and unbundling of Eskom. It is expected that President Cyril Ramaphosa will be giving some direction in this regard in his forthcoming state-of-the-nation address on Thursday 7 February 2019. For more than a year, in order to secure ongoing funding, there has […]
. FirstRand Bank has joined the exodus of local banks that were funding new coal-fired power plants in South Africa, and in particular the Thabametsi and Khanyisa independent power producer (IPP) projects. These two projects are included in the draft integrated resource plan for electricity, Draft IRP 2018, for completion in 2023 and 2024. The […]
The World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) and BuildingSmart have signed an agreement to enhance the usage of BIM standards in civil infrastructure and to link it to location-based technologies. Their collaboration aims to spread awareness around GIS and BIM technologies to improve understanding, support and application of jointly addressed best practices, standard areas and projects […]
. Nedbank lived up to its slogan as the “green” bank in a decision to withdraw its funding of two proposed new coal-fired power stations in South Africa, Thabametsi and Khanyisa. This decision fits with the banking group’s commitment to “green” funding, responsible lending and supporting sustainability initiatives. The bank says its initial proposal for […]
Siemens has launched the Digital Mining Incubator (DMI) at Wits University’s Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct. The incubator is aimed at developing the next generation of digital mining experts, and the company will collaborate with graduates to co-create digital use cases for the South African mining sector. The company believes digitalisation will enable South Africa to […]
The University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Engineering, Built Environment and Information Technology, the SA National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) have embarked on a partnership to establish an Integrated Education, National Certification, National Reference and Research Laboratories Facility to the value of R280-million in the area of […]
. It has been four months now since the release of the Department of Energy’s latest draft Integrated Resource Plan for electricity (Draft IRP 2018) for public comment on 27 August 2018, and two months since the closing date for public comments on 25 October 2018. So where’s the IRP? Initially energy minister Jeff Radebe […]
