GoSolr, a company backed by South African billionaire Patrice Motsepe and the continent’s biggest bank, plans to spend R10 billion to roll out a model of renting solar panels and batteries to homes in the nation plagued by blackouts. The two-and-a-half-year-old company seeks to install about 500 megawatts of solar-generation capacity in four years. That’s [...]

Paying billions of rands in carbon tax while simultaneously investing in decarbonisation efforts is impossible, steel maker ArcelorMittal South Africa (AMSA) CEO Kobus Verster has said. In South Africa, the carbon price is currently fixed at R308/t of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) Scope 1 emissions by 2026 and will increase to R462/t by 2030, while tax-free [...]

Sub-Saharan Africa holds an estimated 30% of the world’s volume of proven critical mineral reserves and managing their use properly as part of the global transition to clean energy has the potential to transform the region, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) states in its ‘Regional Economic Outlook’ report. The global transition to clean energy is [...]

Execution and preparatory work on key gold projects are on track in South Africa, and early works on the copper project in Australia are to commence, Harmony Gold reported on Tuesday. In South Africa, the Moab Khotsong gold mine extension and the Mine Waste Solutions development are on track, along with preparatory work being under [...]

Two solar photovoltaic (PV) projects selected as preferred bids under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) renewable energy procurement programme reached commercial close on April 30. The projects, which were part of a group of six PV projects to advance to preferred-bidder status for a 1 000 MW allocation [...]

GE Vernova invested $10.2-million in Xlinks First, the UK company planning a massive renewable power project in Morocco and a 4 000 km undersea cable to deliver the energy to Britain. The investment helped close the latest funding round for Xlinks First, capping $110-million raised to date, according to CEO James Humfrey. It’s an incremental [...]

More than 70% of critical minerals needed for the transition to net zero emissions will be at risk from climate disruption by 2050, professional services firm PwC says. The firm's latest report, titled ‘Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities Report’, shows that the production of copper, cobalt and lithium minerals crucial for the clean energy [...]

The price of petrol, both 93 and 95, will increase by 37c/ℓ as of May 1, while diesel prices will decrease by 30c/ℓ and 36c/ℓ for 0.05% sulphur and 0.005% sulphur, respectively, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has announced. It notes that the average Brent crude oil price increased from $84.22 to [...]

Coca-Cola is gearing up for a potential initial public offering (IPO) of its African bottling business as soon as next year after previously putting the plans on hold, people with knowledge of the matter said. The drinks company is considering a dual listing for Coca-Cola Beverages Africa in Johannesburg and Amsterdam, according to the people. [...]

Eight major international and national nuclear industry associations have urged the Group of Seven (G7) major democratic industrial economies to take steps to further develop nuclear energy capacity and technology, to help counter climate change. They also welcomed the opportunity to provide input to the G7 Climate, Energy, and Environment Ministers meeting, currently under way [...]

As part of its commitment to education, precious metals refiner Rand Refinery has donated R2-million to seven primary and secondary schools in Gauteng. The company says this donation will be allocated towards refurbishments at, and procurement of modern educational tools by, the selected schools.

South Africa’s much-delayed draft Gas Master Plan (GMP2024) has been released for public comment by Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, amid indications that the gap between demand and supply will grow steeply from 2026 onwards when Sasol ceases to supply Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal industrial customers with gas imported from Mozambique. The document includes [...]