News Flash 23 April 2010
Internet could lower its cooling bills by using hot water
It’s easy to think of the Internet as something that’s just “out there” in cyberspace, that doesn’t effect the physical world in any tangible way. In 2009, however, it was estimated that Internet data centres worldwide consumed about 2% of global electricity production. Not only did most of that electricity undoubtedly come from non-green sources, but it also cost the global economy approximately 30 billion US dollars. Much of the electricity was needed to power the data centers’ forced air cooling systems that keep the servers from overheating. Now, researchers from IBM Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) have devised a much more efficient method for cooling the steamy Internet - they use hot water Read More
Bloomberg
Hitachi Africa Says South Africa's ANC Won't Benefit From Eskom Contracts
Hitachi Says ANC Stake Presents Conflict of Interest
April 20 -- South Africa’s ruling party faces a conflict of interest from its 25 percent stake in Hitachi Power Africa Ltd., which has won government contracts worth 38.5 billion rand ($5.2 billion), the company said. Read More
Business Day Online
Hitachi “had no idea ANC politicians were behind Chancellor House”
Hitachi executive Director Johannes Musel has told a media conference in Johannesburg this afternoon that the profit his company will make out of the World Bank Sponsored loan to Eskom is R40million over four years. Read More 20/4/2010
Coal Mining News
Coal miner Macarthur to talk takeover with Peabody
Sable raises $125m to fund coal projects
Sable Mining, the company chaired by former England cricketer Phil Edmonds, will use the funds for its coal projects in South Africa and to make new acquisitions... Read More 16/4/2010
News24.com
The assistance of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) with nuclear security for the World Cup is indispensable, President Jacob Zuma has said in Washington, DC. Read More 13/4/2010
Brisbane Times
'No climate solution without coal fix'
Australia will continue to rely on coal as a major source of power, Australian Climate Change Minister Penny Wong says.Delivering a public lecture at the Queensland University of Technology today, Senator Wong rejected nuclear power in favour of renewable energy and carbon capture and storage of emissions from coal."The majority of our power still comes from coal," she said. Read More 12/4/2010
IOL Science
UN: Global climate deal impossible in 2010
Bonn, Germany - The world cannot agree a final climate deal this year, outgoing United Nations climate chief Yvo de Boer told Reuters on Sunday, saying the focus should be on practical steps to help the poor and save forests. Read More
Extracts from Creamer’s ‘Engineering News’
ELECTRICITY
NUM will oppose Eskom privatisation – Komane
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) would not allow for the privatisation of State-owned power utility Eskom, deputy general secretary Oupa Komane said on Monday. He was speaking at the NUM's energy mix workshop in Johannesburg. However, deputy Public Enterprises Minister Enoch Godongwana, speaking on behalf of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), said that government's plans did not involve the privatisation of the power company. Full Article 20/4/2020
ELECTRICITY
New SA authority to negotiate power deals
South Africa will sign a deal in May for the first 300 MW of co-generated electricity from an independent power producer (IPP), and launch a new authority to negotiate power purchase deals in future. Energy Minister Dipuo Peters said on Tuesday the new Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) would be established within the next six months and would negotiate power purchase agreements with IPPs. Full Article 21/4/2010
NUCLEAR
SA ready for nuclear power – EDF
South Africa is ready for nuclear power, the world's largest nuclear operator, Electricite de France (EDF), said at an energy workshop in Johannesburg on Monday. It was ready because of its political willingness, Eskom's good track record, the public's awareness of climate change challenges and industries' eagerness to enter the market, said EDF South Africa's managing director Frederic Diore. Full Article 20/4/2020
SOLAR GEYSERS
President Zuma to kick-start big solar-geyser drive
South Africa's first large-scale solar-water heater project, whereby 200 000 solar geyser systems will be installed nationwide, will be launched next week, Department of Energy (DoE) acting deputy director-general Ompi Aphane said on Tuesday. Speaking to journalists in Cape Town, Aphane elaborated that the project was an extension of State-owned enterprise Eskom's solar water geyser installation programme, under which 3 000 solar water systems had been installed over the past three years. Full Article 21/4/2010
Extracts from Creamer’s ‘Mining Weekly’
POWER DEALS
BHP deal reworked, Anglo recalcitrant, says SA power utility
Eskom has reached an in principle deal with BHP Billiton that will release it from a long-term tariff agreement that triggered book value losses of billions last year, acting CEO and chairman Mpho Makwana said on Tuesday. However, attempts to renegotiate a similar contract with Anglo American to remove liabilities also linked to embedded derivatives was proving more difficult. Full Article 21/4/2010
LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT
SA to endorse new mining charter in May
South Africa 's government will endorse a new mining charter to bring greater black ownership to the sector next month, Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said on Monday. She has not said what changes are planned under the review of the five-year-old charter, which called on mining companies to employ more black managers but which the government believes has not made enough progress. Full Article 19/4/2010
CORPORATE ACTIVITY
White Energy makes A$39m bid for SACL
ASX-listed coal technology company White Energy has made a A$39,3-million bid for South Australian Coal (SACL), an unlisted coal explorer. Former shareholders in Felix Resources, which was taken over by China’s fourth-largest coal producer, Yanzhou, own SACL. Full Article 19/4/2010
M&A
Macarthur seeks talks with Noble as JV deal gets rejected
Shareholders of global supply chain specialists Noble have voted against accepting ASX-listed Macarthur Coal’s offer to enter into transactions relating to the Middelmount coal project, as well as selling its shares in coal-miner Gloucester to Macarthur. Macarthur has previously turned down takeover offers from fellow listed New Hope, as well as US-based Peabody Energy in order to pursue the Middelmount transaction with Noble, and a 100% share takeover of Gloucester. Full Article
