News Flash 6 August 2010

Financial Mail Carol Paton 29/8/2010

Hot air vs action

34%: That’s the ambitious target SA has set to reduce its carbon footprint in 10 years. Can it be met? What does it mean for the economy, the cost of energy, and state-owned and private companies, which will have to reduce emissions? Read more

Business Day

Geological Storage Atlas to Disclose Potential Carbon Sites

CARBON capture and storage in SA will take a step further next month with the launch of an atlas showing potential storage sites for compressed carbon. Read more 19/7/2010  

Gizmag

Hawaii ideal for ocean-based renewable energy plants

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) involves placing a heat engine between warm water collected at the ocean’s surface and cold water pumped from the deep ocean. Like a ball rolling downhill, heat flows from the warm reservoir to the cool one. The greater the temperature difference, the stronger the flow of heat that can be used to do useful work such as spinning a turbine and generating electricity. Read More

EuBusiness.com

The EU must support clean energy, not dirty coal

The EU aspires to be a world leader in reducing carbon emissions. It seeks to develop renewable sources of energy and new ways of making coal and gas cleaner. Read more

THE GUARDIAN DAMIAN CARRINGTON 5/8/ 2010

Can Brazil become the world's first environmental superpower?

Brazil would not be the first nation to become rich from its resources - but its challenge is to compete economically without destroying its environment. Read more

THE GUARDIAN DAMIAN CARRINGTON 5/8/2010

New gas pipeline prompts fears for Amazon rainforest

The pipe will deliver cheaper, cleaner energy to Manaus but environmentalists fear it will lead to rainforest exploitation. Read more

SEATTLE TIMES 5/8/2010

Republicans running for Ga. gov support nuke power

RAY HENRY Associated Press Writer

Both Republicans running for Georgia governor say they support the use of nuclear power in a state that could see the nation's first nuclear reactor in a generation, and one candidate wants the country to recycle spent nuclear fuel rods. Read more

FFF CONFERENCE 29 Jul 2010  

Engineering News 28 Jul 10

Coal miners should get involved in drafting of climate policy

The coal industry must be organised and innovative when providing comments on the draft Climate Change policy, which is expected to be released imminently, said Imbewu legal sustainability specialists consultant Marie Parramon. Read more

Mining Weekly

South African coal roadmap project gets off the ground

The South African Coal Road Map (SACRM) was officially "out of the starting blocks" said SACRM chairperson Ian Hall, who also noted that a project manager, which would kick-off the project from August, has been appointed.

The SACRM has a budget of R2,9-million to fund its activities, but it was hoped that with solid governance structures in place, it would be able to gather additional funding to take the project further. Read more

Extracts from Creamer’s ‘Engineering news’

 ENERGY PLAN

DoE making progress with SA energy plan – Peters

The Department of Energy (DoE) is progressing with the development of the second integrated resource plan, or IRP2010, and remains on track to deliver the document by September, Energy Minister Dipuo Peters told Engineering News Online on Friday. 30/7/2010 Read more

ENERGY EFFICIENCY

Eskom resumes door-to-door CFL roll out

Power utility Eskom has resumed its door-to-door roll out of energy saving compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) across Johannesburg, following the recent halt of the programme owing to criminal interference. Eskom Demand Side Management GM Nosipho Maphumulo explained that the programme was put on hold while the utility implemented stricter measures to ensure the safety of consumers during door-to-door exchanges . Full Article

CLIMATE CHANGE

 Climate policy to go before Cabinet this month

South Africa 's draft climate change policy, known as the green paper, would be submitted to Cabinet by the end of August, after which it would be gazetted for public comment, the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) said on Tuesday. DEA communications chief director Albi Modise further explained that following engagement on the comments received, a widely-consulted white paper would be submitted into the Parliamentary process by the end of the year, for promulgation which was expected... Full Article

Yearly green investments of $440bn needed to meet climate target

Some $440-billion a year of additional global investments would be required between 2010 and 2015 to limit greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions to the levels outlined in the Copenhagen Accord, a new United Nations report argues.Read more

Extracts from Creamer’s ‘Mining Weekly’

COAL

Miranda gets ready to start coal mining in KZN

South African coal junior Miranda Minerals said that its Sesikhona colliery, in KwaZulu-Natal, had received the machinery required for production to start. Read more

COAL

Continental pays $35m for stake in South African junior

South Africa-focused Continental Coal has agreed to a $35-million deal to obtain a majority 62% stake in unlisted Mashala Resources, which owns mines in the Witbank and Ermelo coalfields. The acquisition would transform ASX-listed Continental into a multi-mine operator, with existing export and domestic coal production at the Ferreira mine, and domestic production from the Vlakvarkfontein mine, CEO Don Turvey said on Wednesday .Full Article

COAL

Good coal export performance despite strike – SA's RBCT

Exports for the month of July at Richards Bay Coal Terminal (RBCT) reached a high of 5,93-million tons (69,4-million tons a year) compared with 5,44-million tons (63,7-million tons a year) exported during the same month in 2009. "This great performance was achieved despite being affected by our labour strike, which lasted for nine days," RBCT said in a statement on Wednesday . Full Article

COAL

Xstrata set to increase coal capacity in South Africa

Mining major Xstrata said on Tuesday that a slower performance from its South African coal projects was mainly owing to the transformation of the operations from underground mines to new openpit mines. Xstrata coal CEO Peter Freyberg said that the company was focused on increasing its capacity in the country, as well as making sure that its current operations run more efficiently. Full Article

COAL

CoaL expects first production at Vele by next quarter

Coal-mining and development company Coal of Africa Limited (CoAL) said on Wednesday that it expected first production at its Vele coking coal project in South Africa's Limpopo province by the next quarter, followed by the first sales shortly thereafter. Read more

GAS

Large shale gas find in Karoo would be ‘game changer' – Sasol

A discovery of large recoverable shale gas reserves in South Africa's Karoo Basin would be a "game changer" in the broader South African energy market context, Sasol Petroleum International MD Ebbie Haan said on Monday. Read more