Member Info for pb940

“Just transition must be a systematic moving away from polluting the environment and begin to move to clean energy. It must be systematic and it must not be a movement from one extreme to the other extreme,” the Minister said.

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/fully-committed-to-undertakings-on-climate-minerals-minister-2019-10-03

Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe, who is expected to submit the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to government next week, told the Joburg Indaba on Thursday that he hoped to gazette the IRP to give South Africans another chance to comment on the document.

With pressure building up globally for climate action, Mantashe said on Thursday that coal producers would be required to invest in clean coal technology, singled out the Koeberg nuclear power station for being South Africa’s most cost-effective electricity supplier, spoke of gas discoveries being poised to bring gas into the picture in a game-changing manner and said provision had been made for renewables.

This came after Anglo American Platinum CEO Chris Griffith saying the day before that if he were Minerals Minister he would open the way for renewables on his first day in office.

The Minister’s references to renewables follow the recent Climate Action Summit at the United Nations, where the climate-positive nature of renewable energy was recognised as having major economic upliftment potential.

They also came against the background of global resistance building up to the importation of products from countries that doggedly adhere to climate-negative practices.

Mantashe told the Joburg Indaba conference: “We’ve made provision for coal, but coal must invest in clean coal technologies.

“In the IRP that we will be submitting to Cabinet, we have made provision for coal with a rider that coal must invest in clean coal technologies.

“We’ve made provision for nuclear and have said to them that currently Koeberg nuclear power station is the most reliable, efficient and cost-effective supplier of electricity in South Africa.

“We’ve made provision for gas. We’ve said that we’re making discoveries of gas and we’re going to be a player in gas and gas is going to be a game-changer in South Africa.

“We’ve made provision for renewables. We've said it is a technology that must compete and grow.

“But we should disabuse those who project renewables as the enemy of every other technology except themselves.

“We’ve been accused of being coal fundamentalists, but we’re not coal fundamentalists, we are fundamentalist about energy security of supply to South Africa.

“We’re also committed fully to meeting our commitments on climate-change levels. That’s why we say coal clean coal technologies are the way to go. If you don’t do it, you’re going to be sterilised prematurely. So, there’s nothing fundamentalist about that. It’s about reality.

“What is the point of getting praises when we are starving? We must build our economy, make it perform and then comply systematically and that’s why we use the term called ‘just transition’.

Agreed ophidian, I'd like to see the back of Lemur before 2020 as we will be pushing the RE side even harder than we are now.

https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2019-10-02-ramaphosas-11bn-climate-fund-or-how-the-smart-money-could-turn-mpumalanga-into-the-envy-of-the-world/

https://www.investegate.co.uk/bushveld-minerals-ld--bmn-/rns/finance-director-appointed/201910010810263021O/

Bushveld Minerals Limited (AIM:BMN), the AIM quoted, integrated primary vanadium producer, with ownership of high grade vanadium assets in South Africa, is pleased to announce the appointment to the board of Directors of Bushveld Minerals of Tanyaradzwa ("Tanya") Chikanza as Finance Director of Bushveld Minerals, effective today.

Tanya, a qualified Chartered Accountant, has extensive experience in managing publicly listed companies' relationships with financial markets. Tanya brings a global and market facing perspective to her role at Bushveld Minerals through her 30 years in international equity and debt capital markets, strategy, corporate finance and audit.

Tanya joins the Company after nine years at Lonmin Plc, the dual listed (London Stock Exchange and JSE Securities Exchange) platinum group metals miner recently acquired by Sibanye-Stillwater. As Executive Vice President: Strategy, Investor Relations and Communication, Tanya was a key member of the Lonmin Executive Committee, where she led and participated in the raising of circa US$1.4 billion in equity, and arrangement of significant debt facilities. In addition, she oversaw the Company's acquisition by Sibanye-Stillwater.

Prior to joining Lonmin, Tanya was Executive Director at Smith's Corporate Advisory in London and Vice-President Corporate Finance at JP Morgan Cazenove, in London. She started her professional career as an auditor with Coopers and Lybrand in Harare and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe.

Fortune Mojapelo, CEO of Bushveld Minerals Limited, commented:

"We are delighted to welcome a person of Tanya's calibre in the Finance Director position. She has a deep understanding of the South African mining industry; is versed in the intricacies of various financial markets, and has experience in engaging debt and equity investors. She joins at a very important time in the Company's evolution and will play a significant role as we enter the next stage of growth and development. We look forward to working with her as we build Bushveld Minerals into the leading, innovative company we aspire to be."

I posted the subject 'RNS - New Director' incorrectly and thought I'd correct but I can see why you'd think the 'ooops' was referring to the actual finance director appointment.

l2b.co.za/Project/Mokopane-vanadium-project-Limpopo/15637

Bushveld Minerals Limited (AIM:BMN), the AIM quoted, integrated primary vanadium producer, with ownership of high grade vanadium assets in South Africa, is pleased to announce the appointment to the board of Directors of Bushveld Minerals of Tanyaradzwa ("Tanya") Chikanza as Finance Director of Bushveld Minerals, effective today.

Tanya, a qualified Chartered Accountant, has extensive experience in managing publicly listed companies' relationships with financial markets. Tanya brings a global and market facing perspective to her role at Bushveld Minerals through her 30 years in international equity and debt capital markets, strategy, corporate finance and audit.

Tanya joins the Company after nine years at Lonmin Plc, the dual listed (London Stock Exchange and JSE Securities Exchange) platinum group metals miner recently acquired by Sibanye-Stillwater. As Executive Vice President: Strategy, Investor Relations and Communication, Tanya was a key member of the Lonmin Executive Committee, where she led and participated in the raising of circa US$1.4 billion in equity, and arrangement of significant debt facilities. In addition, she oversaw the Company's acquisition by Sibanye-Stillwater.

Prior to joining Lonmin, Tanya was Executive Director at Smith's Corporate Advisory in London and Vice-President Corporate Finance at JP Morgan Cazenove, in London. She started her professional career as an auditor with Coopers and Lybrand in Harare and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Zimbabwe.



Fortune Mojapelo, CEO of Bushveld Minerals Limited, commented:

"We are delighted to welcome a person of Tanya's calibre in the Finance Director position. She has a deep understanding of the South African mining industry; is versed in the intricacies of various financial markets, and has experience in engaging debt and equity investors. She joins at a very important time in the Company's evolution and will play a significant role as we enter the next stage of growth and development. We look forward to working with her as we build Bushveld Minerals into the leading, innovative company we aspire to be."

https://www.investegate.co.uk/bushveld-minerals-ld--bmn-/rns/finance-director-appointed/201910010810263021O/

https://www.investegate.co.uk/bushveld-minerals-ld--bmn-/rns/finance-director-appointed/201910010810263021O/

The industry also had the opportunity to explain to the ministers what was needed to ensure a sustainable green energy industry., he said.

The ministers further gave assurances that the green energy industry was central to the economy and would have a very important place in the country’s long-term energy plan, the Integrated Resources Plan (IRP).

South Africa’s renewable energy programme is widely regarded as one of the best in the world and has attracted about R200 billion in investment since 2011.

A substantial portion of this is foreign investment.

The plan has, however, stalled over the past few years, against a background of resistance from Eskom and coal miners, as well as uncertainty over the IRP.

It is the final word on the country’s future energy mix and what type of technology would be acquired.

The IRP is crucial to investors because electricity generation projects take a long time to complete.

However, it has been repeatedly delayed.

Government’s latest promise is that the plan will be before the executive in October, and Rapport understands that it has already been referred to Cabinet.

After the meeting, the department of mineral resources and energy said Mantashe also met with coal producers on Thursday.

Govender said it was a welcome development that Mantashe and Gordhan now appeared to be taking the lead in addressing questions regarding the country’s future power supply, after a relatively long period of uncertainty.

https://city-press.news24.com/News/mantashe-gordhan-beg-independent-power-producers-to-drop-electricity-tariffs-20190930

Government on Friday asked representatives of the renewable energy sector to a meeting in Pretoria where it begged them to agree to drop electricity tariffs.

Gwede Mantashe, minister of mineral resources and energy, as well as Pravin Gordhan, minister of public enterprises, personally met with representatives of the independent power producers (IPPs).

Analysts were unsettled when news of the meeting was confirmed, as any deviation from previous promises in respect of the IPPs could damage investor confidence.

Stakeholders who attended the conference, however, confirmed to City Press’ sister publication, Rapport, that Mantashe and Gordhan were extremely cautious in their approach to the IPPs and issued no hard order that prices be dropped.

Mantashe and Gordhan also did not insist on a renegotiation of tariffs – something the industry could have been strong-armed into if they wanted to do business with Eskom in the future.

It appears that the diplomatic approach bore fruit, and a first meeting of the IPPs to discuss cooperating with government has been set down for Wednesday.

According to Professor Anton Eberhard, an energy expert previously appointed to give advice to Eskom, the weighted average tariff that Eskom pays per kilowatt-hour to providers in the first round of contracts is 202 cents.

In the previous financial year, Eskom sold the same units for 90c/kWh, which includes generation costs and transmission costs.

It therefore recorded a hefty loss on the green power it purchased.

Eskom is bound to these terms for the duration of the agreement. Agreements of this nature usually last 20 years, with only annual inflation-related increases.

Although the unit cost has come down to 70c/kWh in the fourth round, critics argue that the financial burden on Eskom in terms of renewable energy purchases is too high, and something needs to be done about it.

Criticism has also been levelled at the tariffs from within Eskom’s ranks.

Terence Govender, chairperson of the SA Renewable Energy Council (Sarec), which represents IPPs, told Rapport it was a successful meeting.

He said the ministers explained the state of the economy and the effect high electricity costs were having on the country. They asked for suggestions from within the industry.

According to Govender, it was then decided that Sarec would take the matter in hand and call a meeting of existing independent power producers, developers and financiers in Johannesburg on Wednesday.

The plan was to develop a uniform industry position which could then be taken further by a task team of government and industry officials.

Govender said there was consensus among Sarec’s members that the open discussion proposed by government was most welcome.

They're meant to get on board by digging deep and paying fair value?

Great RNS, again. Very impressive H! results.

Thanks serenus

Your welcome :)

What happened?

The interims have to be published by the end of the month so pretty sure we'll have at least one.

https://www.miningweekly.com/article/no-room-for-coal-in-africas-renewable-future-afdb-2019-09-26/rep_id:3650

The African Development Bank (AfDB) president Akinwumi Adesina this week unveiled ambitious plans to scrap coal power stations across the continent and switch to renewable energy.

Speaking during the United Nations climate talks on Monday, Adesina outlined efforts to shutter coal-fired power plants and build the "largest solar zone in the world" in the arid Sahel belt.

"Coal is the past, and renewable energy is the future. For us at the African Development Bank, we're getting out of coal," Adesina told delegates to the Climate Action Summit in Manhattan.

He said the bank's $500-million green baseload scheme will be rolled out in 2020 and is set to yield $5-billion of investment that will help African countries transition from coal and fossil fuel to renewable energy, said Adesina.

Adesina also talked about plans for $20-billion of investments in solar and clean energy that would provide the region's 250-million people with 10 000 MW of electricity.

"There's a reason God gave Africa sunlight," said Adesina.

Heads of state, princes and government ministers from around the world attended the UN's climate summit, as they faced mounting pressure to reduce heat-trapping gas emissions and slow the global rise in temperatures.

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres also took a swipe at the "dying fossil fuel industry" and said it was still not too late to keep the global rise in temperatures below the benchmark figure of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels.

"But it will require fundamental transformations in all aspects of society – how we grow food, use land, fuel our transport and power our economies," said Guterres.

"We need to link climate change to a new model of development - fair globalisation - with less suffering, more justice, and harmony between people and the planet."

The UN says mankind must reduce greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming to about 1.5 °C above pre-industrial temperatures to stave off the worst-case predictions of scientists.

The meeting was part of the run-up to the international climate talks in 2020, which is the next deadline for countries to make significant emissions reduction pledges under the 2015 global warming deal.

"The rapid fall in prices of renewable energy technologies, coupled with our immense renewable energy resources, has created a massive opportunity for us to make this shift. We are already doing so. South Africa's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producers Procurement Programme (REIPPP) is considered one of the world's leading Renewable Energy programmes," said President Ramaphosa.

An energy secure future

South Africa's blueprint for energy security, the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), will soon be finalised. The IRP calls for an energy mix that includes a significantly increased component of energy from renewable sources, as well as from traditional sources such as coal, natural gas and nuclear energy.

"As many other countries around the world, including developed countries, are experiencing, we have to minimise the impact of such a transition on workers, communities and our economies as a whole," President Ramaphosa said.

He said the country, as part of ensuring a just transition, will need to put measures in place that plan for workforce reskilling and job absorption, social protection and livelihood creation, incentivising new green sectors, diversifying coal dependent regional economies, and developing labour and social plans as and when ageing coal-fired power plants are decommissioned.

"Taking all of these factors into consideration, it is clear that strong and durable social compacts will need to be forged between government, labour, business and civil Society," he said.

South Africa has introduced a Carbon Tax and the implementation of the voluntary carbon budgets systems for large emitters.

As of end of March 2019, the country had procured 6 422 Megawatts of electricity from 112 renewable energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) projects, including from wind, solar PV, concentrated solar power, landfill gas, hydro and biomass.

"We are also pursuing a largescale energy and climate change research and development programme geared towards mitigation solutions such as the use of fuel cells, using South Africa's abundant platinum resources," the President said in the statement.

https://allafrica.com/stories/201909250178.html

The South African government has pledged to continue contributing positively to address the climate change emergency.

In a statement to the United Nations Secretary-General on the occasion of the Climate Summit in New York, President Cyril Ramaphosa said although developing countries historically contributed the least to global emissions, they will continue to be the most affected by climate change and its impacts.

"The world depends on us. We have seen the disastrous effects of climate change across the globe in the increased incidence and severity of extreme weather events such as flooding and droughts.

"Climate change science is clear that the risk for flooding originating from intense land falling tropical cyclones and for prolonged drought in Southern Africa is increasing under continued global warming," said the President in the statement.

He said extensive research is ongoing in South Africa to quantify the likelihood of major climate change impacts occurring in the region over the next several decades, including multi-year droughts that compromise water security and heatwaves impacting on human health, livestock production and crop yield.

"The view of South Africa and Africa, as developing countries and as global citizens, is that the climate crisis cannot be solved outside of a development context. We see the crisis as an opportunity to strengthen global governance and that in addressing the crisis, we can meet the aspirations of the UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals," the President said.

South Africa's National Development Plan 2030 identifies poverty, inequality and unemployment as the most serious national development challenges. Overcoming this triple challenge fundamentally informs South Africa's approach to addressing climate change, President Ramaphosa said.

He said building resilience must strengthen development.

"In shifting to a low-carbon, inclusive, climate change resilient development path and embracing the global energy transition, we must ensure that we leave no one behind. At the same time, we must create new opportunities for all in our economy."

South Africa considers itself a good global citizen and its National Climate Change Response Policy requires the country to make a fair contribution to the global effort in the context of its national development priorities. This, the President said, is what informs SA's Nationally Determined Contribution.

The mitigation challenge posed to South Africa is considerable, with 80% of the country's emissions from its energy sector. President Ramaphosa said South Africa recognises the urgency with which it must reduce its dependence on fossil fuels and move towards a carbon-neutral future.