focusIR May 2024 Investor Webinar: Blue Whale, Kavango, Taseko Mines & CQS Natural Resources. Catch up with the webinar here.
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/load-shedding-what-municipalities-move-off-eskom-grid-western-cape-where-map/
The Western Cape Government has confirmed that the wheels are in motion to make the province ‘less dependent’ on Eskom’s electricity supply – and six different municipalities have been chosen for the Municipal Energy Resilience Project.
WESTERN CAPE’S ‘ENERGY RESILIENCE PLAN’ FOR SIX AREAS
The recently published Budget for the province sets aside almost R70 million for the ambitious plans. As South Africa continues to suffer through a seemingly never-ending load shedding schedule, the situation for the country’s energy grid seems utterly desperate – hence why such measures are being proposed.
Last month, we reported that Stellenbosch would become the first municipality to try and make a clean break from Eskom. The DA in the Western Cape will now try and ease the burden of load shedding elsewhere. The full list features below.
WHICH MUNICIPALITIES IN THE WESTERN CAPE HAVE BEEN CHOSEN?
– Drakenstein Municipality
– Mossel Bay Municipality
– Overstrand Municipality
– Saldanha Bay Municipality
– Stellenbosch Municipality
– Swartland Municipality
David Maynier is the Finance MEC for the Western Cape. He understands that the challenge of easing load shedding in the province is a tough one. But as far as Maynier’s concerned, locals cannot keep taking ‘knock-out blows’ from Eskom.
“We will spend R48.8 million over the medium term, and provide a further R20 million in the provincial reserves, for the Municipal Energy Resilience project. Which is a bold, and ambitious, project to support municipalities to generate, procure and sell their own. power so that we can beat load shedding in the Western Cape.”
“We know load shedding costs the economy about R75 million per stage, per day in the Western Cape. When it comes to the economy, COVID-19 is a left hook, and load shedding is a right hook. This often results in ‘a knock-out blow’, that risks compromising economic recovery. Six candidate municipalities will take part in the Municipal Energy Resilience Project.”
“While this project should enable municipalities to be able to buffer residents and businesses from the impacts of load shedding, they will still continue to be connected to the national grid as we won’t be able to meet 100 per cent of energy demand through renewable energy at this stage.”
Long article;
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/how-clean-are-indias-rivers-073525055.html
International Rivers Action Day celebrated every year on March 14 is a day dedicated to solidarity – when diverse communities around the world come together with one voice to say that rivers matter. That communities having access to clean and flowing water matters. That everyone should have a say in decisions that affect their water and their lives...
"While in-situ methods (i.e. water sample testing) provide accurate data, they are often labour-intensive and thus not time/cost-effective. Furthermore, monitoring the entire river from a one-time/single dataset is quite difficult. Geospatial datasets/techniques are thus valuable tools in water quality studies, being widely used to measure parameters like suspended sediments, coloured dissolved organic matter, turbidity, BOD, COD, chlorophyll-a and sea surface temperature.
In order to eliminate problems associated with manual water quality monitoring, India’s pollution monitoring body, Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has installed hi-tech ‘Real Time Water Quality Monitoring Network’ across Ganga Basin for testing ten parameters of water quality."
Long article;
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/mar/16/hydrogen-nuclear-net-zero-carbon-renewables
Don't believe hydrogen and nuclear hype – they can’t get us to net zero carbon by 2050.
Big industry players pushing techno-fixes are ignoring the only realistic solution to the climate crisis: renewables...
https://www.thearmchairtrader.com/is-the-battery-metals-sector-shaping-up-to-be-a-new-gold-rush/
It is already being described as the new gold rush, and this year could really be the proving ground for the small batch of companies that are positioning themselves in the race to control the flow of battery metals...
https://stockhead.com.au/resources/explorers-podcast-australian-vanadium-is-perfectly-placed-between-the-critical-metals-and-renewable-energy-thematics/
In this episode Barry chats with Vincent Algar, managing director at Australian Vanadium (ASX:AVL).
Australian Vanadium is an ASX vanadium producer developing its high-grade Australian Vanadium Project near Meekatharra, Western Australia.
The company’s flagship project is currently one of the highest-grade vanadium projects being advanced globally, with 208.2 megatonnes (Mt) at 0.74% vanadium pentoxide (V2O5), containing a high grade zone of 87.9Mt at 1.07% V2O5 and a Probable Reserve of 8.42Mt at 1.01% V2O5.
AVL appeared in a recent Stockhead article looking at the company’s alignment with the Federal Government’s 10-year roadmap for critical minerals.
So click below to hear about all things Australian Vanadium.
Beyond China, the company has stated it is in discussions with numerous developers and utilities in the U.S., Australia and South Africa for 100MW-class PV+VRB projects. Developers and utilities are attracted to the low levelized cost of energy (LCOE) that VRB-ESS ® deliver – with no cycle limits and no degradation of the vanadium electrolyte they are an ideal fit for the “heavy duty” daily cycling required for solar and wind integration to utility grids.
https://stockhouse.com/news/press-releases/2021/03/15/vrb-energy-announces-agreement-for-china-s-largest-solar-battery-a-100mw-solar
BEIJING and VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VRB Energy Chairman Robert Friedland and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Mianyan Huang are pleased to announce a framework agreement for a 100 megawatt (MW) solar photovoltaic (PV) and 100MW / 500MWh vanadium flow battery integrated power station project in Xiangyang, Hubei Province.
The agreement also includes construction of the first 50MW per annum of a new 1,000MW per annum VRB-ESS ® “Gigafactory” manufacturing facility, and a vanadium flow battery intelligent energy research and development (R&D) institute.
The agreement was signed by the Xiangyang Municipal Government, Hubei Pingfan New Energy, the Xiangyang High-tech State-owned Capital Investment and Operation Group, and VRB Energy at a ceremony on March 4th. The initial 40MW / 200MWh VRB-ESS ® and 50MW per annum of manufacturing will start construction by May 2021.
"This project is a massive catalyst for VRB Energy's global growth and further demonstrates that we are developing the absolute best technologies to support the worldwide green energy revolution," said Mr. Friedland.
"China wants to install over 1,000 gigawatts (GW) of new solar PV and wind power by 2030 and they are not alone in the commitment to decarbonization and the 'greening' of their power grids; with both the U.S. and the European Union prioritizing renewable power solutions. Energy storage remains a key challenge in the mass adoption of renewable energy, and we're extremely proud to be leading the way in creating cutting-edge solutions at VRB,” Mr. Friedland added.
The project builds upon the success of a “PV+VRB” project of 3MW PV and 3MW / 12MWh VRB-ESS ® in Xiangyang executed with Pingfan New Energy in 2019, which further validates the business model and the technology as ideally suited for integration of the daily cycling of solar PV onto utility grids.
Dr. Huang noted that Hubei Province has rich mineral resources, outstanding industrial advantages, and an excellent business environment.
“This presents a unique opportunity for scale-up of the vanadium flow battery industry, and we applaud the government’s plans to support development of a US$14 billion world-leading vanadium energy storage industry cluster,” Huang commented.
VRB Energy’s 100MW project in Hubei is among a growing number of 100MW flow battery projects being prioritized in China as part of its national energy storage policy and accelerated infrastructure investment in support of post-Covid economic growth. In addition, provinces from Xinjiang to Shandong are now requiring minimums of 5% to 20% energy storage to be installed with new solar and wind power development.
https://www.miningweekly.com/article/davis-vision-blue-launches-300m-spac-invests-in-kazakh-vanadium-project-2021-03-15
Energy and mining heavyweight Sir Mick Davis on Monday announced the launch of a $300-million special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) as part of his drive to invest in materials and commodities that will enable a shift to a low-carbon economy.
Davis’ Vision Blue Resources (VBR) has partnered with private equity firm The Energy and Minerals Company (EMG) as co-sponsors of NYSE-listed ESM Acquisition Corporation (ESM) - a $300-million SPAC.
Davis would lead ESM as CEO and EMG cofounder and CEO John Raymond would take up the position of chairperson.
STRONG CASE FOR VANADIUM
Meanwhile, in a separate announcement, VBR announced an investment of $11.5-million in LSE-listed Ferro-Alloy Resources (FAR), which is developing the Balasausqandiq vanadium project, in Kazakhstan.
This is the second investment that VBR has made since its launch last month – the first being a $29.5-million investment in the Molo graphite project, owned by TSX-listed NextSource, in Madagascar.
“The strong investment case for vanadium is clear not only from a steel demand perspective, but even more when considering the huge potential for vanadium redox batteries to play an integral role in the establishment of reliable ‘baseload’ renewable energy, capable of reducing the world’s reliance on fossil fuels,” said Davis.
“The Balausa project is especially attractive in this respect given its production cost profile and the team’s conservative long term price assumptions.”
FAR believes that the Balausa project could support an operation of up to 10-million tons a year of ore, producing about 55 000 t/y of vanadium pentoxide.
VBR would make an initial investment of up to $3.1-million alongside a limited number of co-investors, including Tony Trahar, former CEO of Anglo American and a former director of Highveld Steel and Vanadium – which was at one point in time the largest producer of vanadium in the world.
The initial investment would be made in two stages, following which VBR had the right to make a further investment of up to $9.5-million.
The investment forms the majority of a $12.6-million funding package to be used for the completion of a bankable feasibility study on the Balausa project.
Davis would be appointed chairperson of the FAR board on the completion of the initial investment, succeeding Chris Thomas.
https://upnorthlive.com/news/local/researchers-state-department-develop-new-technology-to-detect-e-coli-levels
WEXFORD COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- A body of water in Wexford has consistently tested high for E. coli over the years.
Billings Lake in Wexford County has had an issue with high E. coli levels. Now, students are working with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy to come up with technology that will help find the source of the problem. (Kathryn Halvorsen/WPBN)
WEXFORD COUNTY, Mich., (WPBN/WGTU) -- A body of water in Wexford has consistently tested high for E. coli over the years.
Because of this, District Health Department #10 and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy requested help from Ferris State University researchers.
"People can’t be bathing in E.coli without having problems with their health," said Ferris State University Biological Sciences Professor and Director of the Shimadzu Core Laboratory Sky Pike. "It was very high, I mean dangerously high.”
Lingering poor water quality proving the be problematic in Billings Lake.
“The beach is usually closed I would say two to five times per summer,” said Pike.
To try and solve the issue, a multi-year collaboration was formed between Michigan universities and government laboratories.
Ethan Tippett is a senior in the biotechnology program at FSU and is helping with these studies
We travel up to billings lake once a week for 14 weeks during the summer and also after any rain events within the past 24 hours we sample," said Tippett. "I want to say there were about 150 total samples.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is also linked to this research.
They've developed what is called a Q-PCR Testing method - technology used for measuring DNA in bacteria.
“With this new method, we are able to determine the same day if that E. coli level is higher or not. We don't have to wait 24 hours. We can get the results within 8 to 12 hours," now the beach can be closed immediately, on the same day rather than waiting the next day," said Pike.
Researchers found a link between rain events and E. coli levels and this creek is contributing to the problem.
“We think that is what is causing the elevations of E. coli in the lake at this point," said Pike.
But the mystery still remains, what is it coming from?
“Could it be from humans could it be from dogs, could it be the geese, that are here? It could be a leak in the sewer system we are not sure about that yet," said Pike.
Through the Q-PCR testing, they will eventually be able to determine the source.
"We're currently in the process of working out the microbial source tracking and getting to develop the method that works best with technology,” said Tippett.
A step closer toward finding a solution in Wexford County.
knowing we can make an impact and prevent people from getting sick as much during the summer makes me happy and puts in perspec
https://cleantechnica.com/2021/03/13/solar-wind-in-south-africa-contributed-more-than-nuclear-for-1st-time-ever-in-2020/amp/
South Africa’s grid is dominated by coal. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), published in its latest “Statistics of utility-scale power generation in South Africa in 2020? report, coal still accounts for a whopping 83.5% of power generation. South Africa’s coal power plants provided 184.4 TWh of electricity in 2020. Nuclear energy contributed 11.5 TWh (5.2%), and for the first time ever, variable renewable energy surpassed nuclear, contributing 12.4 TWh (5.6%). The rest was met by other sources, including diesel, hydro, and pumped storage plants...
https://www.pv-magazine.com/2021/03/09/australian-government-streamlines-vanadium-project/
TNG’s Mount Peake Vanadium-Titanium-Iron Project (Mount Peake Project) in Australia's Northern Territory – the world’s most advanced vanadium mine – secured “major project status” from the federal government on Monday.
The project spans two separate sites, including a mine located 235 km north of Alice Springs and a processing facility in Darwin’s investment priority area, the Middle Arm Precinct. Perth-based TNG describes the project as a “world class multi-commodity resource with in-country value adding.”
The project is set to annually produce around 6,000 tons of vanadium pentoxide to be used for vanadium redox flow batteries and steel strengthening, as well as massive quantities of iron oxide and titanium pigment. This will be done through TNG’s patented TIVAN process, which the company says allows it to “overcome limitations of the conventional processing.”
Last year, Perth-based TNG set up its own green-focused subsidiary, TNG Energy. The company is now developing applications for vanadium redox flow batteries (VRFBs). But TNG is not the only Australian company vertically integrating its vanadium-based projects. In 2016, Australian Vanadium set up a subsidiary, VSUN Energy, to drive market demand for VRFBs and help raise capital needed to open its Western Australian vanadium mine.
It takes a lot of time to become an overnight success,” VSUN’s business development manager, Samantha McGahan, told pv magazine Australia.
Yet with its flagship project recognised for being strategic significant by both the federal government and the Northern Territory authorities, TNG’s Mount Peake Project is clearly leading Australia’s vanadium crusade.
The company is also keen to jump aboard the country’s green hydrogen craze. In September, TNG said it would partner with German strategic engineering company SMS Group to develop carbon-neutral technology and produce green hydrogen. The agreement is part of the company’s bid to optimize its Mount Peake Project, TNG said at the time.
https://www.metalbulletin.com/Article/3978293/SPECIALTY-STEEL-RAW-MATERIALS-MARKET-REPORT-0503-V2O5-up-92-on-limited-prompt-inventories.html
SPECIALTY STEEL RAW MATERIALS MARKET REPORT 05/03: V2O5 up 9.2% on limited prompt inventories
An overview of the specialty steel raw materials markets in Europe and their latest price moves.
Plenty of work in the US of A.
https://www.wellandgood.com/unsafe-drinking-water/
When Malini Ranganathan, PhD, an associate professor at American University and interim faculty director of the Anti****** Research and Policy Center, conducted research in Exeter, a flourishing agriculture town in California’s Central Valley, she didn’t expect to see similar conditions to what she'd witnessed in India’s low-income housing areas. Residents in one of the world’s richest states were depending on bore water and water tankers to drink because tap water was unsafe...
https://chinadialogueocean.net/16428-parlous-state-chinas-coral-reefs/
The parlous state of China’s coral reefs
Marine biologist Lian Jiansheng calls for broader monitoring of China’s coral ecosystems and for reef-building coral species to be protected by law...
http://mchuneng.bjx.com.cn/mnews/20210304/1139708.shtml
On March 3, Xiangyang City, Hubei Province held a signing ceremony for key investment promotion projects in the vanadium energy storage industry. Three projects including 100 MW photovoltaic and 100 MW energy storage and solar storage integrated power stations were signed, laying a foundation for the city to build a 100 billion vanadium energy storage industry cluster. Lay a solid foundation. City leaders Cheng Jiagang, Wang Zhongyun, Ge Xiuquan and Luo Qiongjiu attended the signing ceremony.
In recent years, the development environment of the domestic clean energy industry represented by the energy storage industry has been improving. Energy storage is the key to vigorously develop clean energy and realize the comprehensive utilization of wind, light, electricity and other energies. Our city is rich in mineral resources and has unique conditions for the development of the energy storage industry.
https://financialpost.com/pmn/business-pmn/china-steel-rebar-hits-near-10-year-high-on-output-cut-fears
BEIJING/MANILA — Chinese steel rebar futures surged more than 5% on Wednesday to their highest level in about a decade, as the country’s plan to take more environmental-protection measures stoked worries about a cut in production.
Besides the industry ministry’s pledge to cut crude steel output this year, heavy pollution alerts issued in Hebei province and the upcoming annual parliament meeting will also affect steel products’ output in the short term, SinoSteel Futures said in a note.
Seven blast furnaces in the top steel-making city of Tangshan were required to be shut down by March 10, which might likely lower pig iron output by 5,000 tonnes a day, according to GF Futures.
The most-actively traded rebar contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange, for May delivery, closed up 3.9% to 4,842 yuan ($749.11) per tonne. It surged as much as 5.6% to the highest level since August 2011 earlier in the session.
China’s trading volume for steel products used in construction stood at 196,800 tonnes on Tuesday, the highest daily transactions since Jan.4, according to Mysteel consultancy.
Hot-rolled coil futures, used in cars and home appliances, jumped 3.5% at close to hit a record high of 5,026 yuan per tonne.
Prices of steelmaking raw materials also gained.
Benchmark iron ore futures on the Dalian Commodity Exchange rose 1.8% to 1,154 yuan a tonne.
Dalian coking coal surged 6.2% to 1,525 yuan per tonne and coke increased 0.8% to 2,520 yuan per tonne.
Stainless steel futures on the Shanghai exchange fell 2.1% to 14,685 yuan a tonne.
Our ducks are lining up nicely;
https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/environment-and-conservation/2021/03/rivers-and-lakes-are-the-most-degraded-ecosystems-in-the-world
Rivers and lakes are the most degraded ecosystems in the world. Can we save them?
We rely on fresh water for drinking, food, and sanitation, and they’re in trouble. But freshwater issues are becoming a higher priority for conservationists...
Long article;
https://www.vice.com/en/article/wx897y/synthetic-designer-party-drugs-study
Remember New Year 2020? That ancient period when 2020 was still something to look forward to, shots meant tequila and not vaccine jabs, and drugs didn’t necessarily mean the kinds you need to beat a deadly virus during a global pandemic.
Wastewater samples taken from eight countries over the same period have shown how popular designer party drugs have grown to be. In a new paper published in Water Research, the world’s most comprehensive wastewater analysis of new psychoactive substances (NPS) shows the pattern of designer drug use in 14 locations across Australia, New Zealand, China, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Norway and the United States. This study was conducted over the 2019-2020 New Year period, which researchers identified as “a time which is characterized by celebrations and parties and therefore a time when more NPS may be consumed”.
Wastewater-based epidemiology is known to have the potential to monitor close to real-time, population-level trends in illicit drug use. When someone takes a drug, the body metabolises it and excretes metabolites. By sampling wastewater, scientists can ascertain the quantity of drugs used in a community from the measured levels of drugs and their metabolites excreted in urine...
http://mchuneng.bjx.com.cn/mnews/20210302/1139161.shtml
State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Research Institute completes photovoltaic power station energy storage project test
A few days ago, the Electric Power Research Institute of State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. successfully completed the grid-related test of the Awati photovoltaic power station energy storage project of Guangdong Hydropower, successfully ensuring that the first all-vanadium liquid flow energy storage system in Xinjiang was connected to the grid.
The all-vanadium redox flow battery is a redox renewable fuel cell based on the metal vanadium element. The system uses the change in the valence state of vanadium ions to realize the reciprocating conversion of chemical energy and electrical energy by replacing the electrolyte. It is a part of electrical energy storage and release. Kind of energy storage technology.
In order to ensure the smooth operation of the all-vanadium liquid flow storage for photovoltaic supporting facilities in Nanjiang, the State Grid Xinjiang Electric Power Research Institute established a professional team headed by experts from the State Grid. , Xinjiang Weld Energy Co., Ltd. analyzes and judges the possible dangerous points in the test of the inverter and the all-vanadium redox flow battery in the test plan. During the experiment, the testers paid high attention and paid close attention to the details of the test, and finally completed the network-related test efficiently and smoothly, ensuring the smooth commissioning of the Awati photovoltaic energy storage power station of Guangdong Hydropower, and further improving the safety and stability of the southern Xinjiang power grid. Operational ability.