Member Info for Tyfoon

CC are you referring to the proposed secondary strikes by the AMCU? The SA courts stopped that before it even got started...

This is a great write-up on VRFBs and the beneficial disruption they will have on electricity grids worldwide

https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/power-shift

https://investingnews.com/daily/resource-investing/battery-metals-investing/vanadium-investing/bushveld-commissions-first-vanadium-redox-flow-battery-system/

I must admit, I wasn't aware of this tho:

"According to the International Renewable Energy Association, “VRFBs already offer some of the lowest system costs among battery technologies and are expected to decrease in cost by 66 percent through to 2030, which is faster than any other technology in energy storage.”

If that forecast turns out to be correct then that's got to be good for VRFB uptake and consequently Bushveld Energy sales

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47723577

Excerpt
"Climate change: Global impacts 'accelerating' - WMO

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says that the physical and financial impacts of global warming are accelerating.

Record greenhouse gas levels are driving temperatures to "increasingly dangerous levels", it says.

Their report comes in the same week as the International Energy Agency (IEA) reported a surge in CO2 in 2018."

1chronic, but for such a non-techy investor as me, could you put that into English instead of some kind of mysterious code? I don't recall BMN sp ever hitting 70p...?

First impressions - slick, well laid out and faster than this old site

at top of the page, apols if mentioned already

Speaking of which, here's a Tweet just out from Dept of Energy

"In the next couple of weeks, we will be engaging further on our broader energy plans and key initiatives. This is important in ensuring that we take the country along with us as we continue to deliver on the government’s broader national energy imperatives @radebe_jeff"

https://www.fin24.com/Economy/sa-faces-hefty-124bn-energy-transition-risk-20190327

Jeff Radebe best not ignore this report by London-based Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) else SA will pay a really heavy price if they continue to stick with coal.

"What would determine the full impact of this transition risk to South Africa was how it was managed.

The report recommends that government scrap – or at least delay – any new investments that would add to the $124bn risk. These include a new oil refinery, the two proposed coal power stations Thabametsi and Khanyisa, plans to expand coal export railway lines in Mpumalanga, the Waterberg and a international link to Swaziland and Botswana, and new coal mines in Limpopo. These planned investments could add another $25.8bn to the transition risk. "

I've been thinking the same thing bassguy. Would the Chinese Govt be so cynical as to risk the lives of some of their people by not enforcing the new rebar standards in order for the Dalian and Fangchenggang projects to succeed? You betcha, but I guess we'll never know for sure.

But, as a sidenote, low V prices globally will also help BE to keep the manufacturing costs of their VRFBs down which may result in more contracts across the African continent.

This is an article written by Owen Murphy, Africa Desk Leader BDO in South Africa which explains the problems that miners face when applying for licences:

“At virtually every workshop with emerging miners the DMR is raised as a challenge in the development of mining projects. The key issues raised are delays in issuing mining rights, misinterpretation of the law and in some cases duplicating mining rights.”

So the delay isn't with BMN, it's with the bottleneck that's known as the DMR.

https://www.miningreview.com/features-analysis/south-african-policy-junior-miners/

https://www.mining-journal.com/capital-markets/news/1359582/kazakh-vanadium-miner-to-list-in-london?utm_medium=Social-Media&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=Editorial

The comment on Twitter says: "Bushveld MInerals gets competition as Ferro-Alloy Resources Group adds London to it's Kazakh listing"

from a great round of golf so dunno if this has been posted today, but it's good news so I'll post it anyway:

https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/coal-transporters-bid-to-halt-eskoms-deals-with-ipps-fails-20093694

Excerpt:
"Pretoria - The Coal Transporters Forum (CTF), which transports coal to Eskom, lost its legal bid against government to stop it from signing deals with Independent Power Producers (IPP).

Gauteng High Court Judge Piet Meyer delivered his judgment on Tuesday in which its dismissed the CTF’s application with costs."

More tweets from Jeff:

Energy efficiency is our best hope in the short term, of balancing electricity supply and demand. It is a fact that a successful energy efficiency programme results in the reduction of municipal revenues

Energy efficiency technologies have substantial job creation potential. Consequently financial losses to municipalities must be counterbalanced by not only decoupling the revenue drop due to energy efficiency, but also by demonstrating +employment outcomes due to Energy Eff Prog

Some municipalities, particularly Metros, have old power stations that are currently in various levels of capability to generate electricity

Municipalities that have old power stations need to be encouraged to get them functional again, because they represent an opportunity for municipalities to increase revenues at the same time as improving the country’s electricity system reserve margin (That's an odd one... Ty)

And here's a lnk to his keynote address at the DLO

http://www.energy.gov.za/files/media/speeches/2019/KeynoteAddress-by-Minister-at-The-DLO-Africa-Power-Roundtable-26March2019.pdf

Daisan I posted this y'day which explained that there is currently a tolence period in the enforcement of rebar. It seems that the steel mills are making the most of it!

https://roskill.com/news/vanadium-2019-set-to-be-interesting-year-for-the-market/

Excerpt:
"Vanadium prices increased dramatically last year as the market moved into structural deficit. While prices have fallen back from their 2018 peak, they remain elevated: ferrovanadium prices have averaged around US$75/kg in Europe so far this year.

High prices are a feature of both supply-side and demand-side factors. On the supply side, a reduction in global feedstock capacity, dwindling global inventories, feedstock tightness in China, and trade issues have been key issues. On the demand side, the introduction of new rebar regulations in China, designed to limit the use of inferior steels in construction, have had a major impact on global price levels.

Consensus on the ground in China is that the enforcement of new rebar regulations (currently a tolerance period is ongoing) will ramp-up, albeit gradually, in 2019.

Things are moving, it seems :

The finalization of the Integrated Resource Plan will reflect our policy blueprint for the power sector, & this is imminent.We have drawn experts from industry and academia to assist in our IRP development process

I trust that you are now aware that the output document has been revised after due consideration of public comments, particularly in regard to the tables that indicate the different technology options for balancing electricity supply-demand

We are now engaging the social partners at NEDLAC. Cabinet approval of the IRP for South Africa will define a tangible plan for energy security that also secures the participation of (IPP) side by side with Eskom & municipalities.

Hydro from the DRC is a critical part of our integrated resource plan

There is a lot of misinformation on twitter about IPPs it’s important to spread the correct information about the sector-the price of power purchases from IPPs has reduced significantly and continues to do so

its clear that Eskom alone cant meet our power capacity requirements, because we estimate the capacity extension under the IRP will cost in excess of R1 trillion in the period up to 2030, including the new power plants, +the requisite transmission &distribution infrastructure

We continue to face serious capacity challenges with regard to electricity supply. Besides the operational issues afflicting Eskom power plants, the financial challenges are paramount and one has to recognize the bold leadership required with regard to sectoral reform imperative.

It is my view that the DLO Africa Power Roundtable should reflect on how governments, in partnership with the private sector, should confront some of these pressing and difficult matters

pb940 yes I think that's right as Vametco is in the Brits district

SOTRR, totally agree but unfortunately there's not a lot we can do to change things over there, that's down to their own Govt.

I thought it was interesting to read about the reason for slack demand for V from China when we, and the rest of the world, were expecting heightened demand. A 'tolerance period'. I thought we'd already had that and they were supposed to be tightening up after the Chinese NY, but apparently not. At least we know now.

https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/south-africa/alternatives-to-eskom/

A good article extolling the virtues of off-grid vs Eskom in SA using solar - and batteries...

Apols if this has been posted before:

https://roskill.com/news/vanadium-2019-set-to-be-interesting-year-for-the-market/

Excerpt:
"Vanadium prices increased dramatically last year as the market moved into structural deficit. While prices have fallen back from their 2018 peak, they remain elevated: ferrovanadium prices have averaged around US$75/kg in Europe so far this year.

High prices are a feature of both supply-side and demand-side factors. On the supply side, a reduction in global feedstock capacity, dwindling global inventories, feedstock tightness in China, and trade issues have been key issues. On the demand side, the introduction of new rebar regulations in China, designed to limit the use of inferior steels in construction, have had a major impact on global price levels.

Consensus on the ground in China is that the enforcement of new rebar regulations (currently a tolerance period is ongoing) will ramp-up, albeit gradually, in 2019. This will increase China’s intensity of use of vanadium and drive strong growth in vanadium demand. As a result, Roskill expects the market to remain in deficit for some time. There can only be a limited short-term supply response as vanadium co-producers (which account for 70% of supply) are governed by iron and steel market dynamics. There is also limited upside potential from primary and secondary supply, save for Chinese coal stone (an important vanadium-bearing resource in China)."