News Snippets

TCTA again warns of funding shortfall for acid water projects - Source and more here.

Tyre recycling plan unsustainable, jobs potential overestimated - " Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has overestimated the number of jobs that can be created through the new tyre recycling programme, Democratic Alliance (DA) water and environment spokesperson Gareth Morgan said on Wednesday, adding that the initiative was unsustainable.

He also said that Minister, who unveiled the Recycling and Economic Development Initiative South Africa (Redisa) on Tuesday, may have flouted sections of the Waste Tyre Regulations (WTR), by failing to publish the plan in the Government Gazette for a 30-day comment period or bring it to the attention of relevant organs of State and interested persons.

“Despite the existence of another long-standing industry driven plan on the table, the Minister has effectively given Redisa a monopoly over tyre recycling in South Africa, as manufactures, dealers and importers must become a subscriber to the plan as long as it is the only plan approved by the Minister,” Morgan told Engineering News Online." Source and more here.

Renewables to be fastest-growing energy segment over 20 years - BP - " Fossil fuels will continue to dominate the global energy mix in 2030, oil group BP forecasts in its latest ‘Energy Outlook 2030’, in which it estimates that such primary energy sources should still comprise 81% of global energy demand by that date. But the overall share of fossil fuels in the mix is likely to be 6% lower than is the case currently as fuel switching accelerates, with gas and renewables replacing coal and oil.

This “gradual” switching should result in renewables, including biofuels, remaining the fastest-growing sources of energy supply globally, rising at a yearly rate of more than 8% – materially quicker that the rate of growth of the fastest-growing fossil fuel, natural gas, the use of which is likely to increase by 2% a year over the period." Source and more here.

Minister Molewa unveils plan to deal with waste tyres - " A levy of R2.30/kg would be introduced on new tyres manufactured in or imported into South Africa from February 1 to pay for the collection and recycling of waste tyres, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa announced in Pretoria on Tuesday.

Over 200 000 t of tyres become waste tyres in South Africa every year, with about 11-million used tyres being dumped illegally or burnt to retrieve the steel wire in the tyre. “With this figure estimated to increase by around 9.5% annually, the country has a serious waste tyre problem,” Molewa said at a briefing." Source and read more here.

US renewables firms eyeing SA’s next IPP bidding windows - " US Deputy Energy Secretary Daniel Poneman confirmed on Monday that two American renewable energy firms were among the first 28 project developers named as preferred bidders by South Africa’s Department of Energy in December. The companies were identified as SolarReserve and SunEdison." Source and more here.

Metals lobby gears up for talks on EU carbon tax - " LONDON – Europe's metals sector is gearing up for talks with the European Commission on plans to start taxing its carbon emissions but at the same time prevent factories and smelters from shutting shop or moving abroad.

Metals lobby group Eurometeaux, which is meeting with the commission at the end of January, wants to persuade it to grant the sector full exemption from the indirect carbon costs embedded in electricity prices." Source and more here.