Page 10 - AfrElec Week 15 2022
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AfrElec RENEWABLES AfrElec
ArcelorMittal to develop 200 MW of
green capacity in South Africa
SOUTH AFRICA ARCELORMITTAL South Africa aims to per year (tpy) of liquid steel, also said it would
develop 200 MW of renewable energy capacity publish its decarbonisation roadmap by the third
in South Africa in a bid to insulate its steel pro- quarter of this year.
duction from the country’s unreliable and tem- In the Western Cape, ArcelorMittal said its
peramental national grid and to push forward shuttered Saldanha plant has been earmarked
decarbonisation efforts. for studies for its potential to play a key role in
The company said that it was conducting fea- a green hydrogen economy, as the technology at
sibility studies for two 100-MW projects, one in the facility is able to use hydrogen to produce hot
Gauteng Province and one in Western Cape, that briquetted iron.
would supply existing facilities within the com- The company said it expected to benefit from
pany. The studies are due to be completed by the the projects by early 2025, subject to the outcome
2023/24 financial year, Reuters reported. of the feasibility studies.
“This is an important step in our decarbonisa- The action comes as regular failures in the
tion journey and takes advantage of the changes national grid run by state-run utility Eskom have
to legislation announced by the South African interrupted industrial activity and held back the
government last year, which allow private inves- country’s economic growth.
tors to build their own power plants with up to 100-MW green projects do not require a
100 MW of generating capacity without requir- licence under current government regulations,
ing a licence,” chief executive Kobus Verster said but they must register with the National Energy
in a statement. Regulator of South Africa (Nersa), which tends
The company, which is the biggest steel pro- to be a long process.
ducer in Africa with a capacity of 7mn tonnes
TABCON Energy to build 65MW
Ghanaian power plant for $85mn
GHANA TABCON Development Consultant and the capacity of the UENR in order to open a large
University of Energy and Natural Resources door for research that is expected to lead to the
(UENR) have agreed to build a 65MW publications of one of thousand Scopus indexed
Hybride-Hydro-Solar Renewable Energy Facil- journal articles.
ity to augment Ghana’s electricity grid and sup- At the signing ceremony held in the regional
ply the Bono region, Joy News has reported. capital Sunyani, the Vice-Chancellor of UENR,
TABCON is a Development Consulting Professor Elvis Asare-Bediako, observed that
Company that operates in the renewable energy the proposed project will enhance collabora-
sector in Ghana. Among others, the project aims tion between industry and institutions of higher
to promote value-added agriculture due to its learning that will benefit students.
irrigation component and help boost eco-tour- “The collaboration between the University
ism and nature conservation while creating con- and TABCON Energy is just apropos because
tinuous local employment by accelerating the the two bodies’ lives revolve around energy.
industrialisation in the region’s Tain and Wenchi The University will provide all the research that
districts. would make this collaboration a living one,” he
In September 2021, the parties held talks to is quoted as saying.
discuss possible areas of collaboration, especially He also said that the project is in line with the
on the Tain Solar Energy Project. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that call
The $85mn project which was initiated for an inclusive and equitable quality education
by TABCON and its partners, which include and the promotion of lifelong opportunities for
the German government and the Volta River all.
Authority (VRA). It is meant to enhance the
P10 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 15 14•April•2022

