Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 21 May 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Industrial Gas Users Association says bold, but considered decisions are needed to invest in gas energy security expeditiously in South Africa. This comes as Sasol is cutting its natural gas production in 2026, which could lead to a potential gas crisis that could cost the country’s economy 500-billion-rand a year. The association’s Jaco Human says natural gas transitionary feedstock is underpinning the country’s decarbonisation journey:

# The Global Biodiversity Framework Fund has approved a new round of project preparation grants, and set aside more than 1.2-billion-rand for 18 new projects in 21 countries including South Africa. The projects will advance many of the Biodiversity Plan targets including support to more than eight million hectares of terrestrial and marine protected areas. The funding for South Africa will go towards the protection of national parks. GEF CEO Carlos Manuel Rodríguez says the approval of these grants shows commitment to confronting biodiversity loss, climate change, and pollution.

# And finally: The Tshwane Economic Development Agency says preparations are well underway for the inaugural Tshwane Energy Summit next month. The summit is set to ignite the metro’s energy action plan to free it from current energy challenges. Tshwane has set out an ambitious goal of achieving one-thousand megawatts of energy independence from Eskom by 2026. The agency says policy reforms, along with developing infrastructure, like solar panels, need to play a significant role in the metro’s efforts to become energy-independent.

Stay tuned for more news………….