Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 23 July  1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Norwegian renewable energy company, Scatec ASA, says it is dedicated to growing its renewables capacity in South Africa, in alignment with the country’s energy transition agenda. The company has been awarded preferred bidder status for a total of 846 megawatts of solar for the Kroonstad photovoltaic cluster. This is for the seventh round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. Located in the Free State, the cluster will comprise three solar power plants. Scatec ASA has commended the government’s commitment to enabling clean, secure, and affordable energy.

# The City of Cape Town says it is almost finished building its first 200-million-rand solar photovoltaic plant in Atlantis. A total of 12-thousand-850 solar panels are planned to power the local grid by the end of this year. The Atlantis site will operate as a hybrid plant alongside the metro’s first utility-scale battery storage operation, totalling eight megawatts. Mayoral committee member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, says this project has invested in upskilling local labour and creating business opportunities within the renewable energy sector.

# And finally, an algal bloom has turned the usually pristine South Australian waters toxic green and suffocated masses of marine life. According to the state’s premier, Peter Malinauskas, it is a natural disaster and should be declared as such under the country’s laws. The algal bloom occurs naturally but is caused by ocean warming, marine heatwaves, and nutrient pollution, all a direct result of climate change. It has been spreading since March and is now twice the size of the country’s capital territory, lining the coastline with dead wildlife.

Stay tuned for more news………….