Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 23 January 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Cape Winelands District Municipality’s Fire Services is struggling to contain a fire in Kluitjieskraal near Wolseley, which started yesterday. The municipality’s spokesperson, Jo-Anne Otto, says last night conditions were exacerbated by very strong winds, dense smoke and uneven terrain. She says activities were further hampered as many of the mountain and small service trails, were damaged by the heavy rains of last year and are thus difficult or impossible to negotiate, especially in the dark. Otto says the fire is currently moving toward the Voëlvlei dam near Gouda:

# Business Leadership South Africa says the country’s infrastructure needs, including electricity, water and logistics, are clear opportunities for global investors to back the fight against climate change. In her weekly newsletter, CEO Busisiwe Mavuso says the rapid pace at which South Africa is building renewable energy projects, driven by private sector investment, is viewed as positive in the global context. She says the country has a unique role in the climate change debate, as it is a carbon-intensive economy, which is an opportunity amid a global context hampered by risks.

# And finally: The Development Bank of Southern Africa is set to play a role in the public procurement of seven-thousand-615 megawatts of new electricity generation and storage capacity. To date, it has invested 12.4-billion-rand into various projects procured since the launch of South Africa’s first independent power producer auctions in 2011. The state-owned development financier says it will now seek to participate in the three bidding rounds launched last month for renewable energy, gas to power and battery storage.

Stay tuned for more news………….