Eco Minute 13:30

NEWSFLASH NEWS AGENCY 10 November 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Eskom has officially started operating the first of eight utility-scale battery energy storage system projects. This is part of phase one of a World Bank-funded programme, to add batteries with a combined storage capacity of 199 megawatts. The first project is on Eskom’s distribution network in Worcester in the Western Cape using batteries supplied by Hyosung, of South Korea. Eskom has also placed phase two on hold, through which it aims to introduce a further 144 megawatts of battery energy storage system across four sites,  as it needs clarification from the National Treasury.

# Trade, Industry, and Competition minister, Ebrahim Patel has applauded Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa for expanding its production in the Ford Ranger programme to include plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. This move aligns with global efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Patel anticipates the commencement of vehicle production at the Silverton assembly plant in Pretoria in the third quarter of next year. The vehicles manufactured there will be exported to over 100 markets worldwide, including the United Kingdom and European Union member states.

# And finally: An ecologist from Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority is utilising birds of prey, specifically white-tailed eagles, with GPS tracking devices to aid the Israeli Defence Force in recovering bodies at sites of the first Hamas attack. Ohad Hatzofe explains tracking the migratory patterns of these eagles provides crucial data, helping locate and retrieve bodies, bringing closure to some families. Over ten-thousand-800 people including more than four-thousand-400 children have been killed since the start of the conflict on 7 October. Hatzofe says he hopes the war will end soon.

Stay tuned for more news………….