Natalie Greve

https://staging1.creamermedia.com/

Natalie Greve

Natalie Greve is Creamer Media Senior Contributing Editor Online for Engineering News and Mining Weekly.

Tel: +2711 622 3744

Email: natalie@engineeringnews.co.za

DiamondCorp resumes development tunneling at Lace mine

20th November 2015 Southern African diamond mining, development and exploration company DiamondCorp has, following completion of back-filling activities and almost two weeks ahead of schedule, resumed development tunnelling on the 290 m doming level at the Lace mine, in the Free State. The company said in a market... →

Exxaro likely to move more coal in FY2015; cuts expansion capex

20th November 2015 Coal and heavy minerals miner Exxaro expects coal production and sales volumes for the 2015 financial year to top that of the prior 12 months, noting in a market update this week that the scheduled ramp-up of the Medupi power station and the inclusion of coal output from Exxaro Coal Central (ECC)... →

R300m fund for SMMEs in renewable-energy sector launched

20th November 2015 Specialist risk finance group Business Partners has launched a dedicated R300-million fund earmarked for the financing of new or existing small, medium-sized and microenterprises (SMMEs) in the South African renewable-energy space, providing equity and debt finance of between R500 000 and... →

DoE says fossil fuels to play prominent, but declining, energy mix role

20th November 2015 As South Africa continues to await the tabling of the country’s Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) by Energy Minister Tina Joemat-Pettersson, Department of Energy (DoE) energy planning chief director Tshilidzi Ramuedzisi has reiterated that fossil fuels will continue to play a prominent role in the... →

Technology agency lifts third party funding 168% in 2014/15

20th November 2015 In its first yearly report launch on Friday, Innovation and technology funder the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) revealed that it had boosted third-party financing by 168.8% year-on-year, attracting R200-million in funding from sources other than the Department of Science and Technology (DST)... →

Lobby group moves to oppose ‘unequal’ steel antidumping duties

20th November 2015 Industry body, the National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) has launched a South African Steel Lobby that will advocate for the shelving of the antidumping application by primary steel producers and will look to negotiate an improved model for downstream manufacturers, it said last... →

Harmony names former COO Steenkamp CEO

20th November 2015 Following a four-month headhunt prompted by the retirement of company head Graham Briggs, Harmony Gold Mining has appointed its former COO and current Sasol Mining senior VP Peter Steenkamp as CEO, effective January 1. “The board is very happy to welcome Peter back to Harmony. He worked for... →

A third of S Africans still lack access to safe, private toilets – report

19th November 2015 As the globe marks World Toilet Day on November 19, recent analysis revealing that 33.6% of South African citizens lack access to safe, private toilets has prompted international charity WaterAid in Southern Africa to call on government to make further commitments to delivering universal access... →

TÜV SÜD South Africa to sell 26% stake in BEE deal

19th November 2015 Within the scope of a strategic transaction aimed at boosting the group’s local black economic-empowerment (BEE) threshold, global testing, certification, inspection and training provider TÜV SÜD South Africa plans to sell 26% of its entire issued share capital to investment group Kapela Holdings... →

Keaton swings to H1 loss as troubled Vaalkrantz asset weighs on profits

19th November 2015 While consistent year-on-year output from thermal coal producer Keaton Energy’s stalwart Vanggatfontein operation bolstered the junior’s productive performance in the first six months of the financial year, it was unable to offset a disappointing showing by the company’s Vaalkrantz asset, which... →

Silver supply to fall 3% in 2015 on flat FY production

18th November 2015 Market analyst Thomson Reuters GFMS expects overall global silver supply to fall 3% to 1.02-billion ounces in 2015, driven largely by flat mine production, a 5% drop in scrap return and net dehedging of 12.6-million ounces of the metal, it said this week. Presenting the firm’s Interim Silver... →

StratMin to receive first-tranche payment from Bass before year-end

18th November 2015 ASX-listed Bass Metals has informed London-listed graphite production and exploration company StratMin that it will complete the remaining payments for the first tranche of the company’s £2-million earn-in agreement to acquire a 25% stake in StratMin’s Graphmada Mauritius subsidiary by December... →

Metallon narrows FY guidance 30% on power, equipment troubles

18th November 2015 Equipment breakdowns, increased power interruptions and grade challenges have scuppered gold miner Metallon Corporation’s hopes of increasing production in the third quarter ended September 30, narrowing output from 25 882 oz in the third quarter of 2014 to 23 999 oz. The replacement of key... →

Arrowhead boosts FY distributions 13%, plans listed offshoot in 2016

18th November 2015 Real estate investment trust (Reit) Arrowhead Properties has grown its yearly distribution by 13%, declaring 150.30c per combined A and B share for the year ended September 30, it said on Wednesday. The Reit, which held a nationwide portfolio of 159 commercial and 30 residential properties valued... →

Q3 business conditions, sentiment once again retract

17th November 2015 Tenuous domestic and global economic conditions continue to weigh on the business confidence of domestic manufacturers, with 26% and 49% of those polled as part of industry body, the Manufacturing Circle’s (MC’s) Manufacturing Business Confidence Index describing business conditions in the third... →

Nedbank, DBSA ink R120m financing deal for affordable green housing

17th November 2015 Nedbank Corporate and Investment Banking’s (NCIB’s) Affordable Housing Development Finance division has concluded an agreement with the Development Bank of Southern Africa’s (DBSA’s) Green Fund to jointly provide R120-million in funding for the development of around 400 affordable green housing... →

Delta, Pivotal partner to form African ‘property powerhouse’

17th November 2015 Multilisted property fund Delta Africa has inked a deal to merge with JSE-listed development-focused investment fund, the Pivotal Fund, to create “property powerhouse” Mara Delta Property Holdings. In terms of the framework agreement entered into between the parties, Delta Africa would acquire... →

Kamoa PFS on track for early 2016 completion – Ivanhoe

17th November 2015 TSX-listed Ivanhoe Mines expects to finalise the prefeasibility study (PFS) for its Kamoa copper project, in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), in early 2016, aligning with the project’s first phase of development, as outlined in a 2013 preliminary economic assessment (PEA). Phase one would... →

AltX welcomes financial technology newcomer M-FiTEC

17th November 2015 Only three months after its formation on August 19, financial technology (fintech) investment group M-FiTEC International has listed on the JSE’s AltX, under the board’s specially designated special purpose acquisition company (Spac), through which it planned to raise up to an initial... →

Barloworld posts modest FY revenue uptick on currency, automotive gains

16th November 2015 Industrial brand management giant Barloworld has posted a 1% gain in revenue for the year ended September 30, attributing overall earnings of R62.7-billion to resilient performances from its automotive and equipment businesses, which buffered the company from headwinds emerging out of the... →

S African wine exports to China hit 11m litres a year

13th November 2015 Becoming South Africa’s sixth-largest export market for packaged wines by volume, Chinese imports of South African-produced wines continue to accelerate, hitting 11-million litres in 2014, the Western Cape government (WCG) said on Friday. This comes as the province revealed that global exports of... →

CHP plants at water treatment works capable of knocking 60% off elec bill

13th November 2015 Municipalities that introduce combined heat and power (CHP) plants at wastewater treatment works (WWTW) are likely to narrow their energy consumption by some 60%, WEC Projects biogas-to-energy business unit head Jason Gifford has told the Southern African Energy Efficiency Convention, in... →

Existing building performance rating increasing in popularity, says GBCSA

12th November 2015 While initially targeting sustainability and energy efficiency in new constructs, the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) says it is now observing an accelerated uptake in the retrofitment of existing buildings, with energy efficiency and sustainability considerations no longer... →

S African technologies emerging in response to local energy challenges

11th November 2015 As South Africa continues to battle electricity shortages, the threat of load-shedding and imposed load curtailment on large industrial users, the country’s research and development fraternity is increasingly making the case for the development of home-grown mitigation and energy efficiency... →

Uncoupling of energy costs, productivity possible, expert argues

11th November 2015 Amid a domestic industrial environment in which energy prices continue to increase above inflation and electricity spend constitutes up to 40% of a mining or heavy industrial company’s overall costs, energy system design firm Ensight Energy Solutions chairperson and former Australian... →

Esco model still central to Eskom’s DSM strategy, says Etzinger

11th November 2015 The Energy Services Companies (Esco) model funding programme remains integral to efforts by energy utility Eskom to promote the retrofitment and replacement of energy-intensive technologies with energy-efficient technology solutions, despite recent funding cuts to the parastatal’s overarching... →

Photo by Dylan Slater
Eskom senior GM Andrew Etzinger

Growthpoint, Investec, IFC launch Pan-African property fund

10th November 2015 In a move that will create a diversified Pan-African third-party institutional real estate investment vehicle, real estate investment trust Growthpoint Properties has entered into a 50:50 joint venture with Investec Asset Management to form a new management business focused on property investment... →

Norbert Sasse

Quality, not quantity, of financial inclusion key – report

10th November 2015 While a recent Finscope survey has found that financial inclusion in South Africa remains stable, with 87%, or 31.2-million people served by domestic financial services, the report has suggested that the country must now move beyond the simple measurement and tracking of access to financial... →

Quartile Capital acquires 30% stake in SDS

9th November 2015 Financial services and investment group Quartile Capital has acquired 30% of South African-owned and managed transfer secretary (TS) and related business company Stakeholder Data Services (SDS). SDS’s TS systems was, this year, tested and approved by South Africa's central securities depository... →

Murray & Roberts oil and gas CEO resigns

9th November 2015 Engineering and construction services group Murray & Roberts has announced the resignation of its oil and gas CEO Kevin Gallagher, who will be taking up the position of CEO of Australian oil and gas operator Santos. The company said a global search for his successor had already started. →

Kibo appoints Tractebel to complete Mbeya DFS

9th November 2015 Dual-listed Kibo Mining has appointed project engineering group Tractebel Engineering to conduct the definitive feasibility study (DFS) for the Mbeya coal-to-power project (MCPP), in Tanzania, and to continue, thereafter, as owner’s engineer during subsequent development stages of the project’s... →

Harmony names former COO Steenkamp CEO

9th November 2015 Following a four-month headhunt prompted by the retirement of company head Graham Briggs, Harmony Gold Mining has appointed its former COO and current Sasol Mining senior VP Peter Steenkamp as CEO, effective January 1. “The board is very happy to welcome Peter back to Harmony. He worked for... →

Photo by Duane Daws
Peter Steenkamp

Neasa’s Steel Lobby to take on ‘unequal’ antidumping duties

9th November 2015 Industry body, the National Employers Association of South Africa (Neasa) has launched a South African Steel Lobby that will advocate for the shelving of the antidumping application by primary steel producers and will look to negotiate an improved model for downstream manufacturers, it said on... →

Afrimat credits diversification thrust with 24% surge in H1 earnings

9th November 2015 Openpit mining group Afrimat has credited an understanding of the cyclical nature of the construction industry, coupled with the intentional diversification of its industrial minerals and construction materials product portfolio, with a healthy 24% uptick in headline earnings a share for the six... →

Technology Innovation Agency lifts third party funding 168% in 2014/15

6th November 2015 In its first yearly report launch on Friday, Innovation and technology funder the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) revealed that it had boosted third-party financing by 168.8% year-on-year, attracting R200-million in funding from sources other than the Department of Science and Technology (DST)... →

Northam, Heraeus extend platinum offtake agreement

6th November 2015 Platinum producer Northam Platinum has agreed terms to extend a cooperation agreement with offtake partner Heraeus Deutschland and Heraeus South Africa (HSA), the terms of which will see Heraeus contributing some R300-million to expand the capacity of Northam’s existing smelter. The R750-million... →

600 MW KiPower coal project given environmental go-ahead

6th November 2015 The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has granted an integrated environmental authorisation (IEA) for the construction of the 600 MW KiPower coal-fired independent power plant near Delmas, Mpumalanga. This after the DEA initially rejected the final environmental-impact assessment report... →

Govt announces paper, packaging recycling plan

6th November 2015 South Africa is soon to introduce a Paper and Packaging Industry Plan that will require separation-at-source from a household level, bringing about a significant change in the current waste management regime, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa has announced. “This will not only minimise... →

Feasibility completed for underground OR Tambo tunnel

6th November 2015 Black-owned engineering consulting firm Gibb Engineering has completed a feasibility study (FS), commissioned by the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA), that investigates the construction and operational feasibility of connecting the existing Western Precinct and the Midfield Development at... →

$400m injected into South African CSP plant

6th November 2015 As part of US State secretary John Kerry's Climate and Clean Energy Investment Forum, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) has signed an agreement with US-based energy developer SolarReserve and independent project developer ACWA Power, recognising OPIC's $400-million commitment of... →

IPPs could have competition case for lack of grid access

6th November 2015 Independent power producers (IPPs) active in South Africa could well have a legal case against energy utility Eskom, should the parastatal be found to have breached the ambits of the Competition Act by denying them access to the national electricity grid to distribute power to third parties, the... →

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