Port of Saldanha’s New LPG Terminal Launched
A new open-access liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) plant has been opened at the Port of Saldanha on the West Coast of South Africa and will aid in increasing LPG's use in the national energy mix. Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) awarded Sunrise Energy a 30-year concession – including planning and construction – in 2013 to build and operate the LPG terminal. Sunrise Energy is a partnership between the South African private and public sectors.
China to Loan South Africa's Power Firm Eskom $500 mln
China will loan South Africa's struggling power utility $500 million as part of deals agreed on Wednesday between the two countries worth 94 billion rand ($6.5 billion), the South African government said. China will also help to build a car manufacturing plant on South Africa's coast which should begin exporting vehicles to other African countries by the end of 2017. (Reporting by Joe Brock)
Statoil to Explore Offshore S. Africa
Statoil has completed a farm-in transaction with ExxonMobil Exploration and Production South Africa Limited (ExxonMobil), acquiring a 35 percent interest in the ER 12/3/154 Tugela South Exploration Right. The remaining interests are held by the operator ExxonMobil (40%) and co-venturer Impact Africa Limited (Impact Africa) (25%). “This opportunity is in line with Statoil’s exploration strategy of access at scale.
Total Withdraws from Coal Production and Marketing
French oil major Total confirmed on Monday that it had stopped all production of coal as of last week after the South African government approved the sale of its coal mining operations there. "We cannot claim to be providing solutions to climate change while continuing to produce or market coal, the fossil fuel that emits more greenhouse gas than any other," Total Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne said in a statement. Pouyanne said in June last year that Total would halt all coal operations.
Shell Pulls Back from South African Shale
Royal Dutch Shell is pulling back from its shale projects in South Africa due to lower energy prices although it is still seeking an exploration license for the onshore Karoo Basin, its country manager said on Monday. A more than halving of crude oil prices since June last year has put high cost projects such as shale gas exploration in jeopardy around the globe, Shell South Africa Chairman Bonang Mohale told Johannesburg station Talk Radio 702. "The reason to go to a low cost holding position ...
EDF Commissions Wind Farm in South Africa
French utility EDF commissionned a 61.5 megawatt (MW) wind farm near Port Elizabeth in South Africa, its EDF Energies Nouvelles division said in a statement on Thursday. The Grassridge wind farm is the first of three projects awarded to EDF Energies Nouvelles in 2012 under the competitive tender for renewable energies projects held by the South African government. The wind park is 40 percent owned by local partners while InnoWind, an EDF subsidiary, has a 60 percent stake.
SacOil Considers $6 bln Gas Pipeline
Oil and gas explorer SacOil Holdings has teamed up with the South African and Mozambican governments to study a possible $6 billion gas pipeline between the two countries, it said on Monday. If viable, the pipeline and the distribution facility will carry natural gas from Mozambique into South Africa, as well as other southern African countries. South Africa, whose coal-fired power plants are not environmentally friendly, is the nearest big outlet for Mozambique's vast natural gas reserves.
Britain Funding South African Carbon Trading Scheme
Britain will expand funding for a program to help coal-rich South Africa develop a carbon trading market in an attempt to rein in its rising greenhouse gas emissions. The British High Commission in Pretoria last week said it will fund a pilot emissions trading program from next year to help companies prepare for a 120-rand-per-ton ($11.21) carbon tax that is expected to come into force in 2016. The value of the grant was not disclosed.
Subsea South Africa ExxonMobile Exploration
Exxon Mobil Corporation affiliate ExxonMobil Exploration & Production South Africa Limited, soon to start search for oil & gas deposits. The Tugela South Exploration Right covers approximately 2.8 million acres offshore Durban on the east coast of South Africa with water depths extending from the coastline to approximately 6,500 feet. The future exploration rights cover an additional 16 million acres offshore with water depths extending from the coastline to approximately 9,800 feet.
