September 2021

Sasol and the Central Energy Fund (CEF) have signed a memorandum of understanding which will allow them to collaborate on accelerating the development of gas resources in the country, it was announced on Tuesday.

The state-owned CEF is tasked with ensuring the energy supply of the country. Sasol said the partnership would see them working together to explore developing multiple low-cost gas import locations around the country.

Caterpillar will begin offering Cat generator sets capable of operating on 100% hydrogen, including fully renewable green hydrogen, later this year, the company announced. Hydrogen-powered generator sets will be available on a designed-to-order basis.

The company also plans to launch commercially available power generation solutions from 400 kW to 4.5 MW that can operate on natural gas blended with as much as 25% hydrogen.

Caterpillar says these hydrogen-fueled power technologies have improved performance and “minimal impacts on maintenance costs and schedules, availability and operations.”

Organizations are increasingly seeking to maximize the economic benefits of reducing their carbon intensities. Caterpillar Large Electric Power general manager Bart Myers says with its new offerings, the company hopes to “demonstrate the viability of power solutions that can utilize many types of hydrogen” in order to “shorten the path to commercial availability.”

4 Africa Exchange (4AX), a stock exchange specialising in listing the equity and debt of small-to-mid-sized companies, will be rebranded as the Cape Town Stock Exchange (CTSE) from October 1, following its relocation to a new head office in Cape Town.

4AX is one of two fully fledged, licensed and regulated stock exchanges in South Africa, with both an equity and a debt listing licence. The market capitalisation of the equity and debt listed on the exchange was about R6.67 billion

The exchange said in a statement the relocation and name change would have no impact on its operations to existing clients. The Financial Sector Conduct Authority approval for the name change and relocation had been submitted, and the exchange was on track to go live with the new brand on September 30.

The exchange would still have a presence in Joburg, and would continue to work with companies all over the region, chief executive Eugene Booysen said.

4AX Registry Services and 4AX Debt Services would be rebranded as CTSE Registry Services and CTSE Capital Solutions, respectively.

International Energy Agency has acknowledged that there will be different paths to clean energy

Today the biggest threat to humanity is climate change, and the biggest threat to SA’s social stability is the high unemployment rate, which has primarily been caused by economic stagnation

As the global economy recovers from the devastating effects of Covid-19, demand for oil and gas has gone up significantly. If there was ever a need for proof that oil and gas still drive the global economy, recent statistics demonstrate the trend.

The world’s developed economies industrialised on the back of oil and gas production and use. Now, just as Africa is on the cusp of being a significant gas producer and is making plans to use such gas for power generation, industrialisation and economic growth, the negative effects of greenhouse gas emissions on the environment have become undeniable.

The urgency for action to mitigate the risk of climate change is no longer debatable. Between 1990 and 2018 the top five emitters have produced more than 50% of greenhouse gas emissions. During the same period, SA has contributed 1% to global emissions. This is by no measure insignificant, and as a responsible global citizen, SA must take steps to reduce its carbon footprint.