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Friday, May 8, 2009.

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Darren Parker.

Making headlines today:

European aero engine company Europrop International has admitted that a major error on its part has played a very large role in delaying the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft programme.

EPI is responsible for the design, development, production, maintenance, support and sales of the TP400-D6 turboprop engine that powers the A400M. Each A400M will have four of these engines. They are the most powerful turboprops ever developed in the West.

EPI's error involves the certification of the full authority digital engine control software for the engines. The A400M is intended for use in humanitarian and military missions. Consequently, the aircraft requires civil as well as military airworthiness certification.

Italian bio-energy consultancy company Agroils aims to produce one-hundred-thousand tons of biofuel from jatropha plant in 2018 in Africa and Brazil where it works together with local farmers.

Agroils' business development manager Giovanni Venturini Del Greco said that the company started projects to grow jatropha to make biofuels in Morocco, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon and Brazil last year.

The projects included a 200-hectare field in a desert in Morocco and 10 000 hectares in Ghana. He said the areas would grow if the initial projects were a success.

Also making headlines:

Eskom's build programme stimulates a 120-million-rand new pressure-part investment.
Mozambique will start building its new cargo port in two years.
Southern Sun develops a 700-million-rand hotel in northern Johannesburg.
And, the FIFA 2010 World Cup Local Organising Committee will unveil its national ‘Green Goal' soon.

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories please visit engineeringnews.co.za.