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Infrastructure News

Concrete solutions for rural roads

5th June 2020 With poor rural gravel roads causing horrific accidents, technical service provider The Concrete Institute (TCI) MD Bryan Perrie says there is substantial scope for more low-volume concrete roads to increase road safety in South Africa. →

Company welcomes relaxed lockdown regulations

By: Simone Liedtke 5th June 2020 Construction materials company AfriSam has welcomed the first steps in relaxing South Africa’s national Covid-19 lockdown, and looks forward to Level 3, which was earmarked to start at the beginning of this month. The relaxed regulations now allow for critical supplies of cement and construction... →

AfriSam’s Richard Tomes discusses South Africa’s lockdown regulations and the measures AfriSam has taken in response

Accelerated renewables roll-out ‘one of the few substantial recovery opportunities’ open to South Africa

By: Terence Creamer 4th June 2020 The South African government is being urged to accelerate the implementation of its renewable-energy-heavy Integrated Resource Plan 2019 (IRP 2019) as part of the country’s post-Covid-19 economic recovery package. Meridian Economics MD Dr Grové Steyn, who is currently modelling the economic... →

Rolls-Royce to help develop nuclear fusion energy in the UK

By: Rebecca Campbell 4th June 2020 UK-based industrial technology group Rolls-Royce has been awarded a four-year full-service engineering design framework contract by the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA). The contract means that Rolls-Royce will help deliver multi-disciplinary projects for the UKAEA. The company will provide... →

Placing green stimulus at heart of South Africa’s postpandemic recovery would yield big co-benefits

By: Terence Creamer 4th June 2020 South Africa’s medium-term response to the Covid-19 pandemic provides a unique opportunity to reset the country’s unsustainable development pathway by fostering a “green recovery” that improves electricity and water security and creates jobs, Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies senior economist... →

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair

Scopa wants public works to stop paying for 'absolute mess' of a fence at Beitbridge border

By: News24Wire 4th June 2020 Parliament's public finance watchdog supports the directive from law enforcement agencies that the Department of Public Works pays no further money on the "absolute mess" of a fence at the Beitbridge border until all investigations are completed. →

Responsible sourcing of critical minerals in focus as energy transition drives up demand

By: Terence Creamer 3rd June 2020 The accelerating pace and scale of the global clean-energy transition is poised to dramatically increase demand for critical energy minerals and metals, from aluminium to zirconium, with implications not only for the resources sector, but for geopolitics. The future energy system will be far more... →

WBHO considers indicative proposal for Probuild subsidiary

By: Marleny Arnoldi 3rd June 2020 JSE-listed construction group Wilson Bayly Holmes-Ovcon (WBHO) has received an indicative proposal from a major international construction company to acquire the company’s 88% interest in Australian construction subsidiary Probuild. WBHO on June 3 stated that it, from time-to-time, received... →

CCBSA installs new ceramic water filtration system at its Polokwane plant

By: Simone Liedtke 2nd June 2020 Coca-Cola Beverages South Africa (CCBSA) has successfully installed a new ceramic water filtration system at its Polokwane bottling plant. It expects the system to deliver almost R2.6-million in water savings a year. →

Creecy has had no formal communication on possible exclusion of FGD at Medupi

By: Creamer Media Reporter 2nd June 2020 Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy reports that she has had no formal communication from Eskom with regards to it potentially not installing flue-gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems at the Medupi power station in line with a previous commitment to do so. FGD technologies... →

Photo by Creamer Media
Environment, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Barbara Creecy

Replacing world’s costliest 500 GW of coal with solar and wind would shave $23bn off system costs

By: Terence Creamer 2nd June 2020 Replacing the costliest 500 GW of coal with solar photovoltaic and onshore wind would cut power system costs by up to $23-billion a year and reduce annual carbon dioxide emissions by around 1.8 gigatons, equivalent to 5% of total global CO2 emissions in 2019, a new report shows. The study also... →

New Africa-focused IPP venture emerges following buy-out

By: Terence Creamer 1st June 2020 A new Africa-focused renewables independent power producer (IPP) has been formed following a buy-out of Building Energy’s Africa and Middle East business by a joint venture comprising Building Energy’s management and Inspired Evolution’s Evolution II Fund. Rebranded Red Rocket and headquartered... →

10MW solar plant in Tororo, Uganda

Grinaker-LTA predicts construction woes will pass, emerging sectors will shore up industry

By: Schalk Burger 1st June 2020 Although the construction industry is experiencing serious headwinds as a result of stagnant growth, low business confidence, a lack of investment and, most recently, the impact of Covid-19-related restrictions, construction multinational Grinaker-LTA says there will always be a need for the... →

Stefanutti starts implementing restructuring plan, expects 610c loss

By: Marleny Arnoldi 29th May 2020 JSE-listed construction and engineering group Stefanutti Stocks has announced that a restructuring plan for the company has been completed and approved by its board, including having regard to the potential impact of Covid-19. The company appointed a strategic restructuring team in November to... →

Protocol to ensure safety on construction sites

By: Donna Slater 29th May 2020 The Construction Management Foundation (CMF) welcomes President Cyril Ramaphosa’s reopening of all construction and infrastructure works under Alert Level 3 on the Risk Adjusted Strategy that will commence on June 1 as a positive step in helping to reinvigorate the construction sector. The... →

MBA North calls on all stakeholders to reach force majeure consensus

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 As the construction industry gears up to return to work when the national Covid-19 lockdown moves to Alert Level 3, industry stakeholders need to come together to reach consensus on a number of contentious issues, says MBA North president and Gothic Construction director Wayne Albertyn. “A key... →

Construction industry operating at 10% to 15% of capacity – economist

By: Irma Venter 29th May 2020 Despite certain sections of the construction industry returning to work under Alert Level 4 of the national lockdown, the industry is currently working at only between 10% and 15% of its capacity, says Industry Insight senior economist David Metelerkamp. Construction on public projects, such as... →

Health and safety burden shifts onto firms as Level 3 opens way for big resumption of economic activity

By: Terence Creamer 28th May 2020 The nationwide transition from lockdown Level 4 to Level 3 on June 1 would facilitate the return-to-work of almost eight-million more South Africans than had hitherto been allowed to do so, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Thursday. He cautioned, however, that the... →

Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Ebrahim Patel

Sanral seeks go-ahead to move to ‘non-paper-based’ tender process

By: Irma Venter 28th May 2020 The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) is awaiting permission to move to an online tender system, says Sanral Eastern Region regional manager Dumi Nkabinde. Seventy tenders are currently undergoing compliance checks at Sanral, while 132 are under evaluation. The number of... →

Ramaphosa to host inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium

By: Simone Liedtke 28th May 2020 President Cyril Ramaphosa will on June 23 host the inaugural Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium of South Africa to unveil an infrastructure project pipeline from six priority sectors. The Sidssa itself is a culmination of a meeting convened by the President in February this year,... →

President Cyril Ramaphosa

South Africa plans $20.5bn of public works to spur economy - ANC official

By: Reuters 28th May 2020 South Africa is planning projects worth $20.5-billion in sectors such as transport, energy and water as it looks to drive an economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis, a top official in the governing African National Congress (ANC) said on Wednesday. Paul Mashatile, the ANC's treasurer... →

Wind energy market set new installation record in 2019 with 63 GW added

By: Donna Slater 27th May 2020 According to its second edition of its annual 'Supply Side Analysis 2019' report, the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) reports that in 2019 a new supply side record, in terms of capacity for the wind energy industry, was set, with 22 893 wind turbines being installed internationally. These wind... →

Pandemic-induced slump in global energy investment risks locking in obsolete technologies

By: Terence Creamer 27th May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has set in motion the largest drop in global energy investment in history, with spending expected to plunge by $400-billion in 2020, a new International Energy Agency (IEA) report shows. Describing the slump as “unparalleled” and “staggering” in both scale and swiftness, the... →

IEA executive director Dr Fatih Birol

Bid documents for 2 000-MW emergency power being finalised after Nersa concurrence ‘milestone’

By: Terence Creamer 26th May 2020 The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) confirmed on Tuesday that the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (Nersa) had concurred with a Ministerial determination submitted to the regulator in February for the procurement of 2 000 MW of emergency electricity from independent... →

IPP Office working on scheme to procure 128 MW of additional energy from existing wind and solar farms

Transnet reports recovery in some units, but still expects big Covid-19 revenue hit

By: Terence Creamer 26th May 2020 State-owned freight logistics group Transnet reports that there has been a recovery in some of its operations since the easing of lockdown restrictions and is increasing tending towards an “optimistic” recovery scenario for many of its units – a scenario that assumes a ramp-up to full operations... →

Cape Town proposes national renewables procurement scheme for municipalities as it pushes ahead with IPP legal case

By: Terence Creamer 26th May 2020 The City of Cape Town is proposing the creation of a nationally coordinated renewable-energy procurement programme through which municipalities are empowered to procure electricity from independent power producers (IPPs). The City has adopted this position notwithstanding its long-running legal... →

AfCFTA to be continent’s main post-pandemic ‘stimulus’ lever

By: Terence Creamer 25th May 2020 The African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) represents the only realistic stimulus option available to resource-constrained African governments for reigniting growth in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, AfCFTA secretary-general Wamkele Mene avers. The global response to the virus had... →

AfCFTA secretary-general Wamkele Mene on the impact of Covid-19 on the trade agreement and its role in reigniting growth across the continent. Camera Work: Kutlwano Matala. Editing: Nicholas Boyd.

Alert Level 3 might save teetering construction companies

By: Donna Slater 25th May 2020 Construction companies that are on the verge of collapse after having shuttered operations during Alert Level 4 and 5 of the national Covid-19 lockdown might now be saved with a move to Alert Level 3 when construction is permitted to resume, says Construction Covid-19 Rapid Response Task Team... →

Lesedi appoints new nonexecutive director

By: Donna Slater 25th May 2020 Engineering procurement and construction company Lesedi has appointed Makole Mupita as a new nonexecutive director to its board. Mupita is a chartered accountant with more than 20 years of professional experience within the financial services sector. →

Alert Level 3 to bring relief for construction industry

By: Donna Slater 25th May 2020 KwaZulu-Natal-based construction industry representative organisation Master Builders Association KwaZulu-Natal (MBA-KZN) reports that the move to Alert Level 3 of the national Covid-19 lockdown on June 1, will bring much-needed relief for the construction industry. The move will result in the... →

NHBRC submits Covid-19 guidelines for public comment

By: Donna Slater 25th May 2020 Housing regulator, the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC), has issued guidelines to deal with the management of Covid-19 in residential construction sites, for public comment. This is part of the regulator’s efforts to ensure the spread of the virus is contained and to protect... →

AMCU calls for testing of all employees at affiliated workplaces

By: Donna Slater 25th May 2020 The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) has again called on employers to test all employees for Covid-19 as the pandemic continues to spread across South Africa. AMCU notes that while it has consistently called for the testing of all workers, the official stance of... →

Work resumes on N2 Msikaba bridge project

By: Irma Venter 25th May 2020 Work has started on the foundations for the Msikaba bridge being constructed by Concor Infrastructure, in joint venture (JV) with Mota-Engil Construction South Africa (MECSA). The R1.65-billion contract is poised to deliver the longest cable-stayed bridge in Africa. →

Aerial view of the south side of the Msikaba project

Covid-19 workplace protocols must become ‘second nature’ for any further lockdown easing

By: Terence Creamer 25th May 2020 Organised business has called for domestic firms to take steps to ensure that their workplaces are Covid-19-ready in light of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s May 24 announcement that the country would transition from lockdown Level 4 to Level 3 from June 1, a move that will result in many more South... →

Photo by Creamer Media's Donna Slater
Busa president Sipho Pityana

Covid-19 highlights challenges, opportunities in South Africa's water sector

By: Simone Liedtke 22nd May 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic has magnified the deficits in the water and sanitation sectors in South Africa, Water Research Commission (WRC) CEO Dr Dhesigan Naidoo said during a webinar on May 22. He added that the pandemic had also highlighted some of the opportunities in these sectors. →

Why a giant hydropower dam in Africa worries the US, China

By: Bloomberg 22nd May 2020 China and the United Nations backed calls for Ethiopia to resume talks over its plan to begin filling a giant hydropower dam that is opposed by Egypt. Ethiopia wants to flood the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam when the next rainy season begins in July. Egypt insists on having a say in how... →

MBA North calls for engagement around lockdown regulations

By: Irma Venter 22nd May 2020 The Master Builders Association (MBA) North is calling on government to “proactively engage” with the construction industry to firm up the lockdown regulations relating to the industry as quickly as possible. MBA North executive director Mohau Mphomela says that certainty will help the industry... →

Topics In These Articles

Africa Business Container Financial Freight Logistics Ports Power rail System Transnet Health Manufacturing supply-chain Technology Coal Energy Gas Generators Projects Renewable Energy Resources SECURITY Solar Storage transport Construction Housing Rental Sustainable ... more

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