South African mines to ramp up as lockdown eases
All of South Africa's open cast mines can resume full production once the country's Covid-19 lockdown period ends on 30 April, while all other mines will operate at 50pc of capacity.
Currently, only those mines supplying coal to state-owned utility Eskom are operating at full capacity because electricity provision is classified as an essential service under the country's regulations aimed at limiting the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Most other mines are operating at a 50pc capacity, unless they have obtained special permission from mining and energy minister Gwede Mantashe to operate at a higher production level.
President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday outlined a phased, risk-adjusted plan for South Africa to restart its economy, which will see a limited number of sectors resume operations next week.
This comes after Ramaphosa announced a wide-ranging R500bn stimulus package on 21 April, along with an extensive range of tax relief measures. Amongst these was a three-month deferral for the filing and first payment of carbon tax liabilities to 31 October 2020.
"Our economic strategy going forward will require a new social compact among all role players — business, labour, community and government — to restructure the economy and achieve inclusive growth," Ramaphosa said when he announced the package.
Finance minister Tito Mboweni will shortly table a revised budget bill to parliament to deal with all the measures that were announced.
"To manage the health risks of this extremely contagious disease, international experience suggests that a phased approach to the normalisation of economic activity is required, Mboweni said.
Very little is known about how comorbidity factors affect infection and mortality rates, and with existing health problems, cramped living conditions and poverty within the South African, caution is warranted, he said.
South Africa has eight million people infected with AIDS and 300,000 tuberculosis sufferers, which increases its population's vulnerability to Covid-19.
But the longer that growth remains weak, the greater the risk that there will be permanent destruction of economic capacity, which in turn will have serious implications for the income streams of households and companies, Mboweni warned.
Next week, only those sectors with a low rate of Covid-19 transmission and high economic or social value will be allowed to resume. All businesses including mines will have to maintain strict health and safety protocols, including disease surveillance, infection prevention and stringent social distancing measures where possible.
Staff will be screened daily for Covid-19 symptoms, including a temperature assessment. All employees will have to wear cloth masks. Employers have to make sanitisers available or hand washing facilities with soap. Workers older than 60 and those with comorbidities will be allowed to work from home or remain on leave with full pay.
Going forward, economic restrictions will be adapted according to infection levels and the health system's readiness, and may need to be relaxed and tightened in different periods, Ramaphosa said.
An alert system has be created with clearly defined levels of restriction, with five being the highest and one being the lowest. The government will impose these as necessary and, where risks begin to emerge, targeted lockdowns may need to be re-imposed
On 1 May, the country will transition from alert level five to alert level four. Under level four, all essential services plus a limited number of sectors will be allowed to resume.
Borders will remain closed for all goods transportation apart from essential items and no international passenger travel will be allowed except for South African nationals returning or foreign nationals being repatriated.
Only when the country's level of alert is scaled down to two, defined by a moderate spread of the virus combined with high readiness of the health system, can all mines resume operating at 100pc of their capacity.
Once the lowest alert level of one is reached, when virus spread becomes low and the health system is in high readiness, can all sectors resume 100pc of operation and interprovincial movement will be allowed again. And only at this level will a 7pm-5am curfew that will apply across the country be lifted. But international travel remains restricted.
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) commended the government's "well thought-out" plan to gradually reopen particular economic sectors, while continuing to mitigate against the pandemic.
To date South Africa has confirmed just under 4,000 Covid-19 cases and 75 deaths. The spread of the virus in the country is expected to peak in September.
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Potential strike threatens Vancouver port again
Potential strike threatens Vancouver port again
Calgary, 13 May (Argus) — A labour dispute at the Canadian port of Vancouver could result in another work stoppage, less than a year after a strike disrupted the flow of more than C$10bn ($7.3bn) worth of goods and commodities ranging from canola and potash to coking coal. Negotiations between the British Columbia Maritime Employers Association (BCMEA) and the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Ship and Dock Foremen Local 514 union have stalled as the two sides try to renew an agreement that expired on 1 April 2023. A 21-day "cooling-off period" concluded on 10 May, giving the union the right to strike and the employers association the right to lock out the workers. A vote and 72-hour notice would first need to occur before either action is taken. The BCMEA filed a formal complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) the same day, which had to step in last year in another dispute. The BCMEA locked horns with ILWU Canada over a separate collective agreement in 2023 leading to a 13-day strike by the union in July. This disrupted the movement of C$10.7bn of goods in and out of Canada, according to the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade. Vancouver's port is the country's largest — about the same size as the next five combined — and describes itself as able to handle the most diversified range of cargo in North America. There are 29 terminals belonging to the Port of Vancouver. Terminals that service container ships endured the most significant congestion during last year's strike. Loadings for potash, sulphur, lumber, wood pellets and pulp, steel-making coal, canola, copper concentrates, zinc and lead concentrate, diesel and renewable diesel liquids and some agri-foods were also disrupted. The Trans Mountain-operated Westridge Marine Terminal responsible for crude oil exports on Canada's west coast was unaffected. A deal was eventually reached on 4 August. The strike spurred on proposed amendments to legislation in Canada that would limit the effect of job action on essential services. A bill introduced in Canada's Parliament in November would update the Canada Labour Code and CIRB Regulations accordingly. The bill has been progressing through the House of Commons, now having completed the second of three readings. By Brett Holmes Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Banks’ 2023 fossil fuel funding rises to $705bn: Study
Banks’ 2023 fossil fuel funding rises to $705bn: Study
London, 13 May (Argus) — Fossil fuel financing by the world's 60 largest banks rose to $705bn in 2023, up by 4.8pc from $673bn in 2022, with the increase largely driven by financing for the LNG sector. This brings the total funding for fossil fuels since the Paris agreement was signed in 2015 to $6.9 trillion. The 15th annual Banking on Climate Chaos (BOCC) report was released on 13 May by a group of non-governmental and civil society organisations including the Rainforest Action Network and Oil Change International, and it analyses the world's 60 largest commercial and investment banks, according to ratings agency Standard and Poor's (S&P). Funding had previously dropped in 2022 to $673bn from $742bn in 2021, but this was because higher profits for oil and gas companies had led to reduced borrowing. JPMorgan Chase was the largest financier of fossil fuels in 2023 at $40.9bn, up from $38.7bn a year earlier, according to the report. It also topped the list for banks providing financing to companies with fossil fuel expansion plans, with its commitments rising to $19.3bn from $17.1bn in 2022. Japanese bank Mizuho was the second-largest financier, increasing funding commitments to $37bn for all fossil fuels, from $35.4bn in 2022. The Bank of America came in third with $33.7bn, although this was a drop from $37.3bn a year earlier. Out of the 60 banks, 27 increased financing for companies with fossil fuel exposure, with the rise driven by funding for the LNG sector — including fracking, import, export, transport and gas-fired power. Developers have rallied support for LNG projects as part of efforts to boost energy security after the Russia-Ukraine war began in 2022, and banks are actively backing this sector, stated the report. "The rise in rankings by Mizuho and the prominence of the other two Japanese megabanks — MUFG [Mitsubishi UFG Financial Group] and SMBC [Sumitomo Mitsui Banking] — is a notable fossil fuel trend for 2023," the report said. Mizuho and MUFG dominated LNG import and export financing, providing $10.9bn and $8.4bn respectively, to companies expanding this sector. Total funding for the LNG methane gas sector in 2023 was $121bn, up from $116bn in 2022. Financing for thermal coal mining increased slightly to $42.2bn, from $39.7bn in 2022. Out of this, 81pc came from Chinese banks, according to the report, while several North American banks have provided funds to this sector, including Bank of America. Some North American banks have also rolled back on climate commitments, according to the report. Bank of America, for example, had previously committed to not directly financing projects involving new or expanded coal-fired power plants or coal mines, but changed its policy in late 2023 to state that such projects would undergo "enhanced due diligence" and senior-level reviews. The report also notes that most banks' coal exclusions only apply to thermal coal and not metallurgical coal. Total borrowing by oil majors such as Eni, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Shell fell by 5.24pc in 2023, with several such as TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil and Hess indicating zero financing for the year. The BOCC report's finance data was sourced from either Bloomberg or the London Stock Exchange between December 2023 and February 2024. UK-based bank Barclays, which ranks ninth on the list with $24.2bn in fossil fuel funding, said that the report does not recognise the classification of some of the data. Its "financed emissions for the energy and power sectors have reduced by 44pc and 26pc respectively, between 2020-23," it said. In response to its increase in financing for gas power, "investment is needed to support existing oil and gas assets, while clean energy is scaled," the bank said. By Prethika Nair Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
India’s NTPC tests 20pc torrefied biomass co-firing
India’s NTPC tests 20pc torrefied biomass co-firing
Singapore, 13 May (Argus) — India's state-owned generator NTPC has demonstrated 20pc torrefied biomass-coal co-firing at a 110MW unit at its Tanda power plant in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. The test was part of NTPC's efforts to expand biomass co-firing across its coal-fired fleet as it aims to lower emissions. Each percentage point of biomass co-firing has the potential to reduce carbon emissions by approximately the same percentage, while also helping in mitigating air pollution caused by direct burning of agricultural waste in farmlands, NTPC said. The generator currently conducts 7-10pc non-torrefied biomass co-firing at NTPC's Dadri power plant, near Delhi. Torrefied biomass was found suitable for higher co-firing percentages without significant system modifications, NTPC said. The torrefied biomass was produced by heating biomass in the absence of oxygen to exhibit characteristics akin to high-quality coal. The gross calorific value and cost of torrefied biomass pellets were currently equivalent to imported coal, it added. Costs could be reduced with the maturity of technology and market in the long run, NTPC said. India's push to cut coal reliance NTPC's efforts are part of India's broader goal of cutting emissions as the country aims to trim reliance on coal in the coming years and attain net zero by 2070. Delhi had initially asked Indian utilities to adopt co-firing of at least 5pc biomass pellets by October 2022. But only a fraction of utilities followed the directives, which eventually prompted the federal power ministry to review the biomass co-firing policy. The ministry amended the policy in June last year and delayed the start date of co-firing, asking all coal-based thermal power plants with bowl mills to use a minimum 5pc blend of biomass pellets made primarily from agricultural residue, with effect from the start of India's 2024-25 fiscal year on 1 April. The threshold would increase to 7pc from the start of 2025-26, the ministry said. Plants with ball and race mills should co-fire the same percentages of torrefied biomass pellets made from agricultural residue during the same time frame, it said. India has surplus biomass supplies of about 230mn t/yr, largely from agricultural residue, the power ministry previously said. NTPC tenders NTPC has awarded biomass supply contracts totalling about 5.2mn t for 20 power plants operated by NTPC, and a joint venture plant. Out of which, it has so far co-fired 316,657t of biomass pellets at 13 NTPC power plants and at the joint venture plant. The generator is setting up biomass pellet plants at various locations to ensure a steady supply of pellets for co-firing. It has set up a 22 t/d non torrefied pellet plant at Lehra Mohabbat, Bhatinda in Punjab state. It is building a 100 t/d torrefied and 100 t/d non-torrefied pellet plant at joint ventureAravali Power's Jhajjar plant. It is also building a 50 t/d non-torrefied pellet plant at the Dadri plant. By Saurabh Chaturvedi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
China, US pledge joint methane action at climate talks
China, US pledge joint methane action at climate talks
San Francisco, 13 May (Argus) — The US and China have pledged to further co-operate on methane reduction, among other topics, following a first meeting between the countries' new climate envoys in Washington during 8-9 May. The meeting follows video conferencing between the two sides in January under their "working group on enhancing climate action in the 2020s" initiative. China and the US reaffirmed their 2021 agreement to co-operate on reducing carbon emissions in the power generation sector, cutting methane emissions and boosting renewable energy in the " Sunnylands Statement on Enhancing Cooperation to Address the Climate Crisis " last November in San Francisco. China confirmed the appointment of Liu Zhenmin to replace Xie Zhenhua as the country's climate advsior in January. Liu's US counterpart John Podesta replaced John Kerry in January. Liu and Podesta discussed co-operation "on multilateral issues related to promoting a successful COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan" at the latest talks, the US state department said on 10 May. They also discussed issues identified in the Sunnylands statement, including energy transition, methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases, the circular economy and resource efficiency, deforestation,as well as low-carbon and sustainable provinces, states and cities. They plan to co-host a second event on reducing methane and other non-CO2 greenhouse gases in Baku and "conduct capacity building on deploying abatement technologies". It remains to be seen how the two new climate advisors will bring the two countries closer in climate negotiations. The Sunnylands statement and the close relationship of their predecessors were instrumental in bringing consensus at last year's Cop 28 UN climate summit in Dubai. China released a much anticipated methane plan last November, although Xie has flagged challenges with data monitoring in the sector. But China and the US have agreed to develop and improve monitoring to "achieve significant methane emissions control and reductions in the 2020s". China has also not signed on to the Global Methane Pledge to cut methane emissions by 30pc by 2030, from 2020 levels. The country's emissions may also rise more than expected after it redefined its meaning of energy intensity, according to the Helsinki-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2024. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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