Member News

“GreenCape Market Intelligence Reports widely consulted resources”

Leading green economy sector development agency GreenCape is joining forces with the long-running power and energy event platform, African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa, on 25 June to discuss the latest investment opportunities in key sectors of the green economy. GreenCape’s annual Market Intelligence Reports (MIRs) include updated investment opportunities and highlight the relevant legislation context and potential market barriers and risks, specifically focusing on Energy Services, Utility Scale Renewable Energy, Electric Vehicles, Waste, Water and Sustainable Agriculture.

The upcoming GreenCape webinar session is in collaboration with African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa Conference 2020, in partnership with Invest Cape Town, with MIR development support from the Western Cape Government’s Departments of Economic Development and Tourism (DEDAT) and Agriculture (DoA).

The live webinar entitled “Investing in a Green Economic Recovery: Insights from GreenCape’s 2020 Market intelligence Reports” will gather GreenCape industry experts to discuss in more depth the results of the recently released reports. It will take place on the ESI Africa multi-media platform on Thursday, 25 June 2020 at 15.30 SAST (13.30 GMT). Registration is free and attendees will be able to ask the panelists questions. Click here to register.

The webinar panel will comprise:

Moderator: Mike Mulcahy, CEO, GreenCape

· Jack Radmore: Energy Programme Manager, GreenCape 
· Claire Pengelly: Water and Sustainable Agriculture Programme Manager, GreenCape
· Saliem Haider, Circular Economy Propgramme Manager, GreenCape

GreenCape MIRs widely consulted
“Investment aimed at growing the green economy ensures the sustainability of future economic opportunities. It also creates jobs now, which remains a strategic priority for the Western Cape Government, especially at this time, when economic recovery is a critical focus,” says Minister David Maynier, Western Cape Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities. “The GreenCape Market Intelligence Reports are widely consulted resources referenced by local and global stakeholders who are making green economy investment decisions,” he added.

The following investment opportunities have been highlighted in the GreenCape Market Intelligent Reports in each of the key green economy sectors for 2020:

1. Energy Services
In response to changing demands, energy service providers are broadening their market offerings. The South African energy services market holds opportunities for equipment suppliers, project developers, technical advisors, and financial investors.

“There are three emerging opportunities for investors in the embedded generation market, namely a) rooftop PV system bundling with standardised contracting models; b) solar PV for energy resellers; and c) operations and maintenance-only contracts,” said Reshmi Wolvers, GreenCape Energy Analyst. “Within the energy storage market, there is an emerging opportunity for behind-the-meter battery storage. The energy efficiency market has emerging opportunities related to energy efficiency as a service, and the retrofitting of South Africa’s large stock of existing buildings,” she added.

2. Utility Scale Renewable Energy
“Accounting for nearly 9% of installed capacity, the South African utility scale renewable energy sector is showing growth and potential with over 3.9 GW of utility scale projects already connected and operational,” said Mandisa Mkhize, GreenCape RE Sector Desk.

The latest Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2019 allocations indicate 14 400 MW for wind, 6 000 MW for Solar Photovoltaic (PV) and a minimum of 4 000 MW of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) to be procured by 2030, which has the potential of attracting in excess of R420 billion in the next 12 years.

Further market opportunities include an increase in local manufacturing potential in South Africa (wind energy [blade and tower] manufacturing, local PV panel manufacturing & local battery manufacturing); Utility scale batteries development and deployment; Municipalities exploring the option to procure directly from IPPs; Renewal and reissuing of Operations and Maintenance contracts of REIPPPP Bid Windows 1-4 projects; Refinancing of REIPPPP Bid Windows 1-4 projects.

3. Electric Vehicles
While South Africa (SA) has not yet joined the ranks of countries experiencing a steep rise in EV uptake, it is likely that this will change as battery prices continue to fall. The emerging opportunities remain largely in the manufacturing of electric buses, passenger vehicles and lithium ion batteries.

4. Waste
“The South African waste economy continues to see a growing interest in the uptake of alternative waste treatment solutions and associated value chains. This has resulted in continued and increasing diversion of waste from landfill, both within the Western Cape, and the rest of South Africa. This is likely to accelerate in the next three to five years,” according to Sam Smout, GreenCape’s Waste Sector Desk. “Opportunities within the organic, e-waste, plastics and builders’ rubble sectors have the potential to add between R661.3 and R1 086.4 billion in value to the economy per year.”

5. Water
“Water scarcity has been a key driver for investment in the Western Cape water sector due to severe drought conditions and expected longer-term water constraints in the region,” said Raldo Kruger, GreenCape Water Sector Analyst.

“This year however, we see a shift towards longer-term investment opportunities to improve water security and resilience, as key enablers of economic development.”

“Specifically, the report focuses on insights and opportunities relating to two key urban water markets in South Africa, namely the industrial market and the municipal market,” said Ashton Mpofu, GreenCape Water Sector Analyst.

6. Sustainable Agriculture
There are emerging investment opportunities in: remote sensing technologies for precision agriculture applications (driven specifically to improve water efficiency and climate adaptation); undercover farming, which includes low-tech infrastructure such as shade netting and higher-tech controlled environment agriculture systems; and well-established investment opportunities in renewable energy and conservation agriculture. This MIR is developed in partnership with the Western Cape Provincial Government Department of Agriculture.

Leading event
Recently, African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa hosted a very successful virtual event from 11-15 May 2020 with 11 free, interactive webinars after the 20th edition of the conference and exhibition was postponed to 24-26 November at the CTICC in Cape Town. It is a multi-award-winning and the leading conference and trade exhibition for African power, energy and water professionals. The event brings together over 10 000 decision makers from over 90 countries, including 35 African countries, to source the latest solutions and meet over 350 suppliers. Along with multiple side events and numerous networking functions, the event also boasts a CPD-accredited strategic conference and technical presentations with over 300 expert speakers.

About the organisers
African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Clarion Events Africa, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure and mining sectors. Other well-known events by Clarion Events on the continent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Nigeria Mining Week, DRC Mining Week and Africa Mining Forum. Clarion Events Africa is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa forms part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events’ largest portfolios.

ESI Africa – Africa’s leading power and energy journal – is positioned as an impartial industry mouthpiece, delivering the latest technical developments, breaking news and analysis in both print and digital formats.

Media contact:
Clarion Events Africa
Senior communications manager:  Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone:  +27 21 7003500
Email:  annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com

DRC mining in post-COVID: “Survival of the fittest”

While some mining operations in the DRC have been able to continue production despite COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, experts agree that the country’s mining industry faces a tough post-pandemic period, although this also provides opportunities for investors.

Several DRC mining industry pioneers have shared valuable, up-to-date insights and reports from mines on the ground, during the first of a series of live webinars focusing on mining in the DRC on Mining Review Africa, entitled: Post-COVID-19: A brave new world for the DRC.

Panellists:
– Boris Kamstra, Director, Pangea Exploration and Alphamin Resources
– Louison Kiyombo, Partner, Tax and Legal, KPMG DRC
– Amedeo Anniciello, CEO, Standard Bank DRC 
– Louis Watum, MD DRC Operations, Ivanhoe Mines DRC and President of DRC Chamber of Mines

Moderators:
– Laura Cornish, Editor-in-Chief, Mining Review Africa
– Elodie Delagneau, Event Manager, DRC Mining Week

“Come to Kamoa”
“I need to commend the entire mining industry in the DRC which has shown unprecedented solidarity to government and local communities during this pandemic” said Louis Watum, President of the DRC’s Chamber of Mines and Ivanhoe Mines’ MD of DRC Operations. “We see in the DRC mining operators coming together and contributing in all sorts of ways, including taking extraordinary measures to keep operations going under a strict lockdown configuration and protecting the health of their employees and not retrenching people as the government has asked.”

He said the company was making good progress on its Kamoa-Kakula Copper Project in the Kolwezi district: “if you want to see a real brave new world, come to Kamoa. As I’m speaking, we have 4500 workers working under strict lockdown, they have not seen their families for weeks and they are working underground and on the surface. They are pushing for Kamoa to get into production and tell a great story next year. We are still on target, we showed a lot of resilience and courage, so it is very good for the country and the economy and all the stakeholders.”

Remote location an asset
Alphamin Resources and Pangea director Boris Kamstra also lauded the staff of the Alphamin Bisie tin mine in North Kivu that was still fully operational, although he admitted that the remote location was a benefit to the operation during the pandemic.

“Being isolated and not having large numbers of people around us, does give us a degree of immunisation. Now, naturally we do have to have people moving in and out. One of the most difficult areas has been the movement of expatriate labourers. So, we’ve got a team onsite – we were firmly believers in their superhuman abilities before this event – and they have now proven how much they are actually able to keep it going. Some of these guys have been there over two months and are overdue for a rotation, yet they continue to produce at our budgeted level.”

However, Louison Kiyombo, Partner in Tax and Legal at KPMG DRC warned that the country’s mining sector, at 20% the largest contributing sector to the state coffers, was already hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic. “A decrease in exports means a decrease in tax collection. When mining companies are obliged to cut costs it may end in job losses. We are seeing several SMEs pushed to postpone and even to close their operations which is dramatic to the employment and tax revenues.”

New mining code
While Amedeo Anniciello, CEO of Standard Bank DRC agrees that exports have slowed down, he said that COVID had not been the only factor to negatively impact the country’s mining industry.

“One is the impact of the imports of raw materials from China and the extent to which the Chinese economy has slowed down. That seems to have had less of an impact that we had originally anticipated. The consequence of which is that the mining companies continue to produce and export the copper and cobalt.”

He added: “so while we have seen some of the prices come down, we believe that the prices have stabilised at the lower end and we’ll start to see some recovery as China starts their recovery. I don’t think that there has been a huge impact on the mining industry in terms of COVID alone. I think there have been a number of other issues that have also impacted the mining industry, one of which was the new mining code last year and some of the mines have been trying to get to grips with what it means and how it will impact them.”

Ambassadors for the DRC
In response to a viewer question during the webinar regarding the DRC being viewed as a very risky mining destination, Alphamin’s Boris Kamstra also mentioned the new mining code and the negative effect it had on investor confidence. “I think what is very important is that the government understands that we have to be ambassadors for the DRC, and in our instance, for North Kivu, long before we can even talk to people about our specific projects. When the previous mining code with its stability clause, which gave investors a degree of comfort, was changed, we were put on the back foot. We stand together with the government, it is in our interest that the DRC flourishes and runs very smoothly. So this goes back to a greater need for a partnership and a great degree of trust amongst us.”

During the discussion, Louis Watum, who describes himself as “a DRC mineral resources fundamentalist” agreed that the government had some work to do to inspire more confidence: “I must say it takes two to tango, the DRC needs to come to the party as well. There is a strong appetite amongst investors looking for new ground for exploration in particular and also in beneficiation in country, adding value, because there is a big market for that. We can never say it enough, but we need to root out corruption in the Congo, we need more transparency in the Congo, particularly for getting permits for exploration and so forth. We need stability and certainty of regulatory framework. All these are must-haves if you want to attract big investors and really create wealth. So yes, the appetite is there, but the DRC needs to make it attractive for investors.”

Increase in M&A post-COVID
The webinar panel agreed that it was difficult to predict when the pandemic would be over and when all mining operations could resume. “What does this mean for the mining industry?” Louis Watum asked, “I think it is going to be the survival of the fittest post-COVID-19. And who is going to be the fittest? It is those that are well-funded, with deep pockets, with less debt and with very strong management. These are the ones who will survive this challenge. I therefore see an increase in M&A activities post-COVID-19, where the big players with a lot of cash and experience will be shopping around for opportunities that have lost a lot of value and have become affordable.”

Pangea’s Boris Kamstra admitted that they “had their radars out and were scratching around” for opportunities. He added: ”we are great bulls on the DRC and believe wholeheartedly in its potential and are reviewing a number of possible investments that we could make. There are people with some severely stressed balance sheets. I think if you are an explorer or a developing project and you are not fully funded at this point I think in post-COVID-19 it is going to be quite hard to acquire that capital and those would be the kind of opportunities that we look at.”

The full recording of the webinar can be viewed here:

This webinar was the first in a series of topical webinars on mining and investing in the DRC that is taking place in the run-up to the 16th edition of the DRC Mining Week expo and conference that is taking place in Lubumbashi from 7-9 October 2020. The event was due to take place from 17-19 June but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event organisers are also hosting a free, digital conference during the original event dates in June.

The upcoming webinar topics are:

– 9 June: Formalising artisinal mining in the DRC
– 9 July: Counting on copper: Renewable energy and EV boom drive demand
– 26 August: How to exploit the DRC’s commodities other than its strategic metals (cobalt, coltan)
– 30 September: Harnessing hydropower in the DRC

To register for these webinars click here.

– 17-19 June: Digital conference –view programme

Industry and institutional support
DRC Mining Week takes place in Lubumbashi, with the support of the Ministry of Mines, the Federation of Congolese Enterprises (FEC) and other strategic partners, and in October the event is expected to once again gather about 5000 local and international mining stakeholders and influencers in the public and private sector doing business in the DRC. South Africa, Germany and Zimbabwe will be amongst at least six international pavilions along with the more than 230 sponsors and exhibitors, including two diamond plus sponsors for 2020, namely Standard Bank and Orange as well as Kamoto Copper Company and Vodacom who are diamond sponsors.

The event will also feature a heavy machinery section and seven conference tracks. 100+ mining houses and operators will be represented.

DRC Mining Week is organised by Clarion Events Africa, a leading Cape Town-based and multi-award winning organiser of exhibitions and conferences across the continent in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors. Other well-known events by Clarion Events Africa include African Utility Week & POWERGEN Africa, Africa Mining Forum, Nigeria Mining Week, Future Energy East Africa and Future Energy Nigeria. The company is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group.

DRC Mining Week dates and location:
Webinar series (online): 20 May-30 Sep 2020
Digital conference (online): 17-19 June 2020
Keynote opening session: 7 October 2020
Expo and conference: 7-9 October 2020
Location: The Pullman Grand Karavia Hotel, Lubumbashi, DRC

Website: http://www.drcminingweek.com
Twitter:  https://twitter.com/drcminingweek
Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/DRC-Mining-Week-156193451406496/
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4922857

Media contact:
Senior communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Office: +27 21 700 3558
Email: annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com

Strong water and hydro focus at African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa

This year’s theme for World Water Day on 22 March is “Water and Climate Change”, exploring how the resource and the global phenomenon are linked inextricably. “It isn’t just about managing our water sources so everyone has access to clean drinking water, it is also about husbanding the resource so we can keep on using it as an energy source,” says Theresa Smith, conference producer of the upcoming Small Scale Hydro Day at African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.

She adds: “people across Africa often baulk at the creation of large scale hydro projects because they can have a negative effect on the downstream ecosystem. Small scale hydro projects, more often than not though, are installed in smaller rivers or streams with a much lesser to negligible environmental impact.”

World Water Day, a UN initiative, is celebrated on 22 March every year and focuses on the importance of water in global society.

Gathering water and hydro experts
Water and hydropower are always key topics and discussion points at the annual African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa in Cape Town, which has been moved from 12-14 May 2020 to 24-26 November 2020 due to the Coronavirus. The conference will bring together experts from public and private sectors, project developers, investors and technology providers.

The 3-day water conference will focus on “Shaping a Water Secure Future: Meeting our Universal Water Sustainable Development Goals”.

But it is the current excitement about small scale hydro in the renewable generation sector that has also led to the event organisers putting together an entire day dedicated to its potential, current success stories, innovations, advances in hydro-powered mini-grids and a very practical guide to developing a small hydro plant.

Says Theresa Smith: “Why devote an entire day to small scale hydro? Setting up a small scale hydro-powered plant is not an exercise predicated on creating massive engineering projects, which are prone to budget and time overruns and they are mostly considered as low risk in terms of technology failures. These particular projects are backed by private finance, this is where the quick wins exist.”

Speakers, moderators and panelists on the Small Scale Hydro Day programme will include:

• Anton-Louis Olivier, MD, REH Group, Board Member for Africa of the International Hydropower Association and award-winning project developer:
  “There is a marked increase in the urgency of decarbonising the global power sector. More and more banks and investors have stopped financing coal and in some cases all fossil fuels for power projects. There is also a recognition that this decarbonised power sector needs hydropower as well. Not just large hydro, but also pumped storage hydro and small hydro. In Africa the hydropower resource is still largely under developed, which means that there are still lots of technically good sites available. This is therefore a golden opportunity for the development of sustainable hydropower in Africa.”
• Wim Jonker Klunne, renewable expert, hydropower pioneer and founder of Hydro4Africa will chair the Small Scale Hydro Day:
  “During the last year or so, I clearly see increasing interest from the investor community in the smaller scale projects. There seems to be an understanding that small scale, locally embedded projects can be of interest as well. There is a need for patient capital that is willing to be invested for a long time before returns can be expected. Recently I see more and more investors willing to look into this. They are very aware of the long tenure required, but willing to go that route as they clearly see the associated impacts at local level.”
• Sebastian Surie, Regional Head Africa, Climate Fund Managers, South Africa:
  “Only do hydro if you really have a track record; it is a complex technology and investors will be looking at the developer’s experience. When a project is too small you will be looking at 100% equity solutions, which are not always readily available; consider aggregating small projects to attract traditional project financing, though realize that this is challenging. Whatever the size, each project typically requires the same amount of work.”
• Carole Rosenlund, Head of Africa at the International Centre for Hydropower, Norway:
  “Africa’s hydropower sector has already felt the effects of climate change through the recent heavy rains and droughts witnessed across the region. Droughts affected water availability and flow volumes thereby reducing generation capacity, affecting energy planning and resulting in power outages and load shedding. For us to harness hydropower’s full potential, we need to be bold and dare to explore innovative technologies that tackle new and existing challenges.”
• Andy Eaton, Head of Sales Africa, Latin America & Oceania for Gilkes Hydro:
  “The untapped potential in Africa for small hydro is massive and the need is great for small scale off grid development for rural communities. Developers and lenders need to continue to work closely together. The GET FiT Programmes in Zambia and Uganda are providing guaranteed Tariffs for Renewable Power Development, which assists the governments in the implementation of its renewable energy feed in tariff, which will help to open up the market for small hydro schemes.”
• Bo Barta, researcher and promoter of small scale hydropower:
  “I am very optimistic about renewable energy technologies’ suitability to be adopted on the African continent generally, specifically for Southern Africa, in a combination of intermittent wind and solar with the baseline and storage providing hydropower. However, the fair balance between the development of the intermittent and base-line resources has to be observed.”

Read the full interviews with these expert speakers on the event website here: https://www.african-utility-week.com/expert-interviews/

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will now run from 24-26 November 2020, CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Following the South African Government’s announcement of a national state of disaster and subsequent ban on public gatherings of over 100 people, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Clarion Events Africa (formerly Spintelligent) is rescheduling African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa. The event, which was due to take place from 12-14 May, will now run from 24 – 26 November 2020. The venue – CTICC in Cape Town, South Africa – remains unchanged.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa attracts over 10,000 people from more than 90 countries and is the largest energy show in Africa. 2020 marks its 20th anniversary.

“The health and safety of our exhibitors, visitors, employees and the wider public is of paramount importance to us,” said managing director David Ashdown.

“Following the Government’s announcement, we have worked with industry to reschedule African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa to November, in order to minimise potential health risks to those connected to the event.

“It is expected that the current challenges presented by the Coronavirus will slow down significantly within the next few months, which means the new November date for African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa will allow us to deliver the most meaningful event in terms of maximising ROI for our exhibitors and excellent content and experiences for our visitors.

“The power sector in South Africa is facing incredibly challenging times. By committing to running the event this year, Clarion Events Africa can continue to drive energy security on the continent, support the local industry and provide business-critical market opportunities to support our exhibitors’ future prosperity.”

A spokesperson for South Africa’s national power utility, Eskom, said: “Eskom recognises the role that this event plays in addressing the challenges facing the provision of electricity on the continent. We recognise that COVID-19 presents unprecedented challenges and are glad that a solution has been found to allow the event to continue this year. We look forward to welcoming energy stakeholders from around the world to Cape Town in November 2020.” Eskom is also the Host Utility of African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.

About Clarion Energy
African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is organised by Clarion Energy, which is part of Clarion Events, and with over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, is one of the group’s largest portfolios.

Websites:
www.african-utility-week.com
www.powergenafrica.com
www.clarion-energy.com
https://clarionevents.com

Clarion Events Africa’s Media division is thriving

“Clarion Events Africa’s trade publications are not only surviving, but thriving, because we have managed to reinvent the medium by embracing digital and key event partnerships to have a 360⁰ live visibility and accessibility.” This is according to Ross Hastie, Group Director Media at Clarion Events Africa, for many years trading as Spintelligent. The company is also known for its multi-award winning B2B conferences and exhibitions across the continent.

“While many media houses are struggling to keep traditional publishing business models viable, we differentiate ourselves by being part of the industry, not outsiders looking in. It’s content by the industry, for the industries we serve – energy, power and mining.

“As publishers, we have the unique opportunity to distribute content to the audiences attending our events – to have an entire industry community under one roof is a marketer’s dream.

“Conversations don’t stop at the end of an event. We’re able to continue the engagement for the other 362 days of the year. This way we offer a seamlessly connected and holistic solution to clients by offering webinars, videos, interviews and social media campaigns along with the flagship print publications.

A major part of our value proposition is to give our clients and partners access to Clarion’s truly global network of expertise. Regional event content teams around the world work with our media brands  namely ESI Africa, Smart Energy International, Mining Review Africa and Power Engineering International as well as annual journals such as Global Energy Elites and Mining Elites.

This enables us, while retaining local expertise, to harness the influence and competence of Clarion’s worldwide reach.”

Engagement statistics for Mining Review Africa, ESI Africa and Smart Energy International:

– The total social media audience has increased by 130% to over 100 000 followers. Mining Review Africa has a LinkedIn following of 22 000.

– In 2019 our video content was viewed over 83 000 times for a total of 2645 hours. ESI Africa had 29 000 YouTube views.

– A combined global online audience of over 1.8 million. The Smart Energy International audience has increased by almost 500%.

– Power Engineering International was acquired recently and the audience in January doubled compared to August last year, when it changed ownership.

Clarion Events Africa
Clarion Events Africa, formerly trading as Spintelligent, is a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the infrastructure, energy and mining sectors. Well-known events include African Utility Week, POWERGEN Africa, Future Energy East Africa, Nigeria Mining Week, Africa Mining Forum and DRC Mining Week. Clarion Events Africa is also part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group’s Clarion Energy Series, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of the group’s largest portfolios.

Clarion Events Ltd is one of the world’s leading event organisers; headquartered in the UK, with offices in continental Europe, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, APAC and North America. At the recent Association of Event Organisers (AEO) Excellence Awards, Clarion Events was recognised as the most influential company over the past 25 years.

Websites:
https://www.esi-africa.com/
https://www.miningreview.com/
https://www.smart-energy.com/
https://www.powerengineeringint.com/