Botala Energy , a BSE listed Ausie energy development company has clinched a 4MW Solar Power Plant tender in its Serowe Energy Hub named Project Phuthi. Botala announced recently that it has entered into a binding power purchase agreement (PPA) in respect of Project Phuthi with Botswana Power Corporation , the state owned power utility company. Botala, as Project Leader and 49% owner, will construct and operate the power facility. Other owners are Botswana-based:• Ngwato
ASX-listed Lucapa Diamond Company has recovered its fifth diamond weighing more than 100 carats this year at its joint venture Lulo mine in Angola. The 176-carat Type IIa diamond is the forty-fifth diamond over 100 carats found at the mine since alluvial operations began in 2015, making it the eighth largest discovered there. Lucapa notes that the consistent recovery of these large, high-value diamonds has been a significant revenue source for Lulo and has informed
Actress Lupita Nyong’o recently visited De Beers’ Venetia diamond mine in Limpopo as part of her role as a global ambassador for the company. During her visit, she was shown how each facet of the production value chain supports sustainable development. Her tour included the 32,000-hectare Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, which De Beers uses for nature conservation. The Venetia mine, which began production in 1993, has grown to become South Africa’s leading diamond mine, accounting
Trade union Uasa has signed a five-year wage agreement with the management of the Cullinan mine, owned by London-listed Petra Diamonds. The agreement, effective from July 1, 2023, to July 1, 2028, stipulates a 5.5% or consumer price inflation (CPI) increase for entry-level (C Lower) employees for the first three years and a 6% increase in years four and five. C Upper employees will receive a 5% or CPI increase annually for the first three
Morocco is taking a significant step towards developing Africa’s first offshore wind energy project. The Moroccan Agency for Sustainable Energy (Masen) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have issued a tender for a consultant to conduct a feasibility study for this pioneering initiative. The proposed site for the project is located in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Essaouira, a resort town renowned among windsurfers for its consistent wind flow from the Atlantic into
De Beers has lowered its production plan for 2024 by 3 million carats in response to the diamond market’s ongoing downturn and following a decline in first-half sales and profit. The miner expects to recover 23 million to 26 million carats of rough this year, compared with an earlier forecast of 26 million to 29 million carats, parent company Anglo American said Thursday in its interim results. Production was 31.9 million carats in 2023. The
De Beers has sold an iron-ore interest in Australia as part of its efforts to streamline the business and offload noncore units. The company has entered into a definitive agreement to sell a royalty right related to the Onslow Iron project in West Pilbara, it said Monday. Taurus Funds Management will acquire the subsidiary company, De Beers Exploration Australia, for $125 million in cash up-front and up to $25 million at a later stage. De
Nigeria’s daily oil production saw a substantial increase in July, as reported by Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC). By July 23, Nigeria’s average daily production had risen to 1.61 million barrels per day (mbpd), up from 1.25 mbpd reported earlier in the month. During a two-day public/investigative hearing on oil theft and losses held by the House of Representatives Special Committee, the commission disclosed the latest production
Africa’s largest solar rooftop installation was recently launched in Ghana, announced by Herbert Krapah, the country’s Minister of State for Energy, on Thursday. According to the Russian newspaper Sputnik, the solar installation spans 95,745 square meters—equivalent to 20 football fields—and was inaugurated in the city of Tema, Ghana. Funded by the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), this solar project aims to generate 24.7 GWh of clean energy annually. The project, costing $17 million, is
Angola’s new Cabinda crude oil refinery is set to commence operations later this year, with a target to reach full production of 30,000 barrels per day by July next year, according to Chief Executive Marcelo Hofke. Nearly two-thirds of the construction is complete, making Cabinda the most advanced of the three planned refineries. y These new facilities, including an upgraded Eni-supported plant in Luanda, are crucial for Sub-Saharan Africa’s second-largest oil producer to reduce its
