On 16th September 2021, the Energy Action Day was commemorated through an event organized by the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the United Nations (UN) Environment Programme and the World Economic Forum (WE Forum).
South Africa has an abundance of solar and wind energy sources, yet it is heavily reliant on coal-fired power plants and is one of the world’s major CO2 emitters. Its policies and readiness to adopt renewables in its energy mix have the potential to raise economic efficiency, improve the standard of living of its population and contribute positively to climate change.
During a visit of Angela Merkel at the end of her term in office in Belgrade on 14th September 2021, the German chancellor expressed her interest in Serbia’s lithium. Ironically, this comes just after thousands of protestors have demanded the Serbian Government to cut ties with Rio Tinto, a multinational mining company who aims to execute an ambitious project in West Serbia.
Compared to traditional markets, Africa is young, connected, entrepreneurial and poised for immense growth through regional integration via the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), which will create the world’s largest free trade area.
At the world’s largest mobility trade show, IAA Mobility 2021, which took place from 7th-12th September in Munich, Volkswagen CEO Herbert Diess urged the German government to stop subsidizing fossil fuels to foster the decarbonization of the automotive sector and accelerate the energy transition.
Despite the fact that the German-South African Energy Partnership is nearing its end in 2022, the German development bank KfW has recently initiated a programme amounting up to EUR 200 million in support of green hydrogen projects in South Africa.
Achieving the goals of the UN SDG 7 and the Paris agreement in Africa will involve a combination of innovation and technologies, substantial investment in infrastructures and human capital as well as implementing regulations that will guide the process of migrating towards renewables.
Access to modern, secure, and affordable energy is crucial for the development of any society and its people.
Centurion Law Group’s Energy Transition Centre connects the dots between local energy markets, African companies and international investors and companies.
The Grenada citizenship program has been met with interest by those who wish to widen their global scope, as well as settle in the United States.
On June 10, 2021, after Eskom implemented stage four load-shedding, President Rampahosa announced an amendment to Schedule 2 od the Electricity Regulation Act to increase the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (“NERSA”) licensing threshold for embedded generation projects from 1 MW to 100 MW.
It’s not a problem to be solved by one single company or even a group of companies; it has to be solved by a more regional approach: Andres Vega – International Associate, Centurion Law Group.