Friday, May nine, 2008

From Creamer Media in Johannesburg, I'm Sheila Barradas.

Making headlines today:

The agenda for the national energy summit, which will be convened on May 16 by the National Economic Development and Labour Council, or Nedlac, is likely to be finalised at a special Presidential joint-working group on May 12.

Nedlac executive director Herbert Mkhize said that he was currently working on the sixth draft of the agenda for the day-long meeting, and that he expects the final agenda will only be approved after the high-level working group meeting.

It is understood that Monday's meeting would be partly used to finalise the agenda, speakers and format of the energy summit, as well as the list of invitees.

South Africa is looking to import liquefied natural gas, or LNG, from the gas-rich Gulf Arab state of Qatar, President Thabo Mbeki said during a two-day state visit to that country.

South Africa is planning an integrated energy project at the Coega Industrial Development Zone, east of Port Elizabeth, which would use LNG to produce electricity.

Some 1,7-million tons a year of LNG will be shipped into the Port of Ngqura, of which around 1,4-million tons will be used to produce about 2 400 mega watts of electricity. State-owned Central Energy Fund is spearheading the development of the integrated energy facility, and private sector power plant developer Ipsa recently joined the project.

The world's third-largest platinum producer, Lonmin, has started initial studies into generating its own power to boost supplies to its South African mines, CEO Brad Mills said on Thursday.

"The company will have to consider the possibility that to continue growth it may have to put in alternatives to being 100%-supplied by Eskom," he said in a conference call.

This comes as the development of its Akanani operation, where attributable resources had increased significantly, and other growth projects were depending on the outcome of an internal Eskom review, which was due in June.

Also making headlines:

Long-awaited small business incentive to be unveiled in May
South African economic advisers call for rand intervention
SABMiller buys Ukraine's Sarmat
Gold Fields resumes mining at South Deep
Harmony says operating mines cope with 10% less power
And, Trans Hex takes management control at Angolan mine

In political news:

Zimbabwe opposition rejects presidential run-off
Kenya sees displaced refugees resettled in a month
Study finds that free AIDS drugs slash death rate in Malawi
And, Libya tells Italy it won't fight illegal migration

That's a round up of news making headlines today. For more on these and other stories, visit engineeringnews.co.za, miningweekly.com and polity.org.za