Merafe’s new power tariff ‘not a silver bullet’, warns Glencore
MERAFE Resources’ new 62c/kWh electricity tariff will help its ferrochrome business compete with Chinese producers, but it will not put the smelting business in a strong…
How long before miners call on Eskom for their rebates?
ESKOM will invite the attention of its mining clients in yet stronger terms if it agrees to cut its tariff for Transalloys, the manganese smelting business currently heading for…
Chrome export levy resurfaces in new industrial strategy
CHROME ore export levies are squarely on the South African government’s agenda after earlier indicating they were “a blunt tool”. A target set down in the revised Industrial…
Afrimat is a victim of failed industrial policy in SA
AFRIMAT is one of those companies that is surviving despite the chaos of industrial policy. But how long can these companies remain afloat? Afrimat’s recently published full-year…
Nersa tariff saves jobs at Glencore ferrochrome smelters
AFTER months of uncertainty, the threat of job losses has been lifted from employees at the ferrochrome smelters of Glencore Merafe Chrome Venture. This was after South Africa’s…
Can Afrimat put its year from hell behind it?
AFRIMAT CEO Andries van Heerden is optimistic that the business will look significantly better by the end of the financial year Afrimat has just had its toughest year since 2008:…
Merafe’s Eskom deal: Government needs it more
THE Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture’s proposed 62c per kWh electricity tariff deal with Eskom, far below the standard tariff of around 234c per kWh, could determine whether its…
Ferrochrome: Eskom opts for less revenue than none at all
ESKOM has opted for less revenue from South Africa’s ferrochrome producers rather than no revenue at all. For a company that now generates more electricity than it can sell, that…
Eskom agrees power tariff in bid to save SA ferrochrome
ESKOM will supply South Africa’s ferrochrome industry with heavily discounted power for the next five years under an amended Negotiated Price Agreement (NPA). The agreement,…
Glencore gives Eskom days to save ferrochrome deal
GLENCORE has given Eskom less than a week to accept revised terms on a power discount deal that would keep its South African ferrochrome smelters running and protect thousands of…
Eskom tariff for ferrochrome “needs to be replicated”
ONE assumes the electricity regulator in South Africa (Nersa) is conscious that in approving a heavily discounted tariff for ferrochrome smelters, it is waving a green flag for…
Glencore Merafe extends deadline ahead of definitive power tariff
GLENCORE Merafe Joint Venture said on Friday it would keep its ferrochrome operations in South Africa open for another month, until the end of March, in order to finalise terms…
Glencore-Merafe JV taps ferrochrome but closure looms
SOUTH Africa’s Lion ferrochrome smelter tapped its first metal this month in a partial restart, but owner Glencore-Merafe Chrome Venture said a recently approved electricity…
Nersa approves tariff cut for struggling ferrochrome
SOUTH Africa’s energy regulator Nersa has granted Eskom permission to reduce electricity charges for Glencore-Merafe and Samancor smelters from 136 SA cents per kilowatt-hour to…
SA smelters to re-open after Eskom agrees to talks
ESKOM has agreed to enter into talks for a new electricity tariff that will see South African smelters reopen, on a limited basis, and potentially save more than 3,000 jobs. Dan…
Eskom says SA has to suck up tariff increases
ESKOM’S application for above-inflation tariff hikes over the next three years opens the conversation about what South Africa’s national electricity utility needs to invest in to…
As Eskom seeks a new way of scaling renewable power, Vietnam could light its way
SOUTH Africa has had energy shortfalls for the past 16 years, but to date there have been totally inadequate measures to add new capacity to the grid. The crisis has escalated…
As Eskom seeks a way of scaling renewable power, Vietnam could light its way
SOUTH Africa has had energy shortfalls for the past 16 years, but to date there have been totally inadequate measures to add new capacity to the grid. The crisis has escalated…
SA warming to nuclear power as prepares request for proposals
THE South African government is warming to nuclear as a long-term solution to its power crisis, according to a report by News24. In a parliamentary briefing earlier this week, a…
Merafe to get electricity tariff relief but Transnet chrome volumes 50% below capacity
MERAFE Resources is optimistic of getting relief from crippling electricity tariff increases after getting “solid traction” in discussions with Eskom, the state-owned power…