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Limpopo Business 2018-19 edition

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A unique guide to business and investment in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Launched in 2007, the 2018/19 edition of Limpopo Business is the 10th issue of this highly successful publication that has established itself as the premier business and investment guide for the Limpopo Province. Limpopo has many investment and business opportunities. In addition to the regular articles providing insight into each of the key economic sectors of the province, there are special features on developments in the transport and logistics sector and a focus on tourism. Interviews with industry leaders in development finance from the Industrial Development Corporation and the Small Enterprise Development Agency share their insights into the state of the provincial economy. Investment news related to mining, telecommunications and development finance is carried in overviews of all the main economic sectors. The publication also has a comprehensive register of all provincial government and municipal contact details. Updated information on Limpopo is also available through our monthly e-newsletter - which you can subscribe to at www.globalafricanetwork.com

OVERVIEW Energy Solar

OVERVIEW Energy Solar manufacturing holds potential in Limpopo. SECTOR INSIGHTS The new SEZ will have a power plant. An Energy and Metallurgical Cluster is an important component of the new Special Economic Zone that has recently been approved at Musina-Makhado in the far north of the province. The two local municipalities have been allocated R147- million by provincial government for infrastructure upgrades. One of South Africa’s biggest engineering projects is underway in the western part of Limpopo, the building of the Medupi power station. The facility is being built near the existing Matimba power station and the giant Exxaro coal mine at Grootgeluk. When the plant is completed, the Lephalale area will become a petrochemical hub and energy complex. The National Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) has been very successful so far. The three photovoltaic solar projects located in Limpopo have a combined investment value of R3.6-billion. The provincial government’s Green Economy Plan has identified solar and biomass as the main kinds of renewable energy for Limpopo. With huge silicon reserves in the province, there is also potential to produce solar panels and solar charges for cellphones. Nine biogas digesters have been installed in the Vhembe District to be controlled by young entrepreneurs trained by the University of Venda. REIPPPP project MW Location Operational Tom Burke Solar Park 60MW Lephalale, Waterberg DM August 2016 Witkop Solar 29.68MW Polokwane September 2014 Soutpan Solar Park 28MW Blouberg, Capricorn DM July 2014 ONLINE RESOURCES National Department of Energy: www.energy.gov.za Southern African Biofuels Association: www.saba.za.org South African Wind Energy Association: www.sawea.org.za Sustainable Energy Africa: www.sustainable.org.za A group of 31 students is studying Energy Management Systems as part of the provincial plan. An Integrated Energy Centre (IEC) has been launched in the Fetakgomo-Greater Tubatse Municipality. Energy company Shell SA has invested R18-million in the community centre, which has created 16 jobs. IECs, an initiative of the National Department of Energy (DoE), are one-stop energy shops that assist local residents in getting access to energy and providing information on energy. The mining and agricultural sectors are the two biggest and most important sectors of the Limpopo provincial economy. They are big consumers of energy and they hold the key to advancing alternate technologies. Implats is using natural gas to supply its refinery in Springs. Phase one of the project will see 20 Doosan fuel cells generating 8MW of power. The long-term goal is to generate 22-30MW. Anglo Platinum has launched an underground mining locomotive powered by a fuel cell. Platinum coating greatly enhances the hydrogen absorption capacity of fuel cells. Mining group Exxaro is sponsoring the roll-out of alternative energy near its remote Tshikondeni mine east of Musina. LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2018/19 66

Water Innovation is solving rural problems. OVERVIEW SECTOR INSIGHTS A Provincial Water and Sanitation Summit is planned. ONLINE RESOURCES National Department of Science and Technology: www.dst.gov.za National Department of Water and Sanitation: www.dwa.gov.za Olifants River Forum: www.orf.co.za South African Association of Water Utilities: www.saawu.co.za Water Institute of South Africa: www.wisa.org.za The National Department of Science and Technology is piloting a Point-of-Use (POU) project in Malatane village in the Capricorn District. The project is part of the department’s Innovation Partnership for Rural Development Programme (IPRDP), which is supported by the European Union. The POU uses a woven fabric microfiltration gravity filter and can provide up to 40 litres of safe drinking water per day. The system was developed by researchers at Stellenbosch University and the Durban University of Technology. Getting water to rural residents has proved a difficult challenge with several large-scale schemes being stalled. In this context, low-cost, low-tech solutions have the potential to be transformative. At provincial level, concern about drought conditions and water quality under pressure from mines and industry has led to the calling of a Provincial Water and Sanitation Summit. In the 2017/18 financial year, the provincial government committed to providing 210 more schools with potable drinking water and 185 more schools with decent sanitation facilities. Several major projects have recently been completed, or are currently being carried out in Limpopo, including bulk water schemes at Mooihoek/Tubatse, Sekhukhune and Moutse. The completion of the De Hoop Dam has provided good-quality water for the first time to many communities in the eastern part of Limpopo. The building of the dam is part of the greater Olifants River Water Resources Development Project. Five other water projects and 65 associated schemes in the Sekhukhune District are delivering other water infrastructure, including pipes to get water to Moutse from the Loskop Dam. Limpopo has very different rainfall patterns in its three main geographical regions: the escarpment (sub-humid with annual rainfall of more than 700mm); semi-arid middle veld and Highveld; and the arid and semi-arid Lowveld. The province’s rivers are under threat from the damaging effects of the mining industry, power stations, chemicals used in agriculture and from sewage treatment in catchment areas. Opportunities exist in this sector for innovative solutions. The Water and Sanitation Services branch of Polokwane Municipality operates five waterpurification plants and three sewage-purification plants. As part of its Regional Water Scheme programme, Polokwane provides water to the residents of the rural areas of Mothapo, Mothiba and Makotopong. The Capricorn District Municipality funds a water-testing laboratory on the campus of the University of Limpopo. Mocha Lab has been operating in Polokwane since 2008, and has the capability to provide services to the mining and engineering sector, as well as to water authorities. 67 LIMPOPO BUSINESS 2018/19

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