Opportunity magazine is a niche business-to-business publication that explores various investment opportunities within Southern Africa’s economic sectors and looks to provide its readers with first-hand knowledge about South African business. Opportunity also looks to present South African business to international markets that may have interests in investing in South Africa. The publication is endorsed by the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI).
EDITOR’S NOTE From
EDITOR’S NOTE From small modular reactors to new ideas in battery technology and storage, innovators are finding new ways of powering South Africa Energy is to the forefront again in this issue of Opportunity, with our cover story focussing on a very specific type of nuclear power. The nuclear debate has been rolling on for decades. France loves nuclear power, Germany has chosen to do without it and Britain has recently changed its mind – and probably will again. South Africa has nuclear power and has committed to sourcing an additional 1 850MW from nuclear by 2030, in terms of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP). This is less than a third of the allocation for solar photovoltaic and only a fraction of the promised 14 400MW of power due to come from wind farms. Some politicians tried to sign contracts with Russia during the presidency of Jacob Zuma but these have been stopped or overturned by court action. If nuclear is to become a major part of the energy mix, the industry will have to persuade the public and its representatives of the safety of it plants and the effectiveness of storage options. The industry has passionate supporters who believe that the science is on their side. The debate will continue. The article by Jan Fourie of Scatec raises the fascinating possibilities that are now emerging with regard to batteries and storage in the renewable energy sector. The IRP is referenced in his piece, and there is no doubt that good batteries and reliable storage could be real game-changers in terms of South Africa (and the world) being able to move to a greener future. Mining companies are looking to providing their own power as part of an attempt to free themselves from Eskom’s unreliability but also as a way of moving towards that green tomorrow. Exxaro Resources’ Mxolisi Mgojo shares his company’s strategy for diversified growth, decarbonisation, sustainability and impact management. James Bayhack of CM.com looks ahead at trends and innovations that will help businesses recover faster from the upheavals of 2021 and Citadel’s Chief Investment Officer, George Herman, gives a perspective on investment prospects in 2022. A special feature on the investment opportunities on offer in Limpopo Province examines the role of Special Economic Zones (SEZs). Just in case travel does become a “thing” in 2022, we have included an article on why it’s a good idea to put an international debit card in your wallet. John Young, Editor 4 | www.opportunityonline.co.za www.opportunityonline.co.za Editor: John Young Publishing director: Chris Whales Managing director: Clive During Online editor: Christoff Scholtz Designer: Tyra Martin Production: Aneeqah Solomon Ad sales: Shiko Diala Vanessa Wallace Venesia Fowler Gabriel Venter Tennyson Naidoo Tahlia Wyngaard Administration & accounts: Charlene Steynberg Kathy Wootton Distribution and circulation manager: Edward MacDonald Printing: FA Print PUBLISHED BY Global Africa Network Media (Pty) Ltd Company Registration No: 2004/004982/07 Directors: Clive During, Chris Whales Physical address: 28 Main Road, Rondebosch 7700 Postal address: PO Box 292, Newlands 7701 Tel: +27 21 657 6200 Email: info@gan.co.za Website: www.gan.co.za No portion of this book may be reproduced without written consent of the copyright owner. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of Opportunity, nor the publisher, none of whom accept liability of any nature arising out of, or in connection with, the contents of this book. The publishers would like to express thanks to those who support this publication by their submission of articles and with their advertising. All rights reserved.
