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South African aircraft maintenance company to set new record this year for heavy checks

Published: 19 Jun 24

South African aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) concern, ExecuJet MRO Services South Africa, announced on Wednesday that it was on course to establish a new company record for airframe heavy maintenance checks this year. The enterprise specialises in business (also called executive) aircraft MRO services, and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of renowned French aerospace group Dassault Aviation. The new record that will be set this year will be for at least 11 airframe heavy maintenance checks. The South African company’s previous record was for seven such checks in a single year.

Resources Watch

Published: 19 Jun 24

This week: Copper 360 on home straight to produce quite a bit of cash, CEO reports; Reserve Bank concern about decline of public markets welcome development; and, Artificial intelligence used to eliminate need for rare earths in permanent magnets

Richards Bay Minerals GM for Growth Strategy Bradley Reddy.

Fast-greening Richards Bay Minerals now eyeing on-site renewables, storage, aggregation

Published: 19 Jun 24

Energy-intensive Richards Bay Minerals (RBM), which consumes an average of 1.8 terawatts of power a year, was able to secure its latest 140 MW wind energy power purchase agreement (PPA) in six months. When operating at full capacity, RBMs, power consumption across its mining and smelting operations can reach up to 400 MW and this month’s quickly concluded wind PPA was, in fact, the second renewable-energy project of this Rio Tinto company.

MinRes to shut Yilgarn iron-ore mine

Published: 19 Jun 24

Diversified miner Mineral Resources (MinRes) will shut its Yilgarn iron-ore mine, in Western Australia’s Goldfields region, at the end of the year. The decision, announced on Wednesday, follows an assessment that confirmed that it was not financially viable for the hub to continue beyond the calendar year.

Only 40% of developing-country utilities are financially sustainable, World Bank warns

Published: 19 Jun 24

The majority of electric utilities in developing countries are ill-equipped to meet growing demand for power and add more renewable energy into the grid, thereby hindering global energy transition goals to provide clean, reliable and affordable electricity to all, development cooperation organisation the World Bank reports. 'The Critical Link: Empowering Utilities for the Energy Transition' report, published this week, showed that only 40% of developing country utilities are able to cover their operating and debt service costs.

Corobrik sets out plans for its Rietvlei operations

Published: 19 Jun 24

Brickmaker Corobrik has outlined its plans for accessing prime clay at its Rietvlei operations, assuring that while it needs to remove coal deposits, it has no intention of becoming a coal producer. Natasha Odendaal has the story.

China is building Europe battery supply in Morocco, VW unit says

Published: 19 Jun 24

China is building a battery supply chain for Europe in Morocco, as the continent struggles to develop its own industry to feed electric-car manufacturing, PowerCo’s operations head said. “We don’t have any supply chain. This has to be set up,” Sebastian Wolf, chief operating officer for Volkswagen’s battery unit, said Tuesday at an event in Stuttgart. “Right now, we have to be honest that the set-up of LFP supply chain is happening in Morocco and not in Europe.”

WEF Energy Transition Index at its highest ever, but global progress slowing

Published: 19 Jun 24

The global energy transition to a more equitable, secure and sustainable energy system is still progressing, but has lost momentum in the face of increasing uncertainty worldwide, international economic organisation the World Economic Forum's (WEF's) Energy Transition Index (ETI) 2024 shows. The global average ETI scores reached a record high, but the slowdown in the pace of the global energy transition, first identified in 2022, has intensified in the past year.

Rio Tinto invests $165m in Quebec smelter

Published: 19 Jun 24

Diversified miner Rio Tinto has announced a $165-million (C$226-million) investment in its Grande-Baie smelter, located in Quebec. The investment aims to refurbish two anode baking furnaces that have reached the end of their operational lifespan. The company will also carry out feasibility studies for the eventual replacement of the scrubbers and overhead bridge cranes at the anode production centre.