The Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the world economy into its worst downturn in decades, resulting in the steepest decline in steel demand since the global financial crisis of 2008/9. The national lockdowns, falling demand and supply chain disruptions owing to the pandemic quickly spread to key steel-consuming sectors, which had significant declines in output. Of the main steel-using industries, automotive and mechanical machinery have been affected the most; however, many other sectors that are important for steel demand, such as energy, have also been severely affected. Nonetheless, the World Steel Association’s Short Range Outlook for 2021 and 2022 indicates that the post-lockdown recovery in steel demand has been stronger than was earlier expected, with steel demand expected to recover to 1.87-billion tonnes in 2021, an increase of 5.80%. Structural changes are expected to accompany the recovery process, with a shift in the demand structure of steel-using sectors, including automotive, owing to electric vehicle transitions and new urban mobility patterns; and in construction, with new patterns of urbanisation, changes in urban planning and building designs, as well as investment in the energy sector. Overall recovery, however, remains fragile, owing to the waves of infections, continued physical distancing measures, elevated unemployment and weak confidence, as well as increasing concern about the timing of a demand recovery.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The July 2021 roundup covers activities in June 2021 and includes details of the licence-exemption cap for self- or distributed-generation plants announced by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa; the additional projects added to the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s Risk Mitigation Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (RMIPPPP); and the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s decision to decline three environmental authorisation applications submitted by Karpowership SA for the development of gas-to-power projects under the RMIPPPP.

There is great optimism that South Africa’s much promised infrastructure-led recovery will finally be implemented from late 2021. These projects will, however, only play a role in South Africa’s economic recovery if they break ground. Unless the Covid-19 pandemic is brought under control, the year will not be the pivotal one required for placing the sector, and the economy, on a new growth trajectory, Siemens South Africa CEO Sabine Dall’Omo has warned. National Construction Incubator CEO Patricia Chalwa expressed her concern during an SABC interview in January 2021 that the construction industry, which has undergone significant churn in recent years, would experience tough conditions for the foreseeable future. "Things are not looking good," Chalwa noted, stating that there was going to be some kind of growth within the construction space, but that the reality was that even if there was 1% growth from 2021 to 2024 within the construction space, those were just "figures being thrown about". Creamer Media’s Construction 2021 Report examines South Africa’s construction industry over the past 12 months. The report provides insight into the business environment in the construction sector, key participants, local demand, corporate activity of the country’s major construction companies, as well as issues such as transformation, employment, safety and the dearth of skills.

The automotive industry plays an important strategic role in South Africa’s overall economy, contributing 4.90% to gross domestic product – 2.80% from manufacturing and 2.10% from retail – in 2020. The manufacturing sector came to a standstill in March 2020, under Level 5 of the national Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. Production and sales were also severely affected, which industry association naamsa | the Automotive Business Council has described as the most “turbulent year” in the history of the motor industry globally. Commenting on the current state of the industry,  BMW South Africa CEO Peter van Binsbergen has said that “we need to make our industry futureproof, especially now that everything has moved faster than anyone expected . . . [and] where a big part of the automotive industry’s recovery from Covid-19 has been tied to electromobility incentives”. Creamer Media’s Automotive 2021 Report examines the current market conditions in South Africa’s automotive industry, including manufacturing and investment, the role that electric vehicles will play in the country’s future, sector support, transformation and labour, as well as the outlook for the sector.

The June 2021 roundup covers activities in May 2021 and includes details of business organisation the National Employers' Association of South’s comments on the proposed amendments to Schedule 2 of the Electricity Regulation Act; the National Energy Regulator of South Africa’s application to the High Court to oppose State-owned power utility Eskom’s High Court application seeking to review and set aside the energy regulator’s latest regulatory clearing account determination; and Saudi energy generation and desalination company Acwa Power’s 100 MW Redstone concentrated solar power project.

The load-shedding that has plagued South Africa for many years is likely to worsen for some time yet, as State-owned power utility Eskom is struggling to meet demand. President Cyril Ramaphosa noted in his State of the Nation Address in February 2021 that the country would need between 4 000 MW and 6 000 MW of additional generation capacity over the next five years – that is in addition to the capacity to be added under the country's renewables procurement programmes. Eskom has, however, assured South Africans that progress is being made with regard to the utility’s programme to improve the performance of its coal-powered fleet so that load-shedding can be materially reduced from September 2021 onwards. The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy is also preparing to procure electricity under new bid windows of the Renewable Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which has stalled for many years. It is also making progress in procuring so-called emergency power supplies that are expected to contribute to electricity supply from August 2022. Steps are also being taken to make it easier for businesses to generate electricity to meet some of their own electricity needs. In that respect, policy discussions and debates within government, regarding reforms in the electricity sector, are also continuing. Creamer Media’s Electricity 2021 Report provides an overview of South Africa’s electricity sector, with a focus on Eskom’s restructuring, generation performance and new build programme, as well as issues of coal management and the contentious issue of electricity tariffs. It also covers the changing electricity landscape, the role of independent power producers in the country’s energy mix, as well as transmission, distribution and electricity planning, besides others.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The May 2021 roundup covers activities in April 2021 and includes details of South Africa’s emerging solar photovoltaic value chain; calls on the Treasury and State-owned power utility Eskom to consider the softening of uneconomic contractual coal-supply obligations; and South Africa’s Hydrogen Society Roadmap, which is planned to be presented for Cabinet approval either before the end of the year or early next year.

While a successful Covid-19 vaccine roll-out is considered as the most important driver of the recovery from the pandemic, infrastructure investment remains as urgent as ever and is increasingly viewed as key to creating forward economic momentum. Governments worldwide are preparing to invest trillions of dollars in new economic and social infrastructure to address backlogs and provide the basis for future economic resiliency, with some even seeing it as an opportunity to ignite this century’s own ‘roaring 20s’.  Special priority is being given to so-called green infrastructure to help countries mitigate and adapt to climate change, as well as digital infrastructure, which is seen as a key platform for generating and sustaining higher levels of future-proofed growth.  For South Africa, the social and economic infrastructure deficits are so large that it is not going to be possible for government to deliver these on its own. Fiscal stresses are not the only constraint, with all three spheres of government facing serious capacity deficiencies.  It is time for South Africa to adopt a stance identical to the one articulated by US President Joe Biden in March 2021, when he unveiled his proposed $2-trillion American Jobs Plan: “We can’t delay. We can’t delay another minute. It’s long past due.” 

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The April 2021 roundup covers activities in March 2021, and includes details of State-owned power utility Eskom’s commitment to complying with South Africa’s tightening minimum emission standards; Eskom’s progress on its so-called reliability maintenance programme to improve the performance of its coal fleet; the eight preferred bidders selected as part of government’s 2 000 MW emergency procurement programme, as well as the launch of the much-anticipated fifth bid window for the procurement of new wind and solar.

Creamer Media's Energy Roundup is a monthly report providing a synopsis of energy-related news from South Africa. The March 2021 roundup covers activities in February 2021, and includes details of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse and the Helen Suzman Foundation’s  opposition to Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashe’s proposal to procure new nuclear power capacity; State-owned power utility Eskom’s preparation for a pioneering request for proposals (RFP) to repower and repurpose the Komati power station, in Mpumalanga; and African infrastructure development fund manager Harith General Partners’ plans to build the first gas-fired power plants in Gauteng.