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South Africa's Transnet Port Terminals (TPT) says it will continue to invest in Durban Container Terminal (DCT) Pier 2 while legal proceedings play out around its selection of International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI), of the Philippines, for a 25-year partnership at what is South Africa's largest container terminal.

Rival bidder AP Moller-Maersk, of Denmark, is contesting Transnet's selection of ICTSI, which was made in July last year, calling the award unlawful and invalid.

At a presentation to industry stakeholders in Umhlanga, KwaZulu-Natal, Transnet CEO Michelle Phillips confirmed that no date had yet been set for the hearing and described as a "worst-case scenario" one whereby the court set aside the award and ordered the State-owned entity to resume the bidding process afresh.

She indicated that such an outcome could potentially delay what is currently regarded as Transnet's flagship private sector participation (PSP) project by up to two years.

Phillips defended both the process run by Transnet as well as the award to ICTSI, saying that "as far as we are concerned the process was run in accordance with our rules" and the qualifying criteria were met.

It has been reported, however, that AP Moller-Maersk will argue that, unlike its APM Terminals, which also bid, ICTSI fell short of a solvency requirement in the tender. For its part, ICTSI, which operates container terminals in 19 countries, insists it is fully able to fund the deal off its own balance sheet.

Speaking during the same Transport Forum event, TPT CEO Jabu Mdaki acknowledged concerns that Transnet would hold back on crucial investments at DCT Pier 2 until a partner was in place.

The terminal has the installed capacity to handle two-million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) yearly, but has been underperforming against that nameplate.

TPT, Mdaki insisted, was fully aware that the terminal faced equipment challenges and he reported that orders were still being placed for major equipment at the terminal and that it would continue to do so until there was legal certainty.

"We've just issued a letter of award for four ship-to-shore cranes that we require at the terminal," he reported, noting that it would take 18 to 24 months before the new cranes would be delivered.

"The reason for that is simple: we don't know what the outcome of the court challenge will be," Mdaki explained, adding that TPT had to act given that many of its cranes were operating beyond their useful lifespans and given the potential for the court action to lead to a protracted delay in completing the transaction.

TPT had secured the cranes under its recently introduced partnering strategy with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for various pieces of equipment, in this case with Liebherr. Mdaki said that absent the OEM framework, the delay in securing a manufacturing slot at Liebherr could have been up to 48 months in light of current market demand.

The decision to proceed was also premised on the fact that the cranes could potentially be used at other TPT terminals should the eventual DCT Pier 2 partner have an alternative approach to equipment.

"Should the successful bidder say they do not require these cranes and they are going to bring in their own equipment, we are able to redirect that equipment to our other terminals.

"If they do take them and they become part of the transaction, there is a mechanism, over-and-above the offer they have made as part of the transaction, for us to recover the funds."

Likewise, TPT was preparing to procure straddle carriers for landside operations also using its OEM strategy.

"So we are not sitting back and saying everything will only happen once the PSP partner comes in," Mdaki stressed.

Despite the PSP setback, TPT has set a target to handle 4.4-million TEUs in 2024/25 (including over 2...

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Despite a tough domestic economy undermining a recovery in new-vehicle sales to pre-pandemic levels, record vehicle exports in 2023 ensured that the South African automotive sector still managed to outperform the rest of the manufacturing sector, says Naamsa | The Automotive Business Council chief trade and research officer Dr Norman Lamprecht.

The value of vehicles and automotive components exported from South Africa last year increased by R43.5-billion, or 19.1%, from the R227.3-billion recorded in 2022, to a record R270.8-billion - taking it to 14.7% of total South African exports.

Vehicle exports increased by 47 809 units to a record 399 594 units last year, up from the 351 785 units exported in 2022, while vehicle export value increased by R46.9-billion, from R157-billion in 2022, to a record R203.9-billion in 2023.

The automotive industry's 2023 export performance also included record exports to all major regions, including the EU, Africa, Southern African Development Community and North America.

This success story flows from the pages of Naamsa's newly launched yearly Automotive Trade Manual (ATM), formerly known as the Automotive Export Manual.

The ATM also shows, however, that automotive component exports from South Africa failed to match the performance of vehicle exports last year.

According to the manual, compiled by Lamprecht and his team, automotive component exports declined from R70.3-billion in 2022 to R66.9-billion last year, mainly owing to a reduction in catalytic converter exports to the EU.

Catalytic converters are used in internal combustion engine- (ICE-) powered vehicles to ensure cleaner vehicle emissions.

The EU, and other developed economies around the world, are increasingly moving to electric and hydrogen vehicles, which do not use catalytic converters.

Lamprecht notes that catalytic converters remained the top automotive component exported from South Africa last year, despite its decline, reaching R25.9-billion, or 44.1%, of total automotive component exports, followed by engine parts, tyres, and transmission shafts and cranks.

Last year, catalytic converter exports totalled R29.5-billion, down from R34-billion in 2022.

Lamprecht says the transition to electric vehicles (EVs) is "definitely affecting" the demand for catalytic converters. However, he expects this product to remain South Africa's top component export for the next ten years.

Total South African automotive trade amounted to R520.5-billion last year, comprising 16.7% of the country's total trade GDP, up from 16.5% in 2022.

As the largest manufacturing sector in the economy, the broader automotive industry contributed 5.3% to GDP in 2023 (3.2% manufacturing and 2.1% retail).

In terms of regions, exports to the EU were again at number one, increasing to a record R147.1-billion last year, while exports to Africa, the second-largest export region, increased to a record R42.8-billion.

Germany remained South Africa's premier automotive export destination, with a record export value of R83.1-billion in 2023.

Three of every four vehicles exported in 2023 were destined for Europe and the UK.

The top exporter from South Africa was Volkswagen Group Africa.

New-Energy Vehicles

New-energy vehicle (NEV) sales in South Africa grew by 65.7% from 2022 to 2023.

Sales of battery electric vehicles increased to 929 units, up from 502 units in 2022.

The segment remained stymied, however, by the lack of more affordable models.

The share of NEV sales - by 21 brands - as a percentage of total new-vehicle sales, finally breached the 1% mark last year, increasing to 1.45%, up from 0.88% in 2022.

India and China Rising

Imports of light vehicles declined by 27 966 units, or 8.6%, from the 323 783 units in 2022, to 295 817 units in 2023, in line with a weak domestic new-vehicle market.

The top country of o...

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Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa denies that the prevailing reprieve from loadshedding has been "stage managed" to improve the prospects of the governing African National Congress ahead of the May 29 poll, attributing it instead to "orchestrated" engineering efforts undertaken by Eskom over the past 18 months.

Speaking during a briefing that coincided with the fortieth consecutive day of no loadshedding and amid growing societal cynicism about the timing of such supply stability, the Minister also strenuously denied that the improved performance was because Eskom was relying more heavily on the diesel-fuelled open cycle gas (OCGT) turbines that it owned as well as those operated by independent power producers (IPPs).

In April, when no loadshedding was implemented, Ramokgopa said that Eskom had spent R1.15-billion on diesel to produce 126 GWh of electricity from the Eskom and IPP OCGT turbines, representing a marked improvement on the R3.14-billion spent in April 2023 to produce 470 GWh.

Eskom had set aside R22-billion for diesel in 2024/25, having exceeded its R30-billion budget in 2023/24 by R3-billion.

Rather, the Minister attributed the improvement primarily to a recovery in the performance of the six coal stations of Kusile, Matimba, Majuba, Lethabo, Matla and Medupi, whose average energy availability factor (EAF) had recently climbed to above 60%.

"The year-to-date performance is currently at 58.99%, which is a notable improvement from the 53% EAF in the same period last year," he said, indicating that on May 1 the EAF recovered to the 65% target set by the board for 2023/24, but which had not been achieved.

The financial support provided by the R254-billion debt-relief package, he claimed, had enabled Eskom to improve its maintenance performance, by providing the certainty required for planning outages and for buying the long-lead items needed during those outages.

However, Ramokgopa acknowledged that demand was also notably lower period-on-period, supported largely by a surge in rooftop solar installations to an estimated 5 400 MW. This, too, had provided Eskom with additional space to conduct maintenance and to replenish emergency reserves.

He dismissed notions of any "correlation" between the improved performance and the upcoming election, highlighting that the Energy Action Plan was announced in July 2022, and that implementation had started in earnest well before the date of the election was promulgated on February 20.

Ramokgopa said most of the recent disruptions to electricity supply were related to a collapse in municipal distribution infrastructure, which he said was deteriorating at a rate that was faster than initially anticipated.

He said a structural financial solution was required to address the problem, which was leaving residents in certain parts of the country without power for extended periods, in some cases several months.

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The initial direct cost of placing South Africa on an energy transition pathway over the coming five years in line with its decarbonisation targets is calculated at a hefty R1.5-trillion in the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan (JET-IP).

Less visible, however, are the socioeconomic costs associated with failing to pursue the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) goal of reducing carbon dioxide-equivalent (CO2-eq) emissions to the lower end of the NDC range of between 420-million and 350-million CO2-eq tons in 2030.

The lower target is said to be compatible with South Africa's fair contribution to helping to cap the global rise in temperatures to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

To assess these direct and indirect costs, the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and Cambridge Econometrics have applied Cambridge Econometrics' E3ME model in a bid to understand the trade impacts of future policy choices and the economic impacts associated with the environmental damage caused by higher temperatures.

The macroeconomic simulation model has been used in this instance to capture the socioeconomic and energy implications for South Africa under conditions where the country and the world adopt decarbonisation paths, premised on:

a business-as-usual outcome calibrated to the stated energy policies of governments, as articulated by the International Energy Agency and where no carbon border adjustment measures are implemented and no just transition funding is available for South Africa; and

a 1.5°C compatible pathway for South Africa and the rest of the world, that assumes energy system decarbonisation plans for South Africa somewhat more ambitious than the prevailing Integrated Resource Plan, as well as carbon taxation, recycling of carbon tax revenues, just transition funding and global carbon border adjustment measures.

These outcomes have been tested against four scenarios, including one where both South Africa and the rest of the world pursue business-as-usual pathways. A second scenario where South Africa pursues a 1.5°C-compatible pathway and the rest of the world remains on a business-as-usual trajectory. Thirdly, where South Africa implements a business-as-usual policy and the rest of the world a 1.5°C-compatible pathway. And fourth, where both South Africa and the rest of the world aim for the 1.5°C-compatible, or net-zero, pathway.

PCC head of climate mitigation Steve Nicholls tells Engineering News that, when climate-related loss and damage is excluded, the model shows South Africa fairing best from a growth and employment perspective under a scenario where it implements net-zero policies and the rest of the world remains on a business-as-usual pathway.

Growth would be 7.5% better by 2030 and 5.2% higher by 2040, while employment would be 0.8% and 1.5% higher for the same periods respectively. However, the associated 3°C global temperature pathway could offset those gains as the country faced more and increasingly costly extreme weather events, for example from floods and droughts.

The most economically and employment damaging scenario for South Africa, however, would be one where it adopted a business-as-usual stance, while the rest of the world implemented 1.5°C-compatible policies.

Under such a scenario, the model shows that South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) would be 4.2% lower in 2030 and 3.9% lower by 2040 than under a scenario where the rest of the world also remained on a business-as-usual pathway. Likewise employment creation would be far weaker.

The key reason for the decline, Nicholls explains, would be the loss of exports as the rest of the world imposes carbon border adjustment measures on South Africa's higher-carbon products.

The model shows that several domestic sectors, including agriculture, construction, industry, energy, services and...

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It's easy to overlook the sheer magnitude of Robertson and Caine's (R&C's) operations in Cape Town. The company's ten boat-building factories and assembly lines are dotted across the city - from Woodstock to Paarden Island to Montagu Gardens, with the latter also housing a substantial warehouse.

Other numbers, however, make it easier to appreciate the scale of the catamaran builder, including the fact that the 33-year-old company employs more than 2 400 people, with one boat rolling off an assembly line somewhere in the city almost every weekday of the year.

For this year, that will be more than 200 catamarans.

R&C is South Africa's largest boat builder for the export market, the largest builder of ocean cruising catamarans in the southern hemisphere and one of the top three in the world, with the French its biggest competition.

A catamaran can either be powered by sail and a small engine, or by more powerful engines alone.

MD Theo Loock is perhaps proudest of its most recent accolade - the 2024 European Powerboat of the Year award for the Leopard 40 PC in the powerboat category.

New Ownership

R&C is Loock's fourth turn at the helm of a company, following 15 years as the boss of JSE-listed energy storage and automotive component manufacturer Metair.

He retired at Metair in 2020, joining R&C in 2021, following a request to do so from asset manager CapitalWorks.

R&C was founded in 1991 by John Robertson and the late Jerry Caine, reaching a new scale of operations when CapitalWorks joined the business as a strategic equity partner.

Loock's brief as the new CEO included overseeing the sale of the business and facilitating Robertson's retirement last year. (John's son, Michael Robertson, remains at the company as design manager.)

Today, R&C is owned by Vox Ventures, a subsidiary of PPF Group, an international diversified investment firm in Europe, with its roots in the Czech Republic.

The new owners have a singular ambition for R&C - that it continues to expand globally while remaining based in Cape Town.

Small Beginnings

Before Robertson and Caine started the company, Robertson built monohulls - including one used by South Africa's champion sailor Hanno Teuteberg to win the Cape to Rio race in 1993.

This gold medal attracted the attention of charter companies in the US, which asked Robertson if he didn't want to consider building catamarans.

Multihulled catamarans offer more stability on the water than monohulls, which means they are better suited to tourist activities.

"The charter market is all about comfort," notes Loock, quipping: "You don't want the children sliding off the deck."

Robertson accepted an order for ten catamarans, ultimately leading to the birth of R&C.

Today, R&C's product line-up includes sailing catamarans (42 ft, 45 ft and 50 ft) and power catamarans (40 ft, 46 ft and 53 ft).

"We have a good balance, with around 60% in sailing and 40% in power," says Loock.

More than 99% of R&C's boats find their way overseas; more specifically, the US East Coast, the Caribbean, Seychelles, Mediterranean, Asia, South Pacific and South America.

Covid-19 provided a noticeable sales boost, as customers with healthier bank balances found that they could isolate from the pandemic on boats in some of the most beautiful parts of the world, says Loock.

R&C's boats are handed over to the customer in the Cape Town harbour, where they undergo their final commissioning checks before either being sailed off by the owner or transported by freighter to their final destination.

If you ever want to see R&C's boats make their trek to water, get up between 02:00 and 04:00 when they are transported to the Cape Town harbour on specialised trucks and under metro police escort.

In essence, every boat sold by R&C is a Leopard-branded catamaran. However, they are only branded as such should ...

Engineering News editor Terence Creamer talks about the highs and lows of South Africa's real economy in the 30 years of democracy, as well as what could be done to reignite the manufacturing sector in particular.

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TransUnion Africa CEO Lee Naik says a tough economic environment characterised by cost-of-living challenges, high fuel costs and currency depreciations have resulted in a notable decline in vehicle sales and financing in South Africa.

However, while this contraction is expected to persist, manufacturers and dealerships are stepping up their efforts to help consumers enter, or re-enter the auto market, he notes.

TransUnion this week released its Vehicle Pricing Index (VPI) for the fourth quarter of 2023.

Actions that vehicle manufacturers and dealerships are taking to egg on sales numbers include discount structures, incentives, trade assistance mechanisms, interest rate reductions on loans, and a focus on monthly payments rather than gross prices.

"These efforts show innovation in an otherwise stagnant sector," says Naik.

According to the newest VPI, a significant market trend is the increase in the average loan amount for financed vehicles.

TransUnion data shows that, in the last quarter of 2023, the average loan value increased to R396 000, up from R386 000 in the same period in 2022.

This 2.5% average loan value growth comes off the back of a consumer price index of 5.1% in December, and a new-vehicle price increase of 6.3% (fourth quarter, 2023 compared with the fourth quarter, 2022).

TransUnion also reports that there has been an overall reduction in new accounts opened over the last two years, further confirming a decline in purchasing power and volume.

"The net effect of these economic markers is that lower net income consumers are being priced out of the market - they either do not qualify for vehicle loans or are unwilling to add a new debt burden to their monthly budgets."

This is where the industry is evolving to enable economic participation, says Naik.

"Consumers are benefitting from the introduction of new subscription-based and vehicle-on-demand models and services.

"Renting, station-based car sharing, free-floating car sharing, micro-mobility services, ridesharing and ride-hailing options are increasingly being brought to market to make transport more affordable for consumers, with the end-result promoting financial inclusion, furthering economic empowerment and stimulating economic growth."

The shift in the ratio of used-to-new vehicles being financed - from 1.98 in the fourth quarter of 2022 to 1.2 in the fourth quarter last year - also signifies a change in consumer behaviour, driven by factors such as improved new-vehicle stock availability, an interest rate that is perceived as being stable, and innovation at dealership level, notes Naik.

These factors are leading to consumers increasingly opting for new, rather than used vehicles.

"Overall, the macroeconomic climate remains incredibly challenging for consumers and continues to affect buying power and spending habits," says Naik.

"While the data sets in this index end in December 2024, the market indicators continue to tell a difficult story for the South African consumer - first quarter Naamsa sales figures remain depressed, and the cost of owning, running and maintaining a vehicle continue to increase, evidenced by another petrol price increase on May 1.

"The South African vehicle industry's ability to adapt and innovate, particularly in embracing new mobility trends, will be essential for sustainable growth," states Naik.

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Johannesburg's City Power is seeking manufacturing and venture capital partners to further develop and pilot a rugged 'energy box' concept in one of the city's 312 informal settlements as a possible greener and safer alternative to the illegal connections that currently predominate.

Chief engineer for renewable energy Paul Vermeulen says the idea is to locate 3 kWh energy storage boxes - linked to lighting, charging and cooking appliances - within individual dwellings and link these to a centralised solar photovoltaic generator securely located on a nearby warehouse or factory rooftop.

He notes that hundreds of secure rooftops capable of hosting 500 kVA-plus solar systems are already connected to the conventional grid in Johannesburg.

The storage systems, which would probably comprise lithium-ion battery technology, would be charged using a constant supply of 130 W of nonlethal direct-current (DC) electricity through a light wiring network, containing low volumes of copper to make it less prone to theft.

This informal grid, which would be relocatable should the area be formalised, would be supplied from conventional alternating-current (AC) grids in adjacent reticulated areas through an AC-to-DC converter and distribution control system that manages the charging of each energy box.

The re-usable nature of the solution would also ensure compliance with the Municipal Finance Management Act, which disallows the city from installing fixed electricity reticulation in "non-permanent" areas.

Lighting and mobile devices would be connected to the energy box using the USB-C standard and each box would be equipped with a single induction-based hotplate for boiling water and cooking. Vermeulen acknowledges that the induction stoves would require cookware containing ferrous materials, but says these are becoming more common and affordable.

The appliance control system will use powerline carrier technology to communicate to the DC distribution and charging control system, drawing power from the conventional AC grid. Communications could also be used for tamper detection and energy balancing, as well as community fire and security alarms.

Vermeulen believes the capital expenditure could be funded through the Integrated National Electrification Programme allocation and registered dwellings would also benefit from the free basic energy allocation, which many eligible households are currently not receiving. Household consumption above that 50-kWh monthly threshold would be charged at a nominal subsidised tariff.

"The system can only dispense a fixed amount of energy to each household daily, thereby avoiding the problem of uncontrolled and excessive nontechnical losses common to conventional AC grid service connections," Vermeulen notes, indicating that up to 72 kWh can easily be lost daily to an illegally bypassed 3 kVA service connection.

In addition, he highlights that the electrocution risks associated with illegal connections are high, with a number of deaths reported every year.

"There is a need for a safe energy solution that can out-compete these illegal operators and, having surveyed residents within these areas, we have found a willingness to pilot the concept both for safety reasons and to reduce reliance on mafia-style illegal connectors."

From a system perspective the constant controlled load would not increase the magnitude of the evening peak, avoiding the problem of uncontrolled electricity theft, while insulating the community from future Eskom price increases.

Vermeulen says the rooftop solar system could be sized to offset the full cost of the energy provided, with the levelised cost of rooftop solar currently estimated at R1.30/kWh against the average cost of Eskom power of R1.75/kWh, which is expected to rise in future.

"Eskom network and demand charges are also like...

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Two solar photovoltaic (PV) projects selected as preferred bids under Bid Window 6 (BW6) of the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy's (DMRE's) renewable energy procurement programme reached commercial close on April 30.

The projects, which were part of a group of six PV projects to advance to preferred-bidder status for a 1 000 MW allocation in 2022, have a combined capacity of 360 MW and a combined investment value of R4.9-billion.

During BW6 none of the wind projects vying for a 3 200 MW allocation were selected owing to grid-related constraints.

The DMRE said in a statement that the remaining four preferred bidders were finalising preparations for commercial close but were still hampered mostly by grid-access related challenges, as well as interdependencies between projects across bid windows.

"The department and IPP Office are working tirelessly with Eskom to resolve these challenges, to ensure that all projects can reach commercial close and start construction," the DMRE said.

The two projects to have achieved the milestone, meanwhile, are the Virginia Solar Park, located in the Lejweleputswa district of the Free State and representing the province's seventh publicly procured renewables project, and the Doornhoek PV project, which is the North West's sixth public renewables project and located in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda district municipality.

To date, 95 independent power producer (IPP) projects, with a collective capacity of 7 336 MW, have advanced under the bigger programme.

The Virginia Solar Park project is being implemented as a partnership between Red Rocket, Reatile, Jade-Sky Energy and the Red Rocket Opportunity Trust, while the Doornhoek PV project is majority owned by AMEA Power, which has partnered with Ziyanda Energy and black-women-owned Dzimuzwo Consulting. South African entity participation in each project is 49%.

In a statement, Red Rocket said the Virginia Solar Park was located about 140-km north-east of Bloemfontein, and was the biggest solar farm procured under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme, with a contracted capacity of 240 MW and peak capacity of 275 MW.

CEO Matteo Brambilla welcomed the latest milestone by the company, which he said had consistently held its own against large multinationals to become a highly successful IPP in South Africa.

A joint venture between PowerChina and Green Whistle would build the Virginia Solar Park under a turnkey engineering, procurement and construction contract.

Construction on both solar projects is expected to take no more than 24 months with their generation capacity anticipated to come online by May 2026.

"In support of [addressing] the current economic challenges that South Africa is facing, the two projects have committed a total of 2 034 job opportunities (measured in job years)," the DMRE said, adding that R389-million would be spent on skills, supplier, enterprise and socioeconomic development over the 20-year lifetimes of the two plants.

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The City of Cape Town (CoCT) says it is moving closer to turning landfill waste into energy, with two projects that are designed to produce electricity from the combustion of landfill gas moving towards implementation.

Landfill gas, primarily made up of methane, is produced when organic matter, such as food scraps, break down at landfill sites.

To convert this gas into electricity, perforated pipes or 'wells' are dug into a landfill site to channel it as a fuel to produce electricity in specially-designed engines.

CoCT Urban Waste Management MMC Grant Twigg tells Engineering News Online that the Coastal Park landfill site waste-to-energy project is awaiting the installation of a thermal mass-flow meter before the gas engines can be put into operation, while the process to permit the connection of the engines to the electricity grid is ongoing.

Should everything run according to plan, the estimated date for first electricity production is sometime during the second half of this year.

At the Vissershok landfill waste-to-energy project, Twigg says there have been some delays with the appointment of a gas-flare operator owing "to complexities and complications in the procurement process".

This has impacted the timeline for the development of the detailed designs for the waste-to-energy component, "pushing this out significantly."

"The first 2 MW generation infrastructure at Vissershok is scheduled for implementation in 2026/27, increasing thereafter to between 7 MW and 9 MW of generation capacity by 2028/29, depending on gas yields."

Just shy of R79-million has been budgeted for Phase 1 of the Vissershok project, which includes two generator sets, various filters and controls, as well as setup, installation and connections costs.

Further costs will be incurred for Phase 2, says Twigg, but it is too early at this point "to indicate these costs".

He adds that the Vissershok landfill site is an Eskom-supplied site, with initial investigations showing that the local grid may be able to take up to 7 MW of electricity that could be fed into the grid.

This would, however, require confirmation during the design stages of the project.

The expected capital outlay for the Coastal Park energy project is R73.58-million.

Twigg says the electrical generating capacity of this project will be about 2 MW.

Some of this electricity will be used to power the new recycling facility that is under construction at this site.

While the process to put the gas engines into operation is under way at this site, CoCT is using a flaring system at the end point of the well system to destroy landfill gas before it can enter the atmosphere.

Landfull gas has a global warming capacity estimated to be 25 times higher than carbon dioxide.

The flaring and electricity generation system at Coastal Park has been designed in such a manner that it can earn the city carbon credits.

The proceeds from a planned auction of these carbon credits will be ring-fenced to fund projects of the city's Urban Waste Management Directorate aimed at reducing the impact of pollution.

Twigg says it is unlikely that the Coastal Park project will be expanded, given that the site is set to close down "in the next few years".

However, the project will go ahead as landfill gas continues to be generated for 10 to 15 years after the closure of a landfill, albeit at a slightly decreasing yield year-on-year.

"This is evidenced by the fact that the Bellville South landfill, which closed in 2018, is still generating landfill gas eight years after the landfill was closed," says Twigg.