New ship transport plan for East Cape
Premier Noxolo Kiviet’s government and relevant stakeholders are investigating the feasibility of buying a ship to transport goods between East London, Durban, Port Elizabeth and the Port of Ngqurha.
A railway line to connect Mthatha to KwaZulu-Natal has also been mooted.
Economic and Environmental Affairs and Tourism MEC Mcebisi Jonas says that in discussions with Transnet it had been agreed that investing in a railway line between Port Elizabeth and East London would be too costly.
Instead, he said, they would focus on connecting Buffalo City and Nelson Mandela Bay by sea.
At present one ship, the Ingwenya, operates between Port Elizabeth and East London once a week.
Last week it was reported that Transnet had budgeted R2.3-billion to upgrade the infrastructure in the East London harbour, and one major renovation will be to widen and deepen the port entrance.
http://www.peherald.com/news/article/4923
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Hopes on Nersa to drop Eskom's looming tariff hike proposal
South African industries are pinning their hopes on the National Energy Regulator to reduce tariff increases that Eskom is likely to propose.
Industries relying heavily on electricity usage are battling to cope with Eskom's current tariff increases of 24.8%.
Nersa says these increases are unsustainable and could lead to some businesses having to close shop.
Meanwhile, Eskom says it will spend R68 billion on infrastructure over six years.
At present, Eskom serves 9.2 million electricity subscribers, with plenty of new connections having being done in the past two decades.
The need for a massive infrastructure programme to meet the growing demand is necessary as Eskom’s ageing infrastructure frequently leads to blackouts.
http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/cc99d8004a41388d94f79d4da4a4c0cb/Hope-on-Nersa-to-drop-Eskoms-looming-tariff-hike-proposal-20122202
People & Planet Benefit From Alternative Transport
A report by the World Health Organisation says rapid transit and safe cycling/walking networks are good for both health and climate.
It says climate experts should consider more systematically how these strategies can reduce CO2 emissions in the transport sector, one of the world's major contributors to climate change.
The new report, Health co-benefits of climate change mitigation - Transport sector was released during the COP-17 Climate Conference.
The report reviewed over 300 studies on health outcomes from different types of land transport systems to identify those mitigation measures most closely associated with specific health co-benefits or risks.
Land use systems that emphasize more compact cities, and mixed use development of commercial and residential areas, along with amenities for walking and cycling, also are strongly associated with better health.
http://www.thegreentimes.co.za/stories/natural-health/item/1081-cycling-walking-and-rapid-transport-systems-good-for-health-and-climate
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Renault Opens World’s First Carbon-Zero Auto Plant in Morocco
Renault has opened the world’s first carbon-zero automotive plant using renewable energy and optimized wastewater treatment.
The $1.3-billion automotive plant in Tangier is the largest in North Africa, capable of producing about 400-thousand cars annually.
The automaker accounts for more than 37% of new car sales in the country.
http://ae-africa.com/read_article.php?NID=3663