Six companies, specialised in biomass valorisation, have teamed up to develop new business initiatives in South Africa using solid (woody) biomass.
The companies have formed a public private partnership (PPP) with the Dutch government, Netherlands Enterprise Agency and the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Africa.
“Beneficiation of biomass residues holds a major potential for South Africa in terms of waste minimisation, job creation, CO₂-reductions, and clean, secure and affordable household energy,” says Emiel Hanekamp, senior partner in Partners for Innovation, one of the companies involved in this initiative.
“We are looking for collaborations with municipalities and local companies to actually make this happen.”
Masterclass at #DAUW
The team will present an exclusive, free masterclass on “Biomass opportunities in South Africa” on 25 November at 12h30 SAST during the Digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa.
A previously mothballed pellet factory at Coega Development Zone near Port Elizabeth has already been acquired and will be refurbished to be operational again in the course of 2021. It will be known as the Coega Biomass Centre.
Emiel explains: “Municipalities can valorise the wood residues from their gardens and parks that otherwise end up in overcrowded landfills.
The collection of wood residues, especially the AIS clearing, and the pre-processing and transportation of this waste creates many local jobs. This is apart from the jobs created at the pellet factory itself. In total approximately 900 jobs will be created in the Nelson Mandela Bay area.”
If locally used in gasifier cookstoves, the wood pellets produced by the factory can provide up to 48,000 households with clean and affordable household energy.
Investment
“The Coega Biomass Centre is the first in a row,” Emiel adds, “as our ambition is to start similar initiatives in in South Africa. We expect to launch new initiatives for biomass residues beneficiation during next year. For South African companies, this means investment and collaboration opportunities in a solid infrastructure, creating new sustainable business models in a promising and expanding market. In addition, they can profit from a long-term collaboration with European companies and investors.”
With regards to the total investment in the project thus far, the partners will invest R50-million ZAR (€3-million) in the first phase which is the acquisition, refurbishment and recommissioning of the factory. Further investments in the factory are expected in the near future. For example, the investment in the drying and torrefaction technology and its integration in the existing plant is expected to be around R45-million.
Masterclass: “Biomass opportunities in South Africa”, 25 November at 12h30 SAST | 10h30 GMT
Host: Sebastiaan Messerschmidt, Consul-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Cape Town, South Africa
Moderator: Werner Euler, MD, iLive Sustainable Development
Speakers:
– Emiel Hanekamp, Senior Partner, Partners for Innovation, The Netherlands
– Joris Spaan, Project Manager, Yilkins, The Netherlands
– Ruben Walker, CEO, African Clean Energy, Lesotho
– Bart-Willem ten Cate, Low-Carbon Strategist, Finco Fuel Group, The Netherlands
Jordi Meijer, Managing Director, Control Union, South Africa
– Garth Barnes, Deputy Director: Risk and Strategic Partnerships, Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries, South Africa
– Kees Kwant, Senior Expert Bioenergy and Liaison Circular Biobased Economy, Netherlands Enterprise Agency, part of Ministry of Economic Affairs, The Netherlands
Media briefing: Announcement of biomass initiative, 24 November, 12h45 SAST | 10h45 GMT
TO REGISTER for the masterclass, media briefing and the other upcoming sessions during Digital African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa: https://www.african-utility-week.com/digital/general-admission
