Engineering News - 2 October 2023 by Tasneed Bulbulia

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Business Times (Sunday Times) - 1 October 2023 by Khulekani Magubane

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Business Day - 23 September by Gray Maguire

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Presentations

Lesego Moshikaro-Amani (TIPS) - Paving the path for a local battery industry in South Africa

Kgashane Mohale (IDC) - Battery value chain - IDC segmental approach (Slide)

Media

Media article: Battery industry set to boom - Business Times (Sunday Times) 22 October 2023

Media article: SMMEs can enter the battery energy value chain - Vutivi Business News 19 October 2023

Media article: Opportunities, challenges for South Africa in LIB, VRFB industries - Engineering News 18 October 2023

Research

Report: Opportunities to develop the lithium-ion battery (LIB) battery value chain in South Africa (2021) - Gaylor Montmasson Clair, Lesego Moshikaro and Lerato Monaisa (TIPS)

Policy Brief : Opportunities to develop the lithium-ion battery value chain in South Africa (2021) - Gaylor Montmasson Clair, Lesego Moshikaro and Lerato Monaisa (TIPS)

Report: Localising vanadium battery production for South Africa's energy security (2023) - Lesego Moshikaro and Lebogang Pheto (TIPS)

Policy Brief: A review of vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) market demand and costs - Lesego Moshikaro (TIPS)

Background

The demand for battery energy storage systems (BESS) is on the rise in various sectors, including stationary applications and transportation. BESS plays a critical role in advancing the transition towards decarbonisation. In addition, battery storage systems are pivotal in seamlessly integrating renewable energy sources into the energy landscape. The increasing demand for batteries and their constituent minerals stems from the global push to decarbonise the automotive industry and ensure a reliable energy supply through renewables coupled with energy storage.

South Africa's large production and reserves of battery materials make it well-positioned to actively participate in the battery value chain. Developing a local battery value chain presents numerous economic opportunities for South Africa. There is a notable trend where batteries are predominantly consumed in the regions where they are manufactured. This is evident in the automotive industry and in countries' strategic investments in battery value chains to ensure their energy supply security. South Africa has the minerals and a market for batteries, but it's essential to stress the need for support in advancing both market development and the growth of industrial capacity for battery production.

Given this, the question arises: how can the country effectively engage in this value chain and contribute value to upstream activities within the value chain? TIPS research delves into this issue, focusing on the beneficiation processes these minerals can undergo to support the growth of battery industries, emphasising local capabilities throughout the value chain and offering recommendations on areas in which the country can competitively engage. The report also explores ways in which industrial policy can play a more substantial role in supporting emerging and high-tech industries, and how South Africa can establish a thriving local battery industry, underscoring the significance of sustaining demand.

About the Speakers

Moderator

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair is a Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS). He leads TIPS's work on sustainability and just transition. He is the Facilitator for the South African Renewable Energy Masterplan (SAREM), the industrialisation plan for South Africa’s renewable energy value chain.

Presenters

Lesego Moshikaro-Amani is Senior Economist at TIPS. Her expertise lies in industrial policy, battery energy storage value chains and the emerging sector of new energy vehicles (NEVs) in South Africa, including a strong emphasis on skill development within the NEV industry. Other areas of focus include skills development for industry and promoting employment.

Mikhail Nikomarov is an entrepreneur and African energy leader committed to resolving the continent’s electricity shortage. He co-founded Bushveld Energy to provide large-scale energy storage solutions across the African continent. The company develops energy storage projects and is also localising manufacturing of vanadium redox flow batteries in South Africa. Mikhail also serves as the Chairman of the South African Energy Storage Association (SAESA) and chairs the Energy Storage Committee for Vanitec, the global organisation of vanadium producers.

Kgashane Mohale is Senior Industry Specialist: Industrial Development leading in Innovation and Strategy at the Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa Ltd (IDC). He has experience in leadership, strategy design and execution, manufacturing and production management, business improvement, consulting, entrepreneurship, business development, commercial and engineering from various organisations. He currently develops strategies and investment products for IDC to develop and invest in new or priority sectors/value chains like the battery value chain – from mining through chemical and components, cell manufacturing and application and renewable energy localisation, focusing on wind and solar.

Ian de Vries is both CEO and CTO at Balancell, a technology startup. He leads on technology, hardware and software development, battery electromechanical integration, cell manufacturer selection, battery design, overall IoT software system architecture, including data flow, data structures, and battery data analysis. He has expertise in cell chemistry, battery management algorithms, product design to meet the highest safety standards and insights into the next generation needed for IoT software platform system architecture, data structures, and predictive algorithms.

For more information, please contact TIPS via email at: natasha@tips.org.za

TIPS Dialogues bring together academics, policymakers, civil society organisations, workers, and practitioners
to discuss important issues and share ideas on industrial policy.

TIPS is partnering with the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic).

Luthandolwethu Zondi joined TIPS as an Economist in October 2023. Prior to this, she served as a Junior Researcher at the Centre for Science, Technology, and Innovation Indicators (CeSTII), where her focus was on conducting survey research related to Science, Technology, and Innovation. With an MPhil in Development Finance (Cum Laude) from the University of Stellenbosch Business School, Luthando's areas of expertise include inclusive economic development, financial inclusion, and sustainable development.

South Africa’s first quarter trade balance declined to a deficit for the first time since the first quarter of 2019, driven in part by a decline in exports, while imports remained relatively high, even with a R5 billion quarter-on-quarter decline. In all, exports declined by R7 billion to R483 billion in the year to the first quarter of 2023, while imports increased by some R63 billion to R488 billion during the same period.

MyBroadband - 6 September 2023

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Presentations

Dr Neva Makgetla (TIPS) – Services in industrial policy 

Dr Justin Visagie and Prof Ivan Turok (HSRC/UFS) – The Role of Services in the EconomyReflections on TIPS Working Paper

Research

Services and inclusive industrialisation – Neva Makgetla with Nokwanda Maseko and Itumeleng Mokoena (TIPS)

Background

Industrialisation cannot take off without adequate services such as logistics, engineering, finance and security, as well as human and social capital development. Moreover, the service sector generates around two thirds of the GDP and employment, and six out of seven jobs for women. An effective industrial policy, then, should incorporate measures to maximise the contribution of the service industries to inclusive industrialisation. To assist in understanding the role of the service industries in inclusive industrialisation in South Africa, this Development Dialogue provides a chance to engage on a recent TIPS paper that summarises the main debates around the role of services in industrial policy.

About the Speakers

Chair

Thandi Phele is Chief Director in dtic, sectors branch at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and a TIPS board member. Since her appointment, she has been providing thought leadership to South African industrial policy and driving key programmes aimed at industrialisation and localisation. Key among these, she continues to lead the development and implementation of various masterplans led by the dtic: Automotives; Retail-Clothing, Textiles, Footwear and Leather; Poultry; Sugar; Steel and Metal Fabrication; and Furniture.
 
Presenters

Dr Neva Makgetla is a senior economist at TIPS. Makgetla has published widely on the South African economy and worked for many years in government.

Dr Justin Visagie is a Senior Research Specialist in the Inclusive Economic Development (IED) research programme at the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC) and University of the Free State (UFS). Dr Visagie has expertise in microeconomic data analysis and has worked on a wide array of cross-sectional and longitudinal household datasets. His recent research projects cover issues of regional economic development, city-region economies, tradable services, spatial inequality and inclusion, social mobility, urbanisation, housing and migration.

Prof Ivan Turok holds the SARChI in City-Region Economies at the University of the Free State and is Distinguished Research Fellow at the HSRC. Prof Turok has extensive international experience of research on city and regional economic development, tradable services, urbanisation, housing, and labour markets.

PROGRAMME

14:30 Opening and welcome by Moderator: Thandi Phele (the dtic)

14:40 – 15:40 Presentations

• Dr Neva Makgetla (TIPS) – Key findings on Services paper
• Dr Justin Visagie (HSRC/UFS and Prof Ivan Turok (HSRC/UFS) – Presentation on Recognising the role of tradable service exports in the South African economy

TIPS Dialogues bring together academics, policymakers, civil society organisations, workers, and practitioners
to discuss important issues and share ideas on industrial policy.

TIPS is partnering with the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic).
For more information please contact TIPS via email at: daphney@tips.org.za

The Development Dialogue will be held in a hybrid format allowing for both in-person
and virtual participation. The in-person event will be held at the TIPS Offices
(234 Lange Street, Nieuw Muckleneuk, Pretoria) - space is limited

SAfm Sunrise with Stephen Grootes

Nokwanda Maseko – Senior Economist at Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS)

Dr Tebogo Makube – Chief Director of Industrial Procurement and Development at the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition

Ann Bernstein – Executive Director: Centre for Development and Enterprise

Listen here: https://bit.ly/3PFw5g

Miningmx - 11 September 2023 by Charlotte Matthews 

Red online at Miningmx