[South Africa plans to add 8GW a year to the grid] On June 2, 2023, South Africa's current rollout of solar and wind power to increase the share of solar and wind in the country's energy mix from 7% to 40% by 2030 is the fastest way out of the electricity crisis, according to the South African Presidency's Climate Commission (PCC). It is also the cheapest option to build the energy sector South Africa needs to stick to its global climate commitments. The PCC, which was set up by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2020 to advise on issues such as a just energy transition, released a set of recommendations on electricity planning in South Africa on June 1. The PCC said South Africa aimed to solve its power crisis by integrating at least 8GW of wind and solar power into the grid annually over the next two to four years. About 2.5GW of new renewable energy projects are now registered with South Africa's national energy regulator. Experience shows that this target is achievable in the first three months of 2023. Ultimately, South Africa will need to add 50 to 60Gw of renewable energy by 2030. Steve Nicholls, head of mitigation issues at the PCC and climate change adviser at the National Business Initiative, said this would take the share of renewables in South Africa's energy mix to about 40 per cent. According to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, coal-fired power will account for around 80% of electricity generation by 2022, with renewables (excluding hydropower) accounting for 7%. Editor/Xu Shengpeng

Click to see more live >>

• 2026.07.28 16:39
• [CATL West Country Joint Venture Battery Factory Plan Approved]
• On July 27, 2026, the autonomous region of Aragon in Spain approved the overall plan for a joint venture battery factory between CATL and Strantis. The 4.1 billion euro project will land in Zaragoza, with a production capacity of 50GWh and the potential to create 4000 jobs. The factory covers an area of 367000 square meters, and the funds are mostly used for infrastructure and production equipment. Due to the lag in visa and accommodation facilities for foreign personnel, the factory's production will be postponed from the end of 2026 to early 2027. A large number of Chinese technical personnel are required for construction, and the local authorities are promoting the planning of temporary dormitories to ensure construction.Editor/Gong Ziwei

• 2026.07.28 16:35
• [The construction of the Jiatong Railway mainline has come to a successful conclusion]
• On July 25, 2026, the Tongjiang Extra Large Bridge of Heilongjiang Jiatong Railway completed all beam erection work, and the main project was successfully completed, marking the end of the construction of the main line of Jiatong Railway. The bridge has a total length of over 10 kilometers and is the longest newly-built bridge in the China Europe East Passage port section. As the core control project of the entire line, the bridge will greatly enhance the traffic capacity of Tongjiang Port and increase the freight capacity by more than three times after it is put into operation. The project adopts a bridge instead of road scheme to adapt to frozen soil environment, save black soil resources, and assist in the transportation of bulk commodities for foreign trade at the port.Editor/Gong Ziwei