[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

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• 2026.10.27 11:29
• [Wanhua Laizhou Green Power Industrial Park Phase II Project Starts Construction]
• On October 23, 2026, the second phase of Wanhua Laizhou Green Power Industrial Park officially started construction, and the Laizhou base entered a new stage of first phase production sprint and second phase co construction simultaneously. As a major project in Shandong Province, the industrial park covers an area of 557 acres, with a planned 650000 tons/year battery grade lithium iron phosphate plant, relying on the integrated wind solar energy storage green power system to achieve coupling of the green power industry. At present, Wanhua Lithium Iron Phosphate has achieved mass production and import of its fourth generation products, and its fifth generation products have been recognized by top customers, continuously improving the layout of the entire battery material chain. Editor/Cheng Liting

• 2026.10.27 10:43
• [Shanghai Petrochemical's 1.2 million ton ethylene plant starts construction]
• The 1.2 million tons/year ethylene plant of Shanghai Petrochemical officially started construction on October 25, 2026. As a major project in Shanghai, the total investment of the project is about 21.3 billion yuan, and it is expected to be completed by the end of October 2028. The new facility adopts Sinopec's independent intellectual property low-energy ethylene separation technology. After it is put into operation, the existing 700000 tons/year ethylene plant will be shut down, and the annual ethylene production capacity will jump to 1.2 million tons. It can provide nearly 3 million tons of high-end chemical raw materials for downstream and help promote Shanghai's new industrialization and north-south transformation. Editor/Cheng Liting