MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay Business Chamber (MBBC) hosted its latest networking event at King's College outside Hartenbos.
The event took place on Tuesday evening with King's College's principal, Van Wyk Dames, taking the stage as the first of many speakers.
He spoke a bit about the development of the school, their first year being operational, their approach to learning and more.
A speaker who definitely got the room buzzing was Brian Day, a representative of Sebenzana, the company that has been tasked with the project development work for the gas power plant project planned for the Garden Route.
Day gave a project overview, talked a bit about why power generation is needed and shared some details about the actual site, which will be close to the Gourikwa Power Station.
He said the project is still in its early stages, but a public participation process should (according to schedule) start on 17 October when the draft scoping study report will be published. If all goes as planned, Day said they hope to start with construction in 2029.
He mentioned that financing for the project will be arranged by Hosken Consolidated Investments (HCI).
In HCI's annual integrated report, its CEO, John Copelyn, said: "Last year we indicated our intention to stay the course and pursue the development of the gas find in Block 11B/12B despite the decision of all international partners to abandon it."
The developments surrounding Block 11B/12B have been reported on widely since 2024 when various partners, including TotalEnergies, announced the withdrawal of their interest in the block. The block is between 75km and 120km offshore from the south coast between Mossel Bay and Cape St Francis.
Day gave the attendees at the event the opportunity to ask questions about the project. Question topics ranged from impact on the environment, possible funding partners, government involvement, the difficulty around developing and monetising these gas discoveries, and more.
After Day's insightful session, AP Botes of Quadrant Golf took his turn to share more about indoor golfing, its exciting developments as well as its benefits, both when considered on its own as well as combined with outdoor golfing.
A representative of the Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (Smart), Riana de Villiers, was next in line. Smart is celebrating a decade of dedicated service to the community and marine animals in Mossel Bay this year.
De Villiers shared some details of their day-to-day operations, and emphasised their dependence on the community when it comes to involvement and donations. Smart will celebrate its 10th anniversary on Saturday 11 October with a gala evening.
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