Latest news with #Marani
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Transcaucasian Trail, Georgian section, Europe: The world's newest long-distance hike is a medieval time capsule
After skirting an armed border control point guarding a mountain pass leading to Russia, we get our first glimpse of Ushba glacier, a minty white ice flow that tumbles down the mountain's western flank. Hiking reward ... Shdugra waterfall. Credit: Getty Images The 12-kilometre return hike is a good warm-up for the next few days, where we'll push higher and deeper into the scenically extravagant Greater Caucasus, a 1200-kilometre-long mountain range stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. Mestia is the region's gateway, an unexpectedly cosmopolitan ski town with modern hotels, atmospheric restaurants and an intriguing architectural mishmash of ancient stone towers and wooden alpine chalets. From Mestia, we spend three days hiking to Ushguli, a journey that plunges us into a buckling landscape of forested ravines and raging glacial rivers. Along the way, there are taxing climbs over mountain passes (the highest is 2720 metres), but the reward is normally a stupendously scenic lunch spot with a panoramic view of a squirming glacier or a peak-studded horizon. Afternoons are then spent descending on trails through autumn-tinged beech forests, occasionally passing fields dotted with clanking cattle and skittish wild horses. Lush greenery … Mestia during the warmer months. Credit: iStock En route, we encounter hikers from all over the world. One day, I pass a shirtless Russian man and his two children; on another we meet a group of young Spaniards drinking red wine and playing chess. While we use horses to cross a freezing glacial stream, a mother and daughter from Latvia nonchalantly wade across in sandals. 'It's OK,' says the daughter, noticing my concern. 'At home, we go ice swimming.' Accommodation is what you'd expect to find in remote mountain communities with only a handful of families – rustic and welcoming. We stay in a series of small guesthouses with basic rooms and shared facilities. Days start with a generous spread of homemade bread, cheese, salads and cake (a breakfast item I enthusiastically endorse) and end with a table-filling array of soups, curries, beans and potatoes. A few of us bravely try the local wine, which on one occasion is dispensed – somewhat alarmingly – from a recycled soft drink bottle. Georgia claims to be the oldest wine-making culture in the world. But despite 8000 years of practice, its traditional amber wines, produced by fermenting juice, skins and stalks in underground clay pots called qvevri, can often be challenging. A side product from this endeavour is chacha, a grappa-like digestif so potent you completely forget about the taste of the wine. Lunch-stop views of Adishi glacier, Georgia. Credit: iStock We learn more about the wine-making process during an enjoyable lunch at Merebashvili's Marani, a family-run winery in the small town of Kaspi. Owner Lasha Merebashvili explains that Georgia used to have about 550 grape varietals but many were wiped out by two devastating viruses called 'phylloxera and communism'. Loading It's hard to escape the frequent reminders of Russia's legacy, from the striking Soviet-era bas-reliefs in Tbilisi to the Cyrillic writing on gravestones. Even at mealtimes, it's rare not to be offered a variant of the traditional Russian salad of potatoes, carrot, pickles and egg. Perhaps the most contentious legacy we see is an EU-built settlement housing some of the estimated 200,000 Georgian refugees who were displaced by Russian incursions during 2008. Deemed by Georgia to be occupied territories, the 'autonomous' regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia account for almost 20 per cent of the country. Guide Lasha Udzilauri, who grew up under Russian rule, can still remember the crime-ridden 'dark days' after the Soviet Union crumbled when there were long lines for bread and there was no electricity. The hilltop 6th-century Jvari Monastery. Credit: Getty Images On the way to Mestia, we stop in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin, to visit a museum containing the two-room wooden hut in which he was born and the armoured train carriage he later used for transport. 'Many of the older generation are proud that Stalin was from Georgia,' Udzilauri says, 'but they have Stockholm syndrome from this time. The younger generation are different – no one can be a dictator of them.' During Soviet rule, religion was outlawed, so most of Georgia's churches were turned into stables or toilets. Thankfully, two of the most significant examples that survived are now preserved as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The hilltop 6th-century Jvari Monastery contains some of the earliest examples of Georgian writing and the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral claims to be the final resting place of Jesus' robe. Equally astounding is Uplistsikhe, a sprawling set of cave dwellings near Gori that date from the 1st century BC. Chazhashi village in Ushguli. Credit: Getty Images While these ancient sites are undeniably impressive, I'm more intrigued by the country's recent history and the enormous economic, social and cultural changes that have occurred since it left the Soviet Union in 1991. We see evidence of this in Tbilisi, where there are striking contemporary buildings alongside brutalist Soviet edifices. And even in remote regions like Upper Svaneti, people are being lured back to breathe new life into abandoned villages. On our penultimate night in Mestia, two of us head to the local cinema after dinner to watch Dede, a 2017 film by Mariam Khatchvani about the life of her grandmother. Set in and around Ushguli during the 1990s, it's a heart-wrenching portrayal of a gruelling existence punctuated by family feuds, murders and kidnappings. Afterwards, I take a late-night stroll along the deserted main drag, past swish restaurants, stylish cafes and even a co-working space. And then, out of a side street, a boy appears with four cattle, which he proceeds to usher down the main street using a stick. It's a surreal sight – a ghost from Georgia's past walking towards its fluorescent-lit future. Loading Fly Emirates and Qatar Airways offer one-stop services to Tbilisi via Dubai and Doha. See
The Age
2 days ago
- The Age
New hiking trail puts forgotten part of Europe on the map
After skirting an armed border control point guarding a mountain pass leading to Russia, we get our first glimpse of Ushba glacier, a minty white ice flow that tumbles down the mountain's western flank. The 12-kilometre return hike is a good warm-up for the next few days, where we'll push higher and deeper into the scenically extravagant Greater Caucasus, a 1200-kilometre-long mountain range stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. Mestia is the region's gateway, an unexpectedly cosmopolitan ski town with modern hotels, atmospheric restaurants and an intriguing architectural mishmash of ancient stone towers and wooden alpine chalets. From Mestia, we spend three days hiking to Ushguli, a journey that plunges us into a buckling landscape of forested ravines and raging glacial rivers. Along the way, there are taxing climbs over mountain passes (the highest is 2720 metres), but the reward is normally a stupendously scenic lunch spot with a panoramic view of a squirming glacier or a peak-studded horizon. Afternoons are then spent descending on trails through autumn-tinged beech forests, occasionally passing fields dotted with clanking cattle and skittish wild horses. En route, we encounter hikers from all over the world. One day, I pass a shirtless Russian man and his two children; on another we meet a group of young Spaniards drinking red wine and playing chess. While we use horses to cross a freezing glacial stream, a mother and daughter from Latvia nonchalantly wade across in sandals. 'It's OK,' says the daughter, noticing my concern. 'At home, we go ice swimming.' Accommodation is what you'd expect to find in remote mountain communities with only a handful of families – rustic and welcoming. We stay in a series of small guesthouses with basic rooms and shared facilities. Days start with a generous spread of homemade bread, cheese, salads and cake (a breakfast item I enthusiastically endorse) and end with a table-filling array of soups, curries, beans and potatoes. A few of us bravely try the local wine, which on one occasion is dispensed – somewhat alarmingly – from a recycled soft drink bottle. Georgia claims to be the oldest wine-making culture in the world. But despite 8000 years of practice, its traditional amber wines, produced by fermenting juice, skins and stalks in underground clay pots called qvevri, can often be challenging. A side product from this endeavour is chacha, a grappa-like digestif so potent you completely forget about the taste of the wine. We learn more about the wine-making process during an enjoyable lunch at Merebashvili's Marani, a family-run winery in the small town of Kaspi. Owner Lasha Merebashvili explains that Georgia used to have about 550 grape varietals but many were wiped out by two devastating viruses called 'phylloxera and communism'. It's hard to escape the frequent reminders of Russia's legacy, from the striking Soviet-era bas-reliefs in Tbilisi to the Cyrillic writing on gravestones. Even at mealtimes, it's rare not to be offered a variant of the traditional Russian salad of potatoes, carrot, pickles and egg. Perhaps the most contentious legacy we see is an EU-built settlement housing some of the estimated 200,000 Georgian refugees who were displaced by Russian incursions during 2008. Deemed by Georgia to be occupied territories, the 'autonomous' regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia account for almost 20 per cent of the country. Guide Lasha Udzilauri, who grew up under Russian rule, can still remember the crime-ridden 'dark days' after the Soviet Union crumbled when there were long lines for bread and there was no electricity. On the way to Mestia, we stop in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin, to visit a museum containing the two-room wooden hut in which he was born and the armoured train carriage he later used for transport. 'Many of the older generation are proud that Stalin was from Georgia,' Udzilauri says, 'but they have Stockholm syndrome from this time. The younger generation are different – no one can be a dictator of them.' During Soviet rule, religion was outlawed, so most of Georgia's churches were turned into stables or toilets. Thankfully, two of the most significant examples that survived are now preserved as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The hilltop 6th-century Jvari Monastery contains some of the earliest examples of Georgian writing and the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral claims to be the final resting place of Jesus' robe. Equally astounding is Uplistsikhe, a sprawling set of cave dwellings near Gori that date from the 1st century BC. While these ancient sites are undeniably impressive, I'm more intrigued by the country's recent history and the enormous economic, social and cultural changes that have occurred since it left the Soviet Union in 1991. We see evidence of this in Tbilisi, where there are striking contemporary buildings alongside brutalist Soviet edifices. And even in remote regions like Upper Svaneti, people are being lured back to breathe new life into abandoned villages. On our penultimate night in Mestia, two of us head to the local cinema after dinner to watch Dede, a 2017 film by Mariam Khatchvani about the life of her grandmother. Set in and around Ushguli during the 1990s, it's a heart-wrenching portrayal of a gruelling existence punctuated by family feuds, murders and kidnappings. Afterwards, I take a late-night stroll along the deserted main drag, past swish restaurants, stylish cafes and even a co-working space. And then, out of a side street, a boy appears with four cattle, which he proceeds to usher down the main street using a stick. It's a surreal sight – a ghost from Georgia's past walking towards its fluorescent-lit future. The details
Sydney Morning Herald
2 days ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
New hiking trail puts forgotten part of Europe on the map
After skirting an armed border control point guarding a mountain pass leading to Russia, we get our first glimpse of Ushba glacier, a minty white ice flow that tumbles down the mountain's western flank. The 12-kilometre return hike is a good warm-up for the next few days, where we'll push higher and deeper into the scenically extravagant Greater Caucasus, a 1200-kilometre-long mountain range stretching from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. Mestia is the region's gateway, an unexpectedly cosmopolitan ski town with modern hotels, atmospheric restaurants and an intriguing architectural mishmash of ancient stone towers and wooden alpine chalets. From Mestia, we spend three days hiking to Ushguli, a journey that plunges us into a buckling landscape of forested ravines and raging glacial rivers. Along the way, there are taxing climbs over mountain passes (the highest is 2720 metres), but the reward is normally a stupendously scenic lunch spot with a panoramic view of a squirming glacier or a peak-studded horizon. Afternoons are then spent descending on trails through autumn-tinged beech forests, occasionally passing fields dotted with clanking cattle and skittish wild horses. En route, we encounter hikers from all over the world. One day, I pass a shirtless Russian man and his two children; on another we meet a group of young Spaniards drinking red wine and playing chess. While we use horses to cross a freezing glacial stream, a mother and daughter from Latvia nonchalantly wade across in sandals. 'It's OK,' says the daughter, noticing my concern. 'At home, we go ice swimming.' Accommodation is what you'd expect to find in remote mountain communities with only a handful of families – rustic and welcoming. We stay in a series of small guesthouses with basic rooms and shared facilities. Days start with a generous spread of homemade bread, cheese, salads and cake (a breakfast item I enthusiastically endorse) and end with a table-filling array of soups, curries, beans and potatoes. A few of us bravely try the local wine, which on one occasion is dispensed – somewhat alarmingly – from a recycled soft drink bottle. Georgia claims to be the oldest wine-making culture in the world. But despite 8000 years of practice, its traditional amber wines, produced by fermenting juice, skins and stalks in underground clay pots called qvevri, can often be challenging. A side product from this endeavour is chacha, a grappa-like digestif so potent you completely forget about the taste of the wine. We learn more about the wine-making process during an enjoyable lunch at Merebashvili's Marani, a family-run winery in the small town of Kaspi. Owner Lasha Merebashvili explains that Georgia used to have about 550 grape varietals but many were wiped out by two devastating viruses called 'phylloxera and communism'. It's hard to escape the frequent reminders of Russia's legacy, from the striking Soviet-era bas-reliefs in Tbilisi to the Cyrillic writing on gravestones. Even at mealtimes, it's rare not to be offered a variant of the traditional Russian salad of potatoes, carrot, pickles and egg. Perhaps the most contentious legacy we see is an EU-built settlement housing some of the estimated 200,000 Georgian refugees who were displaced by Russian incursions during 2008. Deemed by Georgia to be occupied territories, the 'autonomous' regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia account for almost 20 per cent of the country. Guide Lasha Udzilauri, who grew up under Russian rule, can still remember the crime-ridden 'dark days' after the Soviet Union crumbled when there were long lines for bread and there was no electricity. On the way to Mestia, we stop in Gori, the birthplace of Stalin, to visit a museum containing the two-room wooden hut in which he was born and the armoured train carriage he later used for transport. 'Many of the older generation are proud that Stalin was from Georgia,' Udzilauri says, 'but they have Stockholm syndrome from this time. The younger generation are different – no one can be a dictator of them.' During Soviet rule, religion was outlawed, so most of Georgia's churches were turned into stables or toilets. Thankfully, two of the most significant examples that survived are now preserved as UNESCO World Heritage sites. The hilltop 6th-century Jvari Monastery contains some of the earliest examples of Georgian writing and the 11th-century Svetitskhoveli Cathedral claims to be the final resting place of Jesus' robe. Equally astounding is Uplistsikhe, a sprawling set of cave dwellings near Gori that date from the 1st century BC. While these ancient sites are undeniably impressive, I'm more intrigued by the country's recent history and the enormous economic, social and cultural changes that have occurred since it left the Soviet Union in 1991. We see evidence of this in Tbilisi, where there are striking contemporary buildings alongside brutalist Soviet edifices. And even in remote regions like Upper Svaneti, people are being lured back to breathe new life into abandoned villages. On our penultimate night in Mestia, two of us head to the local cinema after dinner to watch Dede, a 2017 film by Mariam Khatchvani about the life of her grandmother. Set in and around Ushguli during the 1990s, it's a heart-wrenching portrayal of a gruelling existence punctuated by family feuds, murders and kidnappings. Afterwards, I take a late-night stroll along the deserted main drag, past swish restaurants, stylish cafes and even a co-working space. And then, out of a side street, a boy appears with four cattle, which he proceeds to usher down the main street using a stick. It's a surreal sight – a ghost from Georgia's past walking towards its fluorescent-lit future. The details
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Renergen secures helium rights as SA minister dismisses Springbok Solar's appeal
Renergen Renergen says the minister of the Department of Mineral Resources has dismissed the appeal by Springbok Solar against our helium rights in the Virginia Gas Project. South Africa's Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources has dismissed an appeal by Springbok Solar Power Plant against Renergen's helium extraction rights at the Virginia Gas Project, affirming the company's legal authority to extract and commercialise helium as a by-product of natural gas. The decision, announced on Monday, ends a protracted dispute and strengthens Renergen's position as a key player in South Africa's helium and natural gas sector. The ruling follows a thorough review of legal and scientific arguments, resolving a contentious debate over whether helium should be classified as a mineral or a petroleum by-product under South African law. The Minister's decision confirms that helium extraction falls within Tetra4's existing Production Right, a subsidiary of Renergen, aligning with the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Ac. The Minister said this interpretation promotes 'resource efficiency and regulatory consistency' in South Africa's petroleum framework. 'This is a landmark decision for Renergen and its shareholders,' said Stefano Marani, the CEO of Renergen. 'The appeal was a tactical move to challenge our position, but with this matter now settled, we can focus on scaling up production and delivering value as South Africa's leading helium and natural gas producer.' The decision also has implications for Springbok Solar, whose appeal was deemed 'vexatious' by Renergen. Additionally, a recent ruling by the Director-General of the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources set aside a Section 53 approval critical to the Springbok Solar Project, rendering its development unlawful. Renergen sought urgent relief to halt construction at the solar project but was denied by the Bloemfontein High Court on May 23, 2025, due to procedural urgency requirements. The court instructed Renergen to place the matter on the ordinary roll, with a hearing expected in early June. The ruling secures Renergen's ability to tap into its world-class helium reserves in the Free State, a critical asset given helium's growing demand in industries such as medical imaging, aerospace, and semiconductor manufacturing. Analysts say the decision bolsters investor confidence in Renergen's long-term growth, as the company moves to ramp up production at the Virginia Gas Project. Marani expressed optimism about ongoing negotiations with Springbok Solar, stating, 'We are confident this resolution paves the way for a mutually beneficial outcome.' However, with the solar project's legal standing in question, the dispute may continue to unfold in court next month. Renergen's share price at 9.11am was flat at R11.54 on the JSE. Last Tuesday Renergen's share price rocketed 44.7% following the announcement of a buyout offer for South Africa's only onshore gas production company by Nasdaq-listed ASP Isotopes, to create a merged company focused on globally sought-after critical materials. ASP Isotopes, which only last month indicated it wished to do a secondary listing on the JSE later this year, has made a firm share-for-share offer to acquire 100% of the shares in Renergen, by way of a scheme of arrangement or standby general offer. | BUSINESS REPORT
IOL News
20-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
ASP Isotopes to acquire Renergen in strategic merger for critical materials
Renergen is pioneering the future of energy. With a focus on Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and Liquefied Helium (LHe), iyt is at the forefront of driving positive change in the energy sector. Image: Supplied Renergen's share price rocketed 44.7% on Tuesday following the announcement of one of the most surprising deals on the JSE this year, the buyout offer for South Africa's only onshore gas production company by Nasdaq-listed ASP Isotopes, to create a merged company focused on globally sought-after critical materials. ASP Isotopes, which only last month indicated it wished to do a secondary listing on the JSE later this year, has made a firm share-for-share offer to acquire 100% of the shares in Renergen, by way of a scheme of arrangement or standby general offer. Renergen's shares traded at R10.13 on the JSE Tuesday, up 44.7%. In the US, ASPI's share price fell 10.7% to $6.71. Renergen's market capitalisation was R1.09 billion on the day. 'This is an exciting step for ASP Isotopes. With the imminent spin-out of QLE, I have been considering the expansion of the ASP Isotopes business, and this opportunity is the perfect fit for us,' said ASP Isotopes chairman and CEO, and QLE (Quantum Leap Energy) chairman and CEO Paul Mann in a statement. He said both isotopes and helium were viewed by many governments as critically and strategically important materials. 'The combination of these two companies will create a company with huge strategic value and a vital part of a fragile supply chain enabling so many industries," said Mann. Renergen CEO Stefano Marani said after a tumultuous year and a half (that included the first helium production and delivery to a customer), he was excited about the combined prospects of the new company and its future access to the US investor base, who have a deep understanding of critical minerals, as well as oil and gas. Marani said this access has 'for the longest time been the final critical ingredient required to unlock the Virginia Gas Project.' 'In joining our two companies, not only do we get this, but even more exciting is the expansion of the business horizontally across our key helium customer bases of nuclear, healthcare, semiconductors, and rocketry,' he said. He said that as the world became more insular, critical materials were quickly becoming the most sought-after commodities, and the merger would place ASP Isotopes f"ront and centre". 'Offering customers a fully integrated supply chain reduces a significant amount of risk for them and makes our offering incredibly valuable," said Marani. ASP Isotopes said the goal would be to generate earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation of more than $300 million by 2030. The transaction had received support from 35% of Renergen's shareholders, and the transaction was expected to close in the third quarter, ahead of the planned spin-off of QLE. ASP Isotopes uses South African research and technology to enrich isotopes that can be used in the medical, semiconductor, and nuclear industries. It has been listed on the Nasdaq since 2022, with a market capitalisation of $400 million (R7.5bn). ASP Isotopes produces and commercialises enriched Carbon-14 (C-14), Silicon-28 (Si-28), and Ytterbium-176 (Yb-176). These isotopes are enriched via two processes: Aerodynamic Separation Process (ASP Technology) and Quantum Enrichment (QE Technology). Currently, Russia dominates global isotope production, with about 85% of stable isotopes being produced there. Since 2022, isotope availability has been intermittent because, given Russia's dominance, the world was susceptible to global disruptions of industrial production, with many industries and defence capabilities facing existential risk without a secure isotope supply. In October 2024, ASPI and TerraPower, which is founded and backed by Bill Gates, entered into a term sheet. TerraPower was expected to fund a HALEU production facility in South Africa and purchase all HALEU produced over a 10-year period. In November 2024, ASPI Isotopes signed a memorandum of understanding with the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (Necsa) to collaborate on research, development, and commercial production of advanced nuclear fuels. Visit:
