As South Africa and many other African counterparts rapidly adopt renewable energy and advance various renewable energy initiatives, it is important to partner with experienced and quality-focused service providers, such as electro-mechanical original-equipment manufacturer Actom.

Through its 54 production, service and repair facilities throughout South Africa and 30 other African countries, the company stands ready to serve the continent’s booming energy sector.

Actom has streamlined its core businesses within the electrical infrastructure industrial sector to offer customers a one-stop-shop experience.

The global move towards using green energy as a means to mitigate climate change and spur improved efficiencies, coupled with Africa’s own agenda of universal energy access and creating jobs, is motivating Actom to keep on top of the latest technologies and highest quality standards.

For example, Actom’s manufacturing facility in Wadeville, Johannesburg, has been producing power transformers for more than 50 years, in keeping with global trends and changing customer needs.

The facility is one of only three transformer manufacturing facilities in South Africa, and among a handful on the African continent. Having local manufacturing capabilities reduces lead times for customers and helps to preserve South Africa’s industrial capability.

Renewable energy projects are considered more sustainable when supplied by local companies such as Actom, which continuously strives to employ local expertise. 

The company is a member of the Manufacturing Circle and Proudly South Africa organisations, which are strong advocates for local industry advancement.

Actom supplies power transformers with capacities of up to 240 MVA for collector substations, as well as generation step up transformers for wind turbines and solar inverters ranging from 2 MVA to 12 MVA capacities, and voltages from 0.6 kV to 33 kV.  

The company is also able to manufacture transformers up to 300 kV, which are often required by electricity distribution utilities, mining operations, industrial plants and public works authorities.

Actom, through its Power Transformers division, offers a power transformer, medium-voltage switchgear and low-voltage switchgear combination as a skid or containerised solution.

In turn, Actom’s high voltage division provides grid connection and power conditioning products for wind, solar photovoltaic and concentrated solar power plants, including circuit breakers, instrument transformers and disconnectors, as well as power quality products and services.

Particularly, Actom is well equipped to manufacture solutions for South African independent power producers, which are poised to develop another 4.6 GW of renewable energy as part of Bid Window 6 of the South African Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. 

With President Cyril Ramaphosa having announced numerous incentives for solar power development in the country earlier this year, Actom is confident that the mining sector will also accelerate its project development in this regard.

The company investigates the required scope of a power system or energy storage solution, taking into account all factors that may not have been considered originally.

For most of the electromechanical equipment used in the generation, transmission and distribution of energy, Actom undertakes concept design, analyses of design and revisions until an optimised solution is crafted.

Aftermarket support, which the company deems critical to optimise plant performance and availability, adds to the company’s comprehensive service offering in South Africa and the rest of the continent.

ACTOM Distribution Transformers located in Knights, designs, manufactures and supplies standalone energy efficient small to medium power transformers to SANS 780: 2020 equivalent to Euro tier 1 and 2 which are either mineral oil or natural / synthetic ester oil filled, Pad Mount Transformer Kiosk’s (PTK’s) solution to IEC 60076-16 (incorporating transformer, invertor, MV switchgear and LV switchgear) as a skid solution for renewable energy application up to 8MVA 44kV. We are the largest manufacturer of NECRT’s.

The company firmly believes that Africa has the capability to be self-sufficient and reduce reliance on Eastern and European imports, particularly inferior quality products that do not comply with international best standards, nor local requirements.

Actom reiterates its commitment to high-quality products and services for the energy sector, which will remain a cornerstone in Africa’s development.