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Africa’s energy and water leaders join forces

15th April 2014

  

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African Utility  (0.08 MB)

The power and water sector will come together in May to discuss challenges and celebrate successes at the annual African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa in Cape Town.

More than 5000 power and water professionals, including utility heads from Nigeria, Uganda, Namibia, Senegal, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa, will gather for the 14th annual African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and expo at Cape Town’s CTICC from 13-14 May. It is the largest utility gathering of its kind on the continent with visitors from 30 African countries and 70 worldwide.

“Africa’s energy and water challenges are not unique but it is important to look at African solutions for Africa and we are making great progress”, says Nicolette Pombo-van Zyl, African Utility Week programme director. “It is a relevant and practical gathering at a time when resources are under the spot light, by the industry, for the industry,” Pombo-van Zyl explains, “we will discuss topics ranging from the energy-water-food nexus, energy efficiency, rural electrification, smart metering, hear about cherry-picked case studies and successful projects around the continent and look at how utilities can incorporate renewable energy into their power mix.”

She continues: “during the CEO Forum, which will be attended by CEOs and high-level utility executives from countries such as Nigeria, Uganda, Namibia, Senegal, Ghana, Uganda, Malawi, Zambia and South Africa, we will particularly focus on short-term, technical wins that utilities can implement, looking at appropriate technologies for Africa, without having to invest in something as expensive and long term as smart grids in order to improve grid efficiencies.”

Free expo and technical workshops

The expo will focus on the latest technology and services in the industry disciplines of metering, clean power, water, large power users, investment and finance, transmission & distribution, smart grids and generation.

To assist utilities and large power users become more energy efficient and explore renewable energy options, African Utility Week has also teamed up with professional industry bodies for a varied series of free CPD-accredited technical workshops in electrical engineering, energy efficiency and renewable energy taking place on the expo floor.

The African Utility Week Awards will furthermore celebrate the industry’s triumphs and successes throughout 2013 in nine award categories, ranging from Utility Executive of the Year to the Best Rural Electrification Project.

Conference programme and speaker highlights include:

Opening keynote session:
Panel discussion: The changing African utility landscape – adaptation for longevity
Smarter technologies, increasing customer engagement and the quest for sustainability

Speakers include:
• Agnes Dasewicz, Director of USAID’s Private Capital Group for Africa. USA
• Ayanda Nakedi, Senior General Manager, Renewables Business Unit, Eskom, South Africa
• Ger Bergkamp, Executive Director, International Water Association, Belgium
• Frans Vreeswijk, Secretary General & Chief Executive Officer, IEC, Switzerland
• Phindile Baleni, Chief Executive Officer, National Energy Regulator South Africa, South Africa

Metering:
• Lessons learnt from Lesotho’s roll out
Speaker: Seitlheko Muhlomi, Metering Manager, Lesotho Electricity Company, Lesotho
• Ugandan case study on strides taken to reduce non-technical losses with ABC re-conducting
Speaker: Robert Mubiru, Projects Manager, UMEME, Uganda

Water
Realising Africa’s development agenda and the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
Moderator: Paul Yillia, Consultant, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL), Austria
Panellists include:

• Peter Flower, Director Water & Sanitation, City of Cape Town, South Africa
• Silver Mugisha, Managing Director, National Water and Sewerage Corporation, Uganda
• Diego Juan Rodriguez, Senior Economist: Water Partnership Programme Manager, World Bank, USA
• Oliver Johnson, Research Fellow Sustainable Energy, Stockholm Environment Institute Africa Centre, Kenya
• Nandha Govender, General Manager: Water & Environmental Operations, Eskom, South Africa
• Henry Coppens, Technical Specialist, Energy & Emission, Sappi, South Africa

Large Power Users
• Sustainable cities - working with private sector
Speaker: Sarah Ward, Head Energy and Climate Change, Environmental Resource Management Department, City of Cape Town, South Africa
• Case study: Airport implementation of an Energy Management System
Speaker: Jerusha Joseph, Engineer: Mechanical, Airports Company South Africa, South Africa

Smart Grids, Transmission & Distribution
Panel Discussion: Addressing the backlog in the ageing infrastructure
Moderator: Anton Booyzen, South African Asset Management Association, President, South Africa


Panellists include:
• Peter Mtonda, Director Distribution, Escom, Malawi
• Gerhard Myburgh, Transmission Asset Manager, Nampower, Namibia

• Distribution: Tunisian case study on the MALT rural electrification system
Speaker: Jamil Korked, Deputy General Manager, STEG International, Tunisia
• Clean energy hybrid mini-grids in remote areas: an investment opportunity
Speaker: Dean Cooper, Energy Finance Programme Manager, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), France

Hydropower
• Developments beyond 2014 at Grand Inga
Speaker: Hon Minister Bruno Kapandji Kalala, Minister of Water Resources and Electricity, Democratic Republic of Congo
• Cameroon’s expanding hydro potentials
Speaker: Pierre Edimo, President of the Technical Committee for Rehabilitation of State and Parastatal Enterprises, Ministry of Finance, Cameroon

Solar
• South Africa’s first utility-scale solar plant goes online - successes and challenges
Speaker: Raymond Carlsen, CEO, Scatec Solar, South Africa
• Fact not fiction: the true potential of solar revealed
Speaker: Wikus van Niekerk, Director, Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University, South Africa
Speaker: Frank Dinter, Eskom Chair in CSP, Stellenbosch University, South Africa

Wind
• The importance of turbine maintenance and training staff to do it
Speaker: Dieter Sommer, Senior Training Manager, South African Renewable Energy Technology Centre (SARETEC), South Africa

Event dates and location:
Conference and Exhibition (including workshops): 13-14 May 2014
Focus day: 12 May 2014
Site visits: 15 May 2014
Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa

Website: www.african-utility-week.com, www.clean-power-africa.com 

Contact:
Communications manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Telephone: +27 21 700 3558
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844

Email: annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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