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Eskom, local universities sign Phase 2 of the EPPEI funding agreement

13th July 2016

By: Samantha Herbst

Creamer Media Deputy Editor

  

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Eskom will next week sign Phase 2 of the Eskom Power Plant Engineering Institute (EPPEI) funding agreement, which will see the State power utility committing R155-million to execute and enhance eight inter-university programmes in South Africa, integrating research efforts and creating synergy between academic research and practical application on interdisciplinary technical challenges at Eskom.

Phase 2 of the EPPEI programme, which would run from 2017 to 2021, aimed to fund 300 masters and PhD graduates, as well as focus on upskilling 1 000 students with B-Tech qualifications and artisanal skills.

The programme primarily targeted Eskom engineers and sought to enhance the utility’s niche engineering skills within nine specialisation centres.

These included Energy Efficiency at the University of Cape Town (UCT) and the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU); Combustion Engineering at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) and the University of Johannesburg; Emissions Control at North-West University, the Vaal University of Technology and the University of Venda; Materials Science and Mechanics at UCT and NMMU; Asset Management at the University of Pretoria and the Tshwane University of Technology; High Voltage Engineering at Wits and the Vaal University of Technology; High Voltage Engineering and Flexible Alternating Current Transmission Systems at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the Durban University of Technology; Renewable Energy at Stellenbosch University and the Cape Peninsula University of Technology; and Nuclear Engineering (with the host university still to be decided).
 
The launch of EPPEI Phase 2 would be a flagship initiative in ensuring the all-inclusive development of engineering skills and specialisation within the energy sector.

“We at Eskom are excited and gearing ourselves for positioning Eskom as one of the top five performing utilities globally and we envisage ourselves as having the most versatile and robust engineering capabilities on the African continent,” stated Eskom group executive of generation and technology Matshela Koko.

He added that specialised skills developed through the EPPEI programme would continue to help Eskom deal with the challenges of managing ageing power stations, while delivering on the utility’s new-build projects.

“With the synergies between the various universities, original-equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and Eskom, EPPEI Phase 2 is destined for outstanding results,” he said.

Phase 1 of the EPPEI programme, which got under way in 2012, saw Eskom invest R129-million to initially fund the eight specialisation centres, which resulted in 134 publications been published and 44 Eskom employees graduating with master’s degrees.

The utility was currently sponsoring a learner pipeline of 1 537 artisans, 864 engineers, 373 plant operators and 472 technicians, at a cost of R123-million.

Committed to supporting the sustainability of the power industry within South Africa, Eskom had also supported 908 employees performing engineering work through further studies at a cost of R32-million over the last five years.

In addition to the EPPEI investment, Phase 1 saw Eskom invest R75-million into South African universities’ research and testing funds.

The next phase of the funding agreement would be signed on July 19 at the POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa 2016 conference and exhibition at the Sandton Convention Centre.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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