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Power events combined to tackle Africa’s energy needs

PRAVIN GORDHAN
The National Development Plan reminds us that South Africa needs to invest in a strong network of economic infrastructure

PRAVIN GORDHAN The National Development Plan reminds us that South Africa needs to invest in a strong network of economic infrastructure

28th February 2014

  

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Media and information company PennWell International announ-ced in March that it had made the strategic decision to coloc-ate this year’s Power-Gen Africa and Distributech Africa exhibitions and conferences.

The combined event will run from March 17 to 19 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.

By hosting these events concurrently, these two globally renowned energy event brands will present one end-to-end platform designed to tackle the needs of Africa’s energy sector throughout the electricity delivery process, from the generation of electricity in the power station to its efficient distribution and delivery to the end-user/con-sumer, says Power-Gen Africa and Distributech event director and PennWell International director of conferences Nigel Blackaby.

“The decision to colocate these events was made following consultation with the market, and feedback from the market. It is clear that, given Africa’s unique challenges and that so many of its utilities are integr- ated end-to-end energy providers, its stakeholders would be better served by a single event that addresses the entire power generation and delivery chain,” he says.

He adds that the effect of hosting these two major global brands under a single roof will offer participating utilities and other stakeholders a much bigger and more comprehensive value proposition.

The Power-Gen Africa and Distributech Africa conferences will draw together leading global and local experts to discuss, deb- ate and explore solutions to Africa’s energy generation, distribution and delivery environment.

The world’s leading players and participants in the energy sector will converge at the exhibition for three days to facilitate the exchange of ideas and the transfer of knowledge and to meet with their prospective African business counterparts.

More than 2 100 attendees from 63 countries and six continents attended the inaugural Power-Gen Africa 2012. The 2014 event is expected to attract larger numbers of the same high-level decision-makers to explore the theme, Solutions for Africa’s Energy Future, across the conference’s three Strategic, Technology and Renewable Energy tracks.

Distributech Africa 2014, with its theme, Equipping Utilities for the Future, is likewise expected to draw an audience of local and pan-African leaders, planners, technical experts, suppliers, investors, regulators and policymakers in the electricity distribution industry.

Distributech is an information provider and networking platform for the advancement of the smart grid as an industry enabler. The event has been produced in the US for 23 years.

In 2012, the franchise held its first and hugely successful event outside the US with the launch of Distributech Brasil.

Distributech Africa advisory board chair Dr Willie de Beer says that South Africa’s electricity distribution industry is under significant pressure to increase performance and, among others, absorb substantial tariff increases. This, in addition to the problems of aging infrastructure and human resource recruitment and development, is amongst the challenges facing the industry.

“It is important to note that the largest percentage of the current distribution infrastructure was designed and construc-ted with twentieth century requirements in mind. The challenges facing the distribution industry today are significantly different. Among the requirements today are the need for customer empowerment, enhanced two-way communication, the need to accommodate alternative energy options, higher grid and data security requirements, and so on.

“One can argue that the current distribution industry is not geared for twenty-first century challenges and urgent modernisation of the grid is required,” he adds.

Better grid and network planning will be a key topic at Distributech and one that State-owned utility Eskom believes it can share solutions on.

“Eskom is proud to be the Host Utility for Distributech Africa in this inaugural edition on the African continent. We will be looking to benefit from knowledge exchange with international engineering companies and product manufacturers, and will also be sharing practices and solutions for key industry challenges, such as improved grid and network planning, asset design, operations and maintenance.

“Eskom is confident that, in areas such as high-voltage power transmission line design, extra-high-voltage transmission line operations, long-distance transmission and rural electrification, it will be able to impart some cutting-edge approaches,” says Eskom power delivery engineering GM Prince Moyo.

Eskom will also be looking forward to understanding how to convert strategies in the field of smart grids into practical implementable programmes and integrating renewable sources of energy into the grid.

Another area of interest will be ultra- high-voltage transmission (minimum 800 kV HVdc and 1 000 kVac), he adds, highlighting that this will be useful as Eskom integrates the grids across the continent.

Localisation of production is also a high priority for Eskom and the country as it struggles to address its unique socioeconomic challenges.

As Power-Gen Africa and Distributech prepare to tackle the issue of what needs to be done to equip utilities for the future, the South Africa government has been making headway on the subject of how to finance that development.

In his yearly Budget Speech on February 27, 2013, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan said: “The National Development Plan reminds us that South Africa needs to invest in a strong network of economic infrastructure designed to support the country’s medium- and long-term economic and social objectives.

“Over the next three years, R827-billion is planned to be spent by the fiscus and State-owned companies to build infrastructure. The financing for these projects is in place, and is not affected by the spending cuts in the Budget.

The fiscus has allocated just under R430-billion for schools, hospitals, clinics, dams, water and electricity distribution networks, electrification of over a million new homes, sanitation schemes, building more courtrooms and prisons, and improved bus, commuter rail and road links. Most of the spending falls under provinces and municipalities.

“Eskom, State-owned company Transnet and others fund a further R400-billion of projects. This will be financed both through own resources and additional borrowing over the next three years, supported by Treasury guarantees.

This will pay for the ongoing building of power generation plants and new transmission lines, investment in rail, ports and pipelines, large new water transfer schemes, and various airport upgrades.”

With the budget allocated and the financing in place, South Africa’s decision-makers will be well placed to act decisively at Power-Gen Africa and Distributech Africa 2014, concludes Blackaby.

Edited by Megan van Wyngaardt
Creamer Media Contributing Editor Online

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