Up to $10-trillion will have to be spent on power infrastructure to meet global electricity demand to 2030, according to Atomic Energy Agency estimates.

“The power sector has to fight for its share of investment, private or public, like any other sector out there,” says Claire Volkwyn, programme director of African Utility Week, to be held in Cape Town from May 14 to 15.

While we have seen some creative and innovative solutions being put together, it is still a major cause for concern and frustration for many utility leaders and governments. For investors, however, the African power sector remains a massive opportunity for financiers and investors, with returns running as high as 25% in some cases.”

Symbion Power CEO Paul Hinks agrees: “Symbion Power and many other companies from the US are ready to invest in Africa.” The company, a platinum sponsor at African Utility Week, recently acquired South African power network contractor EJP. “It’s a vote of confidence in Africa. South Africa’s economy is mature, compared with many of the emerging economies in Africa, but it’s a hub for African business, so it is a good location to have people,” Hinks explains.

Another global energy giant, the 121-year-old MarelliMotori, is the top sponsor for the co- located Clean Power Africa. “Our goal is to help ordinary people in Africa have a better quality of life”, says regional manager for Africa Dean Pratt.

Some 5 000 power professionals from all over the continent are expected to attend the event at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, where power utility Eskom CE Brian Dames will once again deliver the keynote address.

The African Utility Week programme will address many of the ongoing challenges that utilities on the continent grapple with, including getting the generation mix right so that utilities have the optimal balance of ‘least cost’ options, combined with maximum energy security. “We will also be discussing metering . . . revenue management and the pros and cons of smart metering,” says Volkwyn.

The co-located Clean Power Africa will focus on renewable energy, which is increasingly becoming a mainstream energy choice, and the plans that need to be put in place to integrate it into the utility environment.

Specially designed exhibition floor workshops will pull together some of the more technical aspects of both the traditional power sector and the renewable-energy sectors into a comprehensive rundown on such diverse but important topics as transformer oil analysis, sustainable management of potable water and technical innovation of hydromechanical structures.