“An annual pilgrimage on the calendar of African electricity and water utilities” Eskom will be the official host utility for the annual African Utility Week & Clean Power Africa conference and exhibition in Cape Town for the next five years.

Energy industry challenges
Claire Volkwyn, content director for the event, says South Africa is going through a shift in terms of its generation capacity by procuring and building renewable energy capacity through the country.  She adds:  ““additionally, by building our traditional generation capacity, we are ensuring South Africa’s future generation mix is truly reflective of a combination of technologies.  Eskom is actively involved in these efforts to ensure security of supply either through building the infrastructure, or through its role as purchaser of the power.”

She continues:  “with this increased generation capacity, we also need to ensure that the supporting transmission and distribution infrastructure is keeping pace, and these are some of the key issues which will form part of the African Utility Week programme.  Through interactions with our Advisory Board, we are putting together a world class programme which will provide opportunities to discuss, debate and dissect case studies and technologies and their role in Africa.”
Annual pilgrimage on utility calendar
The next African Utility Week & Clean Power Africa is taking place at the CTICC in Cape Town, from 13-14 May 2014 and is attended by more than 5000 power and water professionals from more than 30 African countries and 70 worldwide, at what is the largest utility gathering of its kind on the continent. 

Last year, Eskom Chief Executive Brian Dames once again was the keynote speaker, describing African Utility Week as “an annual pilgrimage on the calendar of African electricity and water utilities, and as Eskom we are proud to have been a part of it for the past 13 years."  

Eskom CE Brian Dames

African Utility Week’s programme topics will include:
• Generation technologies – nuclear, coal, gas, geothermal and renewable energies such as solar and wind
• The role of the smart grid and what an African smart grid would look like
• HVDC technology for cross border transmission
• The role of prepaid metering for revenue management
• Can you have a smart grid which does not include a smart meter
• Updates on the South African REIPP programme
• Avoid another 2008 electricity supply crisis using world class manufacturing pillars
• Strike the balance in managing industrial and municipal water losses
Outreach into the utility and energy intensive user industry
Says African Utility Week event director Russell Hughes:  “as a Cape Town-based global trade exhibition & conference organiser responsible for the power and water industry’s leading exhibition and conference in Africa, our vision is to partner with South Africa’s power utility in a long term way that would support the objectives we share.  These include continuously improving power supply and service to South African citizens and supporting stronger inter-collaboration amongst Africa’s leading utilities.”
He continues:  “we are delighted that Eskom has approved a five year host utility agreement with African Utility Week, starting in 2014.  It is encouraging to have Eskom's support for our outreach into the utility, large scale power and water user industries, and we intend to work closely with them in order to achieve greater levels of collaboration between African utilities and industry. We look forward to working with them for a very long time still.”

Continued partnership
Eskom’s Senior manager for Strategic Marketing Pieter Pretorius says in a statement:  “we are pleased that the endorsement of African Utility Week has been approved for period 2014-2018.  We look forward to a continued partnership to benefit not only South Africa’s energy industry and increased energy efficiency but also engaging with utilities, and service providers across the continent. “