ACTOM, a level 1 broad-based black economic empowered company which is 59.65% black-owned and 35.63% black-women owned, offers power transformers through its Power Transformers Division.

In line with the services that it provides to electricity distribution, transmission and generation utilities, Actom Power Transformers (APT) has been “integrally involved” in supplying transformers to numerous independent power producers (IPPs) from Round 1 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

APT has been closely involved with renewable IPPs, developers, designers and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) teams in terms of supply of power transformers in the renewable energy project space over the last 14 years.

To date, APT has supplied over 60 transformers ranging from 20 MVA 132/22 kV up to 160 MVA 132/33 kV for the collector substations on the renewables projects executed under the REIPPPP, of which rounds 1 to 4.5 are in operation in South Africa today.

APT division CEO Steve Jordaan adds that the division also supplies  generation step up transformers for wind turbines and solar inverters ranging from 2 MVA to 12 MVA and voltages from 0.6 kV to 33 kV.

These transformers step up the low voltage from the wind turbine or solar photovoltaic (PV) inverters, which are generally less than 1 000 V, to 22 kV or 33 kV for dispatch to the collector substation transformers.

“It is no secret that around the world many of the transformers used in these applications presented with gassing as indicated through regular dissolved gas analysis (DGA),” says Jordaan.

He explains that this application requires specific design criteria to be applied to the step-up transformers to mitigate the effects of harmonics and dynamic response characteristics of the inverters.

APT, working in collaboration with its design partner in Switzerland, has designed a range of transformers that specifically takes into account the unique requirements of inverter-fed step-up transformers in wind and PV inverter applications.

“The latest DGA results for the 109 units APT supplied and installed at Kangnas and Perdekraal wind farms, which have been operating for a few years now, confirm that all units are operating “gas free” which places APT at the forefront of PTK and Padmount transformer technology in South Africa,” Jordaan notes.

The product range has also been expanded to include transformers up to 12 MVA as inverter manufacturers have increased the size of their inverter offerings.

“Developers and EPCs prefer integrated solutions to combine the low voltage and medium voltage switchgear with the step-up transformers onto a common base rather than having to cable between three bespoke sets of equipment for their renewables project sites,” Jordaan says.

He explains that this simplifies the installation of the equipment and mitigates interconnecting cable faults on site.

APT has teamed up with its ACTOM MV Switchgear, ACTOM Distribution Transformers and ACTOM Protection and Control divisions to offer a skid mount or containerized integrated solution. “APT, through its team of local engineers and international technology partners, ensures the latest technologies are employed and that the highest quality standards are maintained at the state-of-the-art local manufacturing facility in Wadeville, Johannesburg,” he adds.

All APT’s products are designed and manufactured in accordance with IEC60076 specifications.

With the Integrated Resource Plan accounting for 2.6 GW of renewables a year in the country’s energy mix, to be implemented over ten years under the REIPPPP, Jordaan further notes that this “translates into a significant increase in the demand for renewables projects over this period”.

With the advent of Rounds 5 and 6 of the REIPPPP gathering some momentum, alongside recent legislative changes around power generation by the private sector, APT has identified IPP renewables as a growing market segment.

To this end, APT has embarked on increasing its manufacturing capacity with the introduction of a second Vapour Phase Oven, additional vertical and horizontal winding machines, two additional assembly stations as well as a state-of-the-art air cushion system.

This, Jordaan says, will add about 935 MVA of additional capacity to the APT Wadeville works per year, bringing the total capacity to around 3 200 MVA per year product mix dependent.

The additional capacity will be fully operational by March 2023, he confirms.

South Africa, Jordaan stresses, urgently requires additional generation capacity and the roll-out of these renewables projects is set to be accelerated as is evidenced by Round 6 of the REIPPPP – which calls for bids amounting to 4.6 GW.

These developments by APT neatly position it as the leading supplier of transformer solutions to the renewables sector, where APT can “not only deliver world class products at competitive prices but do so with high levels of local content and its customers having the major added benefit of local support for the products”.