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June 2016
Energy Efficiency
W
illy Majola, Senior General
Manager Engineering at Es-
kom, speaking on behalf
of Matshela Koko, Group Executive
Generation at Eskom, said: “Since
August last year, there has been no
load shedding. We have stepped up
maintenance and are bringing more
generation capacity online. On the
transmission side, Eskom is rolling
out 765 kV lines for bulk distribution,
and has installed over 6 000 km of
transmission lines in the past seven
years. On the distribution side, we
have provided over 4,6million house-
holds with electricity since 1991.”
Majola said a key factor in improv-
ing power generation and distribu-
tion was collaboration: “We are well
aware of the big responsibility on our
shoulders and the impact electricity
has on our economy.
“Someone once said, ‘electricity is
the oxygen of our country’, it supports
more than economic development
– quality of life. Power and other in-
frastructure, such as clean water and
air, are needed for a better standard
of living. We realise we cannot do this
on our own. Therefore, we work with
many international organisations as
well as local universities to increase
our knowledge and overcome chal-
lenges. In line with this, our partner-
shipwithPOWER-GEN&DistribuTECH
Africa is a beneficial one and the
upcoming event enables Eskom to
meet industryplayers.”POWER-GEN&
DistribuTECHAfrica conference Chair,
Dr Willie de Beer, said: “South Africa is
reforming the industry by default. By
introducing IPPs, enabling self-built
transmission grids and supporting
the solar revolution, our industry is
adapting to change andmoving away
from the hW/H utility model.”
Renewables, in particular solar,
present significant hope for afford-
able power that can be rolled out
quickly inunder-servedareas. DeBeer
noted, “Utilities will have to adapt to
accommodate this.” SindiswaMzamo,
Chief Operating Officer of the Edison
Power Group and POWER-GEN & Dis-
tribuTECH Africa participant, noted
that Africa had reached a tipping
point for the adoption of solar power.
“Across Africa, solar is the solution for
powering rural communities, because
it is cost effective and does not need
to be connected to a grid to power an
isolated geographic area. The wave
of solar adoptions may be one of the
most important initiatives in African
power right now,” she said.
Glenn Ensor, the conference or-
ganiser says that due to the growing
importance of solar power in Africa,
POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa
would focus strongly on solar tech-
nologies and strategies this year. He
also announced that a delegation of
Turkish solar product manufactur-
ers would travel to South Africa to
participate in the expo, showcasing
advanced solar technologies suited
to African markets.
The 2016 edition of POWER-GEN
& DistribuTECH Africa will highlight
a number of other key themes,
including the maintenance and
management of ageing assets, the
nuclear power question, the gamut
of renewable energies, and advanced
technologies and smart grids.
The conference has also expanded
its reach to include energy heavy
industries such as mining, plastics
and manufacturing. By bringing to-
gether over 2 000 stakeholders from
across the power value chain – from
generation through to end users –
POWER-GEN & DistribuTECH Africa
2016 aims to facilitate networking
and knowledge sharing that catalyses
power sector advancement across
the continent.
Under the theme ‘Creating power
for sustainable growth’ POWER-GEN
& DistribuTECH Africa 2016 will be
staged from 19 – 21 July at the Sand-
ton Convention Centre, with a strong
focus on renewable energy, sustain-
able power generation and distribu-
tion, pan-Africanpower provision and
smarter management and grids.
For more information go to
www.powergenafrica.com■
Brighter future for African power
The expansion of generation and
transmission capacity, and the
rapid adoption of renewables
such as solar, promise economic
benefits and improved quality of
life across Africa.
Willy Majola