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Press Releases from African Utility Week (40 total)

Will the African utility of the future be a lion, hyena, a white elephant or a h …

A brand new study into the future of African power utilities and the challenges they face has highlighted four possible scenarios of what the continent’s energy sector will look like by the year 2030. In the whitepaper, titled: “The Future of Energy and Power Utilities in Africa”, utilities are envisioned to either become “The Lions of Africa”, “Hungry Hyenas”, “An Elephant Herd” or “White Elephants”, with each scenario having

Indian energy companies ready to do business at African Utility Week

“Indian utility vendors and services will find a huge market and scope in Africa, especially in South Africa’s energy sector, says Dr. Rajeev Singh, the Director General and CEO of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC). The ICC represents India at the upcoming African Utility Week from 15-17 May in Cape Town, hosting a pavilion of more than 45 suppliers of specialised technology and services for the energy sector. Dr Singh

Finalists announced for African Utility Week Industry Awards show continent-wide …

The fifth annual African Utility Week Industry Awards received nominations from far and wide for the 12 different categories celebrating excellence in the energy and water industries. The finalists have been announced for the awards which honour pioneering utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industry on the continent during 2017/2018. The awards gala dinner takes place on 16 May and forms part of the African Utility Week

African Utility Week announces diamond sponsorship by longstanding partner Lucy …

African Utility Week has announced that Lucy Electric, a longstanding partner of the event, will be the exclusive diamond sponsor at this year’s exhibition and conference in Cape Town from 15-17 May. Lucy Electric is a highly respected industry leader in secondary distribution solutions with more than 100 years’ experience in the electrical industry. “African Utility Week is a key conference which evolved over the years from an electrical measurement, generation,

DRC Mining Week announces official support for non-profit BUMI

DRC Mining Week press releases“We hear a lot about child labour in the mining industry, and although we see mining companies strengthening their procedures to prevent illegal (and underage) miners, we don’t see enough alternatives offered to the youth upstream.” This is according to Sarah Moser, project coordinator at the BUMI non-profit organization, located in Kamalondo, Lubumbashi, and focused on helping orphaned and vulnerable children. BUMI is DRC Mining Week's

What every prepaid electricity user and provider should know

Approximately seven million prepaid electricity meters in South Africa need to be reset before November 2024 as the system that runs the credit tokens will run out of numbers at this time and all existing meters will stop accepting credit tokens. The South African metering standards industry body, Standard Transfer Specification Association (STSA), has embarked on an awareness programme to inform utilities to upgrade their vending systems to STS600 and

Energy and water sectors excited by solar PV, technology innovation and distribu …

Solar PV is overwhelmingly seen as the most promising generation source for Africa while corruption, skills gaps and access to finance are some of the biggest challenges that power and water professionals face in their industries. This is according to a survey by the organisers of African Utility Week amongst attendees of the annual event in Cape Town last year. Other questions in the survey included what respondents think will

World Water Day: looking to nature for the answers

"Nature or Water, exploring how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century is the theme of this year‘s World Water Day which is on 22 March. The scientific discipline of biomimicry employs the same approach. Biomimicry = nature’s genius "Every so often an idea comes around that is a game changer. After we hear it and understand it, we never see the world quite the same

Nuclear expert says nuclear build’s contribution to South Africa’s GDP will …

“Nuclear energy is certainly not any more expensive than any other energy source, says nuclear expert Dr Anthonie Cilliers, explaining that “the large 9600MW nuclear programme has created an impression of a single expensive mega-project, when in fact the purpose of the fleet approach was to drive down costs over time and increase the learning rate. This should be broken up into smaller chunks, for example, should two nuclear reactors

African Utility Week to focus strongly on meeting the continent’s water demand …

Investment in water solutions is needed by the public and private sector to enable universal access, water security and resilient societies. African Utility Week will have a strong focus on water again this year from 15-17 May in Cape Town when the strategic water conference will showcase how partnerships, financial models and latest technological advances can make the greatest impact in meeting Africa's water demand. “We want utilities to start thinking

African Utility Week Industry Awards looking for the continent’s top energy or …

The fifth annual African Utility Week Industry Awards has added two new categories to honour excellence in energy or water journalism as well as digitally advanced utilities. The awards gala dinner forms part of the African Utility Week conference and expo taking place at the CTICC in Cape Town from 15-17 May and celebrates pioneering utilities, projects and people in the energy and water industry on the continent during 2017/2018. “The

Energy expert Ted Blom: “Distributed generation will slice electricity costs b …

Energy expert Ted Blom believes distributed generation will slice electricity costs by up to 90% for the average household. Blom is a speaker and advisory board member of the 18th African Utility Week that is taking place from 15-17 May in Cape Town, South Africa. In the run-up to the event, he says in an interview that “South Africa and the world is at the precipice of revolutionary developments in

Women dominate the African Utility Week Industry Awards in Cape Town this year

Women are making an invaluable contribution to the power and water industries as reflected by the many ladies amongst the winners of the 2017 African Utility Week Industry Awards that were announced at the CTICC in Cape Town last week. Three of the awards, namely Lifetime Achievement, Outstanding Contribution to Power as well as Young Energy Leader Award, were won by women. More than 750 top level power and water

Investing in energy projects in Africa: the deal makers are gathering at African …

Six months of Trump, de-risking renewable energy investments and country project pipelines are just some of the key sessions during the upcoming African Power Finance & Investment Forum that is part of the African Utility Week conference and expo at the CTICC in Cape Town from 16-18 May. Says African Utility Week event director Evan Schiff: “we developed the African Power Finance & Investment Forum in response to a strong demand

SAP joins African Utility Week with focus on “the relevant digital utility of …

“I believe the energy sector will go through a big transformation that is going to surprise all of us and the energy sector will finally become ‘cool’!,” says Brian G. Williams, Industry Advisory Director, Utilities Industry, SAP EMEA. The global software giant has joined African Utility Week as a gold sponsor at the conference and exhibition that is taking place from 16-18 May in Cape Town. Brian is a featured

African Utility Week Industry Awards include new gas, small scale and ICT catego …

“I know the energy revolution is powering up and ready to take off. We should embrace energy trade with each other”. With these words Mr Kandeh Yumkella, UN Under-Secretary-General and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General and CEO, Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All), accepted the Lifetime Achievement Award at last year’s African Utility Week Industry Awards. The fourth edition of the annual African Utility Week Industry Awards will once

Cape Town’s water restrictions – restricting or a necessary, new way of life …

“The drought that has impacted many regions within South Africa for a considerable length of time now has exposed the poor, or lack of, water management (monitoring and control) ability of many water institutions, as well as the difficulties and inability of municipalities and their consumers to be able to reduce their consumption when required” says Steve Gillham, General Manager: Engineering and Scientific Services, Umgeni Water and advisory board member

African Utility Week to host launch of YEPP for young power pros and graduates w …

“Youth unemployment on the continent is a major epidemic and internship opportunities are an amazing solution to help maximize human capital development on the continent” says Daniel Antwi, co-founder of the Africa Internship Academy (AIA) that will launch its Young Energy and Power Professionals (YEPP) at this year’s African Utility Week in Cape Town in May. Says Daniel: “quite a number of employers have argued that skills constraint has been

African Utility Week returns to Cape Town in May and showcases how community sca …

“The power and energy landscape in Africa is undergoing significant change” says Evan Schiff, African Utility Week event director, adding that current trends include “the availability of private investment for power and energy projects, the fast development of energy storage, renewable energy is becoming cheaper, gas that is an increasingly attractive mode of power generation in Africa, and that in the next 10 years, nuclear will become an increasingly

The World Bank’s Thirsty Energy initiative explained at African Utility Week i …

The World Bank’s global Thirsty Energy initiative aims to make more governments in Africa and elsewhere aware of the interdependencies and foreseeable pressure on water as a resource for energy generation. South Africa celebrated National Water Week this week, in line with World Water Day on 22 March – showing that South Africa is part of the greater water resource cycle. Diego J. Rodriguez, Senior Economist at The World

How poor maintenance and renewal threatens municipal service delivery

It is essential that both public and private sectors get a strong understanding of their asset management maturity and develop a robust maintenance road map, says Anton Booyzen, chairman of the Southern African Asset Management Association (SAAMA). Municipalities in South Africa are responsible for managing and caring for infrastructure with a combined value of R1.156 trillion. According to a report by the Financial and Fiscal Commission, R80-billion would be

Tariff hike of only 1% increases mining costs to R100 million per year, says ind …

An electricity tariff rise of only 1% has a devastating impact on the mining industry as it amounts to an increased expenditure of R100 million per year according to the South African Chamber of Mines. It therefore really hurts that since 1 April this year, large power consumers have had to fork out an average monthly 9,6% tariff increase. Energy challenges facing big business is high on the

African Utility Week looks at cost of utilities' non-technical losses

On the last day of January this year, two trains collided outside of Pretoria, the administrative heart of South Africa. Two people were fatally injured, 19 critically and about 300 – many of whom school children – suffered minor injuries. Passenger Rail Agency of South Africa CEO Mosengwa Mofi said at the time that the most likely cause was the theft of two 25m cables, which disrupted the automated

Continent’s eyes on African Utility Week as Eskom’s Brian Dames confirms wel …

Eskom Chief Executive Brian Dames will once again deliver the keynote address during this year’s opening session of African Utility Week in Cape Town on 14 May. Some 5000 power professionals from all over the continent meet at this event every year at what is the largest utility gathering of its kind in Africa. African Utility Week’s programme director Claire Volkwyn says: “as the leading African power utility, Eskom’s

African Utility Week to focus on getting investors excited about power projects …

The new GET FiT investment mechanism which brings private and public investors together, the proposed BRICS Bank and China’s funding relationship with Africa are some of the updates featured during the Investment & Finance track of the upcoming African Utility Week conference and expo from 14-15 May in Cape Town. The event brings together more than 5000 power professionals across the entire ecosystem for the African water and power

Ghana’s electrification success explained at African Utility Week in May

Ghana had the political will to envision electrification as a national priority and catalyst for economic development says Engineer Andrew T. Barfour, Project Coordinator at the Ghana Energy Development and Access Project. To date, Ghana has achieved 72% electrification access which is one of the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. As one of the headline speakers at the upcoming African Utility Week in Cape Town in May, Eng. Barfour

Save electricity with greener Christmas decorations and gifts this holiday seaso …

Christmas is a great time to introduce energy saving habits into a household as many easy and simple changes in the way we live can end up putting extra money into your pocket. Higher electricity prices in South Africa have become an increasing strain on consumers' monthly expenses and Eskom recently announced that it had applied to the state regulator Nersa to further increase the price of electricity by

Spintelligent appoints new event director for African Utility Week

Leading Cape Town-based confex organiser Spintelligent has announced the appointment of Russell Hughes as Event Director for its leading event, African Utility Week. Russell joins the company from the Clarion Events head office in London in what is a new position in the event team – an indication not only of the growth of the conference and exhibition but also of Spintelligent’s ambitions for the event. The 12th

African Utility Week: a truly world class showcase of power and water solutions

The annual African Utility Week conference and exhibition has solidified its reputation as the continent’s largest exhibition for utilities and large industrial end users with record visitor and exhibitor numbers. Eskom CEO Brian Dames’ opening address at the event, which took place at Nasrec in Johannesburg from 21-24 May this year, made news headlines, while global sponsors such as MTN, Vodacom, Deloitte, Eaton, Powertech were among the many technology giants

Johannesburg shows its green credentials as it hosts African Utility Week

The City of Johannesburg will welcome some 5000 power professionals from more than 60 countries for the annual African Utility Week, the continent’s largest utility services conference and exhibition, taking place from 21-24 May at Nasrec Expo Centre. Johannesburg’s 2040 vision is to create a world class African city of the future – a vibrant equitable African city, strengthened through its diversity, a city that provides real quality of life;

African Utility Week to focus on great potential for renewable energy on the con …

Governments and business across the globe are scrambling to find ways of making renewable energy (RE) – such as solar, geothermal or wind power – a viable form of energy generation. By investing in renewable energy programmes, governments and business are not only trying to stave off the devastating effects of climate change, but also to generate income. In Africa, South Africa has invested in wind farms on the West Coast,

Nuclear power inevitable part of South Africa’s energy future?

When the South African government approved the hotly debated Integrated Resource Plan (IRP 2010) in 2011, it was clear that a substantial part of future power generation will come from nuclear power. According to this plan, 42% of all the new electricity generating capacity in the country will come from renewable sources (including wind, solar, hydro) over the next 20 years. Twenty three percent of electricity will be generated

African Development Bank to show “enormous investment opportunities” on cont …

South Africa has been a model for good investment environment in the region, says the African Development Bank’s Neside Tas Anvaripour, Head of Infrastructure Finance in the Private Sector Department. The AfDB executive is a headline speaker at the upcoming African Utility Week where more than 5000 utility professionals and energy experts will gather in Johannesburg in May. Says Anvaripour: “over the past decade, South Africa has

African Utility Week: Incomprehensible utility bills – could be empowerment to …

With rising utility tariffs, the South African consumer is under mounting pressure. Add to this the fact that utility bills are for all practical purposes unintelligible, with consumers being confronted with figures few seem to understand. A research company, Sarah Slabbert Associates, recently did a study for the Water Research Commission of South Africa into how this country’s utility bills compare with that of the rest of the world

Bin operators work with rubbish but “we are not rubbish”

“I am proud of my work,” says Hassien Satarien, a 40-year old father of five who has been a bin operator for nine years. “Knowing that I am delivering an important service makes me feel great. I have a fancy title - bin operator - but I am just an ordinary worker.” The garbage truck slowly makes its way down the suburban street. People in council uniforms jump down when it

South African industry stumbles under rising energy tariffs and international de …

Rising energy prices and an ever-increasing pressure to conform to international environmental and climate change demands. These are some of the main challenges facing big industry in South Africa, according to Barry Bredenkamp, senior manager: Energy Efficiency at the South African National Energy Development Institute (SANEDI). He is one of several of the continent’s foremost power experts who will be addressing large power users at the African Utility Week

Eskom’s Brian Dames to deliver opening address at African Utility Week in May

Eskom has confirmed that its CEO Brian Dames will deliver the opening address at the annual African Utility Week conference and exhibition on 22 May in Johannesburg. The event, which runs from 21-24 May at the Nasrec Expo Centre, which will once again gather together some 5000 power and utility experts from all over the world. Eskom is again the host utility for this year’s event and the company will

Focus on e-waste in Africa as computers and cell phones pose contamination risk

The technological explosion of the past three decades has brought about many advantages. Some of these include an increased ease in the way people are doing business both in the developed and developing world. Instant connectivity to the rest of the world has broadened the office space – you no longer have to sit in a room enclosed by four walls to be able to connect to global business partners

The company that monitored energy consumption at COP17

The South African company that monitored the energy consumption at the recent COP17 Climate Change Response Expo in Durban, Util Labs from Midrand, has developed unique technology which will enable South Africa to achieve its energy savings targets. The Util Labs Low Voltage Smart System (LVSS) is a suite of applications, supported by smart devices that measure, monitor and manage the Low Voltage (LV) electrical network, creating

Eskom joins African Utility Week as COP17 agreement is set to impact generation …

African Utility Week director Claire Volkwyn says the recent launch of the Green Climate Fund at COP17 in Durban will impact quite significantly on the generation sector in particular. “The South African government is very committed to the reduction of greenhouse gases,” Claire explains, “and with the introduction of the Carbon Tax, companies that produce high emissions will be penalised for these. At the present time, it is

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