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Cape Town – Transmission system interconnectivity and leveraging South Africa’s and other African natural resources was becoming an important requirement to ensure cheaper power is delivered where it is required, according to an energy expert.
Nishan Rathanlall, a sector unit manager with engineering consulting firm Gibb’s power and energy division, said he gained several insights when he chaired panel discussions at the African Utility Week hosted in Cape Town last week.
“You get benefits from interconnectivity,” the former Eskom employee said. “It enables power to be transferred at marginal costs.
“System efficiency in transmission and distribution systems is linked to increased reliability, availability, maintainability and operational ability,” he said. “System efficiencies also ensure system megawatt losses are kept as low as possible.”
What is also required is the automation of distribution and transmission systems, said Rathanlall.
“In any utility or network we need optimal reliability standards, more optimal maintenance programmes and more effective asset management philosophies,” he said.
“We also need excellent training and development of technical skills in this area as well as a well-planned augmented systems catering for load growth in the correct areas.”
Rathanlall said Eskom had a lot of talent internally in its technical work force, but they need to ensure they continue to train their young engineers and technicians. “Any utility has to focus on that,” he said.
“If you do not invest in networks and expand and refurbish – which could occur if you had a lack of funding – then there could be backlogs,” he said. “If you don’t refurbish and expand your reliability will be at risk.”
Grand Inga Hydro Power Project
Leveraging resources from the rest of the continent was also essential, such as the Grand Inga Hydro Power Project in the DRC.
“There is so much renewable energy in the DRC in terms of hydro,” said Rathanlall.
“The DRC doesn’t have huge demand, but the rest of the continent does. The issue is getting that power to the rest of the continent reliably and efficiently.”
Eskom CEO Brian Molefe said the Grand Inga Hydro Power Project represented the start of Africa’s potential to harvest its potential in renewables and other energy resources.
In a speech that Eskom board member Zethembe Khoza read on behalf of Molefe at the opening of the energy conference on Tuesday, the CEO expressed excitement that the DRC would “house one of the largest hydro power projects in the world”.
“The Grand Inga Hydro Power Project at 40 000 MW of hydro-electricity enables us to think more broadly of the potential benefits of such projects to the continent.
“The partnership is no longer a South Africa, DRC partnership but one in which all of us benefit through the development of much needed energy infrastructure.
“Hydropower opportunities are realised in Ethiopia, Guinea and Mozambique, among others,” he said.
