5 May 2014 - A key challenge for the energy sector in Africa is that growth in demand is outstripping supply says Pieter Conradie, Business Development Manager for Energy at Aurecon.

Statistics from the International Energy Agency’s World Energy Outlook indicate that global energy demand is predicted to increase by 40 per cent by 2030, driven by energy consumption in the developing world.

“Another challenge is high energy prices. We need to liberate the market in order to create as much competition as possible in order to drive energy prices down,” Pieter said.

“There are significant opportunities for hydro, wind and solar developments in Africa and it is important that we get these projects off the ground quickly through affordable, responsible and sustainable solutions,” added Aurecon Technical Director Bertrand Rochecouste Collet.

Leaders from the African power and water industry are set to come together to discuss these challenges and opportunities at the collocated African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference in Cape Town on 13-14 May 2014.

African Utility Week will focus on challenges in power generation, transmission and distribution, metering, clean technology, finance, reliability, water supply and energy efficiency, while Clean Power Africa will cover hydro, wind and solar projects and business opportunities across Africa.

Aurecon’s experts in Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution and Renewables will be sharing insights and solutions to Africa’s power supply challenges at the conference.

13:30 – 15:00, Tuesday 13 May 2014

Panel discussion: Exchange of lessons learnt from leading smart metering rollouts

Kobus Van den Berg (chair), Associate, Aurecon

14:00 - 14:30, Tuesday 13 May 2014

Technical workshop: Solar PV Projects and the RSA Grid Code: Case Studies

Paul Nel, Technical Director, Aurecon

9:00 – 10:30, Wednesday 14 May 2014

Solutions in identifying new hydro zones: Developments in Tanzania

Bertrand Rochecouste Collet, Technical Director, Aurecon

11:15 – 12:45, Wednesday 14 May 2014

Wind Turbine Foundation Design:  Case Studies from the South African REIPPPP.

Pierre Van Der Spuy, Structural Engineer, Aurecon