ESI-AFRICA.COM - 2010

ESI Africa Magazine Edition, 4

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:21:35 +0200

ESI Africa Magazine Edition, 3

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:03:07 +0200

Electricity rates to rise 18.5% in Tanzania

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:16:02 +0200

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 22 December 2010 - Tanzania's energy regulator has announced that it will allow the state-run power company to raise tariffs by 18.5% next year, amid increasing chronic electricity shortages in the east African country.

Energy and Water Utilities Regulatory Authority (EWURA) has approved an increase of the tariff to 141 shillings per kWh from next year, against the utility's requested tariff of 160 shillings per kWh.

Saudi may involve private firms in building power plants

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:11:05 +0200

Khobar, Saudi Arabia --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 22 December 2010 - The Saudi Arabian Electricity Company (SEC) may involve private companies in building more power plants to feed the country’s major electricity consumers such as state oil giant Saudi Aramco, and is planning a major increase in capacity.

Ukraine renovates its hydro-electric plants

Wed, 22 Dec 2010 11:02:29 +0200

Vyshgorod, Ukraine --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 22 December 2010 - With World Bank funding, the government of the Ukraine is carrying out a hydropower rehabilitation programme to improve the operational stability and reliability of its hydroelectric plants.

Revealing this development in a statement issued here, Ukraine utility UkrHydroEnergo (OJSC) announced that it had awarded a pair of contracts estimated at US$13.7 million (R93 million) to supply an automated dam safety monitoring system for its hydro-electric projects.

Alstom to provide power for the Russians

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:24:49 +0200

Levallois-Perret, France --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 21 December 2010 - Alstom ‒ a world leader in power generation and transmission ‒ has signed strategic agreements with major Russian energy companies to jointly provide power generation products and services for Russia's power industry.

Making the announcement here, Alstom confirmed that it would be working with the Russian companies in the fields of hydropower generation, thermal power generation, nuclear power generation and electricity transmission.

China to build 136 small-scale hydro plants

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 16:16:48 +0200

Kunming, China --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 21 December 2010 - China's Yunnan Province plans to invest US$121 million (R822 million) over the next five years to construct 136 small-scale hydro plants in the province.

This was reported here by the Yunnan branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC). With its vast water resources, the province had a total installed hydropower capacity of 24.23 million kilowatts as of the end of last year, according to Yunnan NDRC statistics.

New switchgear entrant

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:07:15 +0200

Power Technologies, a member of the JSE-listed Allied Electronics group, has announced its entry into the switchgear market with two products in the 11 kV air insulated medium voltage range. The new range of products is dubbed the PT Switchgear Air Medium Voltage ZZK-12 series.

Surge arresters for photovoltaic systems

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:04:25 +0200

Dehn’s modular Type 2 Dehnguard M YPV SCI ... (FM) surge arresters are designed for protecting low voltage equipment in photovoltaic systems. The three-stage DC switching device makes the arresters especially safe so that they fulfil IEC 60364- 7-712:2002-05 requirements for modern photovoltaic systems. The combined disconnection and short-circuiting device with electrical isolation in the protection module prevents fire damage due to DC arcs. The module locking system firmly fixes the protection modules in the base part of the arrester. Shock, vibration or enormous mechanical impulse loads, resulting from discharges, do not affect the safe connection to the protection module.

SA designed luminaire

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:02:10 +0200

Beka's new South African designed and
manufactured street light, the Bekavia

Beka has introduced its new South African designed and manufactured luminaire, the Bekavia. This luminaire is designed for lighting of main roads and can operate high-pressure sodium or metal halide lamps of up to 250 W.

Energy efficient occupancy sensors

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:57:51 +0200

Included in Magnet’s range of energy efficient electrical products are occupancy sensors designed for the control of lighting and air-conditioning to reduce electricity consumption, enhance safety and extend the life of lamps.

“These occupancy sensors, which can be easily retrofitted to an existing system, are a highly effective building management system with numerous benefits,” Brian Howarth, Magnet’s managing director, says. “When no movement is detected in the installation – either indoors or outside under cover – the sensor switches off the lighting, which reduces energy consumption. Less heat is generated by lights, which means less demand for air-conditioning and because lamp life is longer, with fewer lamp changes, maintenance costs are minimal. Lighting retrofit also eliminates the fire hazard risk of old magnetic ballasts.”

Vehicle battery technology

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:54:37 +0200

Battery developed to duit stop/start
vehicle technology of the future

A motor vehicle battery now offered by the Battery Centre, the Raylite Ultimate, has been developed to service the low emission stop/start vehicles of the future. Stop/Start vehicle technology conserves energy by shutting off the engine when the vehicle is stopped in traffic, and automatically restarts when the driver pushes the clutch. The batteries used in these vehicles need to be robust and able to withstand high demands, not only of restarting the engine with regularity but also to power lights, electronics and airconditioner while the engine is switched off.

Transformers for Nampower

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:51:47 +0200

One of the WEG transformers
being supplied to NamPower

Huge growth in Namibia in the uranium industry has led to demand for power and seen the Namibian Power Corporation (NamPower) undertake projects to upgrade its transmission network. This saw the supply of nine WEG transformers by Zest to NamPower.

New wind energy partnership in Europe

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:35:54 +0200

Copenhagen, Denmark --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 21 December 2010 - Danish utility group DONG Energy has agreed to sell a 24.8% stake in the Walney offshore wind farm in Britain to a consortium of Dutch Ampere Equity Fund and PGGM for around US$25 million (R170 million).

The Danish state-controlled oil and gas group retains a 50.1% stake in the 367MW wind farm, which is under construction in the northwest of Britain.

Chevron suspends production in Nigeria

Tue, 21 Dec 2010 12:29:58 +0200

Abuja, Nigeria --- ESI-AFRICA.COM --- 21 December 2010 - American energy firm Chevron has announced that it has suspended production from an oil pipeline which has been breached in Nigeria's Delta state.

Chevron said it was investigating the damage to its Dibi-Abiteye pipeline, but it did not say how much production would be lost from shutting down the stream.