Page 8 - Energize January 2021

INDUSTRY NEWS

To achieve this, 80 highly qualified
About Eya Bantu
and skilled specialists were engaged.
The project would have been This privately owned South African engineering services company was established in 1999
challenging on its own, but it was made and offers a comprehensive range of consulting and specialised services to the energy sector.
even more so by Covid-19-related The company’s wide­ranging experience comes from its more than 552 completed projects
social distancing, and torrential rain in various African countries, including Botswana, Eritrea, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique,
which resulted in serious flooding. Namibia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and of course South Africa.
According to Burger, who spent seven These projects have resulted in an additional 1000 MW of power from clean, renewable
months onsite managing the project, the sources, being made available for the benefit of the people who live in this region.
flooding was so severe at times that even A team of highly qualified professionals manage the company and take responsibility for
four-wheel drive vehicles were unable to the various projects the organisation is working on.
traverse the terrain. To ensure that every project it completes will meet its clients’ expectations, the
Uganda has one of the lowest per company uses products from highly respected international manufacturers including ABB,
capita electricity consumption rates Actom, CT Lab, Eaton, Schneider Electric, and many others.
(150 kWh/year) in the world (vs. South The company’s projects include infrastructure upgrades, the restoration of power, the
Korea with 8502, Ghana 253, and USA manufacture and installation of electrical control switchboards for municipalities, and the
13 000 kWh/year). To address this electrification of communities, among others.
deficit, the Ugandan government has The company’s reputation for high­quality work has been recognised by Eskom and led
targeted the year 2022 to achieve to the national power utility appointing Eya Bantu to manage the strengthening of the
electricity access to people living in Willowvale area HV substation a few years ago.
rural areas. This is expected to involve
about 1,3-million grid consumers and the third and final phase of the ERT programme.
140 000 solar PV connections. The government’s aim is to increase access to, and consumption of, electricity in rural
The ERT III programme addresses the areas of Uganda. This in turn is expected to facilitate an improvement in the productivity of
issue of low access to electricity in rural enterprises and the quality of life of the population in those areas. n
areas by making connection accessible
and affordable. The latest ERT III project is Contact Naas Burger, Eya Bantu, Tel 043 726-2726, naas@eyabantu.co.za

NEWS

EPC energises Greefspan II PV plant

RS has successfully energised the
Greefspan II PV plant. Greefspan II
Gwas built for African Infrastructure
Investment Managers (AIIM), in a joint
venture with Spanish partners TSK and
South African Umbono Energy Partners. The
Spanish EPC contractor reached the
preliminary and final step for the
commissioning of the solar PV plant and is
now ready to begin grid connection tests.
Dylan Tudor­Jones, GRS’s country
manager says the energisation and
registration of the Greefspan II PV project
was a milestone achievement after months
of hard work by the entire team.
Jones conveyed his pride for having built
“a solar PV installation which will contribute
to the industrialization of the Northern energy per year. Such figures guarantee clean energy supply for up to 20 000 South African
Cape, create employment and advance households, while avoiding the annual emission of 130 000 t of CO2 into the atmosphere.
renewables in a country which urgently The construction of the plant created nearly 730 local jobs.
needs new generation capacity to avert This is the fourth contract the Spanish EPC contractor, in partnership with Umbono
further load shedding.” Energy Partners, has been awarded in South Africa, after Lesedi and Letsatsi EPC
Located in the Northern Cape arrangements and the O&M contract with Jasper Power Company for the Jasper Power
province, Greefspan II has a generation Project. In total, GRS has already been awarded more than 287 MW. n
capacity of 63,2 MW and can produce
approximately 150 000 MWh of clean Contact GRS South Africa, Tel 010 492-0558, contact@gransolar.com

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