African Utility Week offers 60 free, CPD-accredited technical workshops

Workshops

• The Southern African Asset Management Association (SAAMA) offers: Maintenance (incl new inspection tools, asset management strategies, operational maintenance solutions, effective fault identification)
• SARETEC: Renewables (incl energy storage, solar maps, small scale energy)
• SAIEE: Electrical Engineering/Metering (incl consumption data into Swift, smart metering standards)
• SAEE: Energy and Water Efficiency (incl measurement and verification, energy security initiatives, water and energy saving solutions)

"SAAMA hopes to reach the decision makers in the utilities serving Africa to increase their awareness of the benefits of using solid, proven asset management principles," says Anton Booyzen, President of SAAMA. Booyzen will be an expert panellist during a discussion on the asset management of power stations.

"The obvious challenge in most developing countries is the lack of skills to ensure that assets reach their expected life span. This is exacerbated by the lack of understanding of many professionals of the impact of their decisions on the life cycle cost of assets and functions. One of the best examples of this lack of understanding is the reduction in maintenance expenditures by many utilities in order to meet budget."

SAAMA's annual conference is again co-located with African Utility Week this year and is joined by the Global Forum on Maintenance and Asset Management (GFMAM). "The GFMAM participation adds a different dimension to the discussions we have in South Africa and Africa. Many of the more advanced countries have gone through the same painful development curve that we are now experiencing in Africa and their experience is invaluable in enabling us to develop short cuts on the road to asset life-cycle cost optimisation," adds Booyzen.

Practical solutions to maintenance challenges

This year's African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa offers practical solutions for energy efficiency and maintenance for utilities and large power users and also brings many international experts and speakers to share their experience with the continent's power and water industries.

The 15th edition of the annual conference and exhibition at the CTICC is set to turn Cape Town into the country's 'energy capital' again with more than 5,000 attendees and an expo with 250+ exhibitors with the latest technology, solutions and services.

For more information, go to www.african-utility-week.com.