Africa Energy Indaba ups the ante with new side events for 2015

The conference, which will mark its seventh anniversary in 2015, continues to grow and has become the foremost forum for debating and exchanging solutions to Africa's energy challenges.

25 August 2014 - Africa's premier energy event, the Africa Energy Indaba (AEI), will be hosted in Sandton, the heart of the African business hub, from 17 -18 February 2015. Attracting energy experts and enthusiasts from all over the world, pressing issues, challenges and opportunities in the energy sector will be addressed at the event. Energy, a prerequisite for sustainable economic growth in Africa, has been at the forefront of discussions on Africa reaching and maximising its growth potential.


The conference, which will mark its seventh anniversary in 2015, continues to grow and has become the foremost forum for debating and exchanging solutions to Africa's energy challenges. Topics to be focused on at next year's event include: African power suppliers; alternative and renewable energies; oil and gas; skills development and localisation in energy projects, energy efficiency for the future, and investment opportunities in African energy projects, to name a few.

Recognised as the foremost African energy event on the continent, this event receives the highest level of endorsement and support for any energy event. African Energy Indaba is the regional event of the World Energy Council (WEC), having been supported by the WEC since 2011. The event is represented by a strategic partner the South African National Energy Association (SANEA) and is also supported by the African Union and the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA). With the support of these key players, Energy Indaba's status has been elevated locally as well as globally since its inception.

South Africa has a significant role to play in the energy sector globally and the Indaba provides a platform for focused discussions of the energy sector, especially in Africa. The conference will be complemented by an exhibition as well as a number of new and exciting side events that have brought on new partnerships and sponsorships for the 2015 event.

Indaba Energy Leaders' Dialogues

The Indaba Energy Leaders' Dialogue brings together global and regional energy leaders to exchange views on critical issues facing the energy industry in informal, off the record discussions. These high-level invitation-only events provide an intimate forum in which participants discuss topics such as how to best address the "energy trilemma" (trade- offs between energy security, social equity and environmental impact mitigation), during sessions on Natural Gas Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, the Global Electricity Initiative and the South African Minerals Bill. This high-level side events will be co-hosted by some energy luminaries from Africa and the world.

World Energy Council (WEC) Africa Regional Meeting:

This is a WEC governance meeting exclusively for WEC members. This is where WEC is discussed in relation to the African context and where WEC's African work programmes are formulated and discussed. A number of other matters are dealt with, all aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the WEC member committees across the continent.

World Energy Council Meeting:

WEC has a number of flagship study processes and other work programmes. During this workshop participants will be exposed to recent studies and will discuss the outcomes in relation to the African experience. Participants will also have an opportunity to influence the direction of future work. This event is exclusively for World Energy Council (WEC) members and invited guests.

Sustainable Energy for All (SE4ALL) Forum

Sustainable energy — energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient — powers opportunity. It grows economies. It lights up homes, schools and hospitals. It empowers women and local communities. And it paves a path out of poverty to greater prosperity for all. The SE4ALL seminar will focus on introducing the initiative, its processes, its coordination mechanism in Africa, and project the business opportunities it opens as well as the funding and financing options available.

IPP & PPA Conference:

Independent Power Producers (IPPs) have become an important source of investment in the power sector in a number of African countries, but PPAs need to be crafted to balance the interest of the various parties so as not to be a source of risk to the stakeholders. Given that PPAs are the foundation of power projects' bankability, there are a number of issues that need to be taken into consideration. Discussions will revolve around the tariff that the IPP can charge, the duration of the PPA, maintenance and monitoring of the energy production as well as political risks.

Africa Energy Projects Roundtable:

African energy projects are key to the development of the continent's energy sector. Business is constantly exploring new project opportunities and is faced with trying to unpack which are the ‘real' energy projects and which provide the best return on investment.

This roundtable discussion will feature role players in some of these projects. The roundtable will bring together Africa's energy operators, financiers and other important role-players. It will be a great chance to learn of new and exciting projects and opportunities as well as provide a networking platform. In addition, project owners and developers from a host of countries in Africa will be invited to present their projects and investment for private sector involvement.

Women in Energy Forum

Programmes favouring renewable energy and energy efficiency will create numerous jobs and business opportunities to become available throughout the African continent, and women have a large role to play in the development of sustainable projects. The Women in Energy Forum has been designed to recognise the increase in leadership and development of women involved in the African energy space. This one day forum will provide a platform for women to network, share their knowledge, discuss achievements and encourage the advancement of women across all sectors of the energy industry.

Electricity Theft Workshop

Electricity theft not only puts lives at risk, but also robs local power providers of the much needed revenue to supply reliable electricity to communities and businesses. Some of the biggest culprits are large residential, commercial, and industrial consumers and this is a global problem. According to Operation Khanyisa, electricity theft costs South Africa around R4.4 billion (about $450 million) per year. The theft impacts the financial sustainability of power utilities and poses a risk to economies and societies as a whole. Utilities throughout Africa are looking to the use of smart meters and sophisticated software to record consumption and combat electricity theft. During this workshop, utilities and suppliers will discuss ways to actively work together to cut energy theft and help reduce energy bills through theft detection services, smart meter implementation, awareness campaigns, to encourage the safe and efficient use of electricity.

Energy Efficiency Workshop

Given the shortage of power throughout Africa currently, energy efficiency is a must for all businesses. Large power users and other entities need to be encouraged to look towards renewable energy and energy efficient solutions to lower their reliance on traditional power supplies. This workshop will focus on energy efficient infrastructure, technologies and implementation processes to secure business competitiveness and sustainability moving forward.

For more information on the event, to register or exhibit, visit www.africaenergyindaba.com.

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