Power utility Eskom has committed to leverage advanced technology solutions for a reliable and sustainable power grid.
The commitment was made during GO15's annual meeting hosted by Eskom and held in Cape Town this week.
GO15, the former Very Large Power Grid Operators Association, is a voluntary initiative of the world's 19 largest power grid operators representing together more than 70% of the world's electricity demand, providing electricity to 3.4 billion consumers on the six continents and responsible for integration of 2 518GW of generation capacity into the grid, of which 21% is from renewable energy sources.
This includes grid operators from Asia, Mexico, Russia, Brazil, Africa, US, Middle East, Australia and Europe.
In a statement, the power utility says: "Eskom today committed to continue its investment in transmission infrastructure and to leverage advanced technology solutions for a reliable and sustainable power grid."
Managing the largest capacity expansion project in Africa, Eskom has invested approximately R12 billon in transmission infrastructure and strengthening projects since 2014 to the end of September 2016. More than 6 000km of transmission lines and 32 000MVA of substation transformer capacity has been installed since 2005.
"South Africa's power system has progressed to a position of surplus capacity, opening opportunities to extend regional interconnections and to accommodate a changing power generation mix to grow the economy of South Africa," says Baldwin Ngubane, Eskom chairman.
"Eskom's partnership with the GO15 enhances access to global expertise in transmission and system operations and allows for the optimisation of mutual opportunities."
In just over four years, SA has developed and implemented a renewables programme which is being seen as an example for other countries in Africa and further afield, says Eskom.
However, it notes the worldwide introduction of renewable energy has created significant complexities for system grid operators as most of the technologies exclude necessary storage.
The GO15 works to enhance the capabilities such as demand response and renewable storage to accommodate the variability of the new energy sources. It also recommends that regulatory frameworks and emerging technology solutions take into account the changing roles of the grid operator.
During the meeting, GO15 acknowledged the unprecedented evolution of the power supply system and the substantial investments required, not only in the electricity infrastructure, but also in the increasingly sophisticated IT technologies required for their management.
Such investments by the GO15 members and associated partners are estimated to exceed $1 trillion over the next 15 years.
"This evolution requires in-depth cooperation between the main actors of the electricity domain, including governments, regulators, distribution system operators, and the generation suppliers of critical technologies and equipment," noted Alain Steven, GO15 secretary-general.
"We want to meet the expectations of consumers and of our governments by continuously evolving the management of our power grids and the technical tools necessary to accommodate the proliferation of clean energy resources, while continuing to provide a reliable and resilient power system necessary to the development of our economies," says 2016 GO15 president Dr Wang Liangyou.
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