Emergency Summit to Deal with Blackout Threats

The Electricity Summit will arm businesses with all the information they need to make the best decisions on how to deal with load shedding and the threat of sudden blackouts.

The emergency Summit is being convened by the Chamber after the devastating losses to commerce and industry as a result of load shedding.

It takes place on Monday, April 15 at the River Club in Mowbray.

We have had extraordinary co-operation from the Province, the City, Green Cape and the energy industry to bring the best brains to the summit to help us plan the way forward.

The summit will be opened by Ms Helen Zille, the Premier of the Western Cape. She will be followed by Hildegard Fast, the Province’s Energy Security Game Changer, who will deal with future energy issues and plans.

The Cape Town municipality, the distributor of electricity, will play a vital role and Kadri Nassiep, the Executive Director of Energy and Climate Change, will call on his 25 years in the field to outline City’s views on the energy status and future issues. The City has the 180 MW Steenbras pump storage scheme which can provide vital back-up in emergencies.

Bruce Raw, the Chief Strategy Officer at Green Cape, will look at the role of independent power producers, regulation and technical initiatives.

Alf Hartzenberg, project manager of the National Industry Energy Efficiency Project, will talk on energy in industry, commerce, agriculture and the residential sector.

Davin Chown, chairman of the SA Photovoltaic Industry Association will talk on utility and small scale projects. There will also be speakers on wind energy, gas and energy storage but the names have not yet been confirmed.

For further information contact Denise at the Cape Chamber on 021 402 4300 or email denise@capechamber.co.za