DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts, will be participating at the African Utility Week in Cape Town, South Africa, between the 13th – 14th May 2014. As Africa is currently faced with a severe electricity shortage, global energy stakeholders are meeting at the event to discuss different ways of building the energy infrastructure across Africa.
The continuing socio-economical growth all over the African continent has created a gap between the electricity demand and supply capacities, which poses a discomfort and a security threat to the African society as well as obstacles to further commercial developments. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop the energy infrastructure across Africa in order to provide the continent with wider reaching and more reliable power and support future economic growth and prosperity for the African society.
David Walker, Chief Executive Officer of DNV GL – Energy comments: “With more than 60% of Sub-Saharan Africans having no access to electricity, it’s the industry’s brightest minds’ responsibility to meet and discuss how we can tackle the energy demand challenges. While relying on fossil resources is one path of electrification, in my opinion the solution requires the introduction of high volume of renewables, especially solar and wind power, leveraging Africa’s extensive renewables resource and growing energy efficiency and demand response programmes.”
DNV GL will also use the event as a platform to launch its vision paper “Technical risks management for durable growth” which discusses the importance and the ways of reducing risk during power generation project delivery with a relation to the transformation of the African Energy Industry. A full version of the paper can be downloaded here.