Rosatom proposes solutions for Africa`s thermal and renewable power industries

ArmInfo. On July 20, 2016 Rosatom held a workshop on its capabilities in the traditional energy industry "Modern Russian Technologies and Solutions for Africa's Thermal Power and Renewable Power Industries" as part of Power-Gen Africa exhibition and conference, the press-service of Rosatom informs.

Rosatom is the world's only vendor that implements globally a serial approach to the construction and maintenance of nuclear power plants. Company's leading position in the nuclear power industry enables to offer comprehensive solutions for the design, manufacturing, engineering, construction and maintenance of thermal power plants. For over 60 years Rosatom's enterprises have been developing competences in the traditional energy industry. In particular, Atomenergomash, Rosatom's Machine Building Division, produced about 700 boilers of different capacities and parameters for 152 domestic and foreign power plants with a total capacity of over 66 million kW. The boilers are operated at power plants in 20 European and Asian countries, including in Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, and China.

In her speech, Anna Naymushina, the head of the Investment Analysis Department at Integrated Thermal Power Company, Rosatom's enterprise, told about the development of Rosatom's new business activities in the field of wind power industry in Russia: "By the end of 2020 we will have built 610 MW wind farms in most energy-deficient regions of Russia with a high wind power potential. This is about 17% of the total wind power industry capacity planned for commissioning in Russia before 2024."

Russian solutions for processing ash-slag wastes remaining after the use of coal in power plants were introduced by Zakile Madela, Business development manager at Rosatom Africa. "According to a generating company Escom, South Africa's coal capacities produce 25 million tonnes of ash and slag wastes per year. The global trend is that many sites for disposing these wastes will be overwhelmed in the next 4-6 years. Rosatom's technology ensures 100% deep processing of ash and slag wastes with a selection of products having high added value, and removes harmful elements from the environment at the same time," he noted in his speech.

Knox Msebenzi, Executive Director of the Energy Institute of Eastern and Southern Africa, speaking at the workshop, discussed current issues in African power industry and told about the strategic plans of the continent in terms of the energy sector development.  "Africa is blessed with so much energy, and we still have a very poorly developed electric power industry: currently the degree of electricity availability in sub-Saharan Africa is only 20%," said Msebenzi.

"We are actively developing new solutions for the power industry, such as wind farms and hydroelectric power plants. Our latest project, a mini hydroelectric power plant with a capacity of 500 kW, is ready to be connected to the network immediately after installation, since all the equipment is mounted in a standard container," said Nikolay Drozdov, Director of Rosatom's International Business Department.

Rosatom's workshop "Modern Russian Technologies and Solutions for Africa's Thermal Power and Renewable Power Industries" was held within the framework of the three-day POWER-GEN Africa Forum-Exhibition in Johannesburg on July 20, 2016. The event was attended by over 100 representatives of African generating companies, suppliers of equipment for power stations of different types, representatives of engineering and consulting companies, as well as representatives of various government departments of African countries.