Specialist energy consultancy, TNEI has opened its first international office in the strategic location of Cape Town in South Africa.
As with many African countries, South Africa has suffered a power crisis in recent years, with demand exceeding available supply, resulting in rolling scheduled power cuts. The country has a population of almost 53 million people and electricity has traditionally been supplied by coal, but there is an emerging surge in renewable energy, thanks to the government’s renewables target of 17.8GW by 2030 and successful rollout of four rounds of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) Programme.
With many existing clients and projects across Africa and the Middle East, this new office will provide a hub from which TNEI can offer its power systems and renewables consultancy expertise.
Heading up the TNEI Cape Town office is Kumbuyani Chisoro, an Electrical Engineer who has spent over 15 years working in the power industry, both in Ireland and South Africa. Joining Kumbuyani is Johan Smith, a Senior Consultant with a wide breadth of experience across the conventional and renewable energy mix. The company will seek to recruit additional specialists to meet the needs of its regional clients.
TNEI’s Managing Director, Rachel Hodges said, “This office shows our commitment to working more internationally and opens up opportunities both in South Africa and in other areas of Southern Africa. Our specialist skills, developed through many years of integrating renewables projects in the grid, have been openly welcomed by manufacturers, developers and utilities in the region”.
Southern Africa Manager, Kumbuyani Chisoro added, “It’s an exciting time – the establishment of our local presence will enhance service delivery to existing and future clients in South Africa and greater Africa. The Cape Town office perfectly positions us to tackle African problems by applying cutting edge African solutions, supported by an established international team”.
TNEI has worked on multiple projects in Africa, including feasibility, design and optimisation for renewable energy projects, as well as dynamics studies and compliance reviews. TNEI has carried out an electricity sector review of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP) region, aiding clients in making investment decisions. Additionally, the TNEI African team has experience in the development of renewable energy projects, grid integration, grid code compliance and power quality analysis.
