Metro getting help from one of the world's biggest electricity distributors

The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is privileged to be in partnership with a creative innovative company such as EDF (Electricite de France) from France, which will result in the enhancement of the quality of service delivery for all the residents of the Metro, said Acting Executive Mayor, Cllr Mongameli Bobani.

He was speaking during the visit of the French delegation to the Municipality’s Electricity and Energy Directorate on Thursday.

The visit by the French delegation follows the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality and the EDF to conduct  an electricity-based feasibility study in the city, at no cost to the Municipality.

The feasibility study will cover four key focus areas: distribution infrastructure and network operation; access to energy and electrification; bio-gasification and power generation through biomass; and energy efficient initiatives towards improved control over energy consumption.

EDF is one of the largest electricity distributors in the world and has a customer base in excess of 30 million consumers, with projects in countries such as Russia, France and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

The company aims to produce a business model on behalf of the Municipality to improve the operational performance of its electricity distribution assets, combined with an increase in revenues collected.

“The Municipality has noted that we have a big problem when it comes to electrical stability, due to two main factors: electricity theft, which is prevalent throughout the Metro, and the ongoing need to maintain our ageing electricity network.

"These factors contribute to the high percentage loss of revenue and distribution stability that the city is currently enduring,” added the Acting Executive Mayor.

Peter Neilson, who is the Acting Executive Director of the Electricity and Energy Directorate, said that this was is a great opportunity for the Metro to stabilise electricity usage by ensuring that there is a modern electricity network in place and reducing electricity theft, which is causing the Metro to suffer huge losses on a daily basis.