Transmission & Distribution - actom

What’s Watt
actom (Pty) Ltd
a South african B-BBEE company
www.actom.co.za
february 2011

Corporate Focus
Tough conditions expected to continue in 2011
The past year has been one
of the most difficult in the past
decade.
The challenging business
conditions have been due to the
continued strength of the rand,
which has placed pressure on
margins, which, combined with
a sluggish local and international
economy, has led to a slowdown
in most businesses. Projects
in the mining and industrial
sectors continue to be delayed
and we have yet to see any
improvement in our short-cycle
businesses.
In short, there are very few
signs of material improvement
as far as our general market
is concerned. However, the
group has continued to benefit
from the ongoing infrastructural
development being undertaken
by Eskom and has as a result
managed to avoid major
restructuring.
Discussions have been held with
government in an effort to develop
a practical solution to sustain and
develop local manufacture. We would
Balmoral College chalks up more ‘firsts’
Balmoral College, ACTOM’s main
sponsorship beneficiary, has added
significant new achievements to
its already impressive academic
record.
Seventeen-year-old Ntsoaki
Valencia Khasibe matriculated with
five distinctions in 2010 – the highest
achievement by a matriculant to date
since Principal Matie Wium took
over the management of the school
in 2000 and began developing it into
one of the most successful schools
in Ekurhuleni.
“We are very proud of Ntsoaki’s
exceptional achievement,” Wium
commented, adding that she intends
studying for a B.Com with the aim of
becoming an accountant.
As has been achieved in previous
Cover
years, the entire 2010 matric class, 30
learners in all, passed their examinations,
with all but five of them gaining
university entrance passes.
Besides the five distinctions
achieved by Ntsoaki, the other major
achievement in 2010 is that all
14 matric learners studying Science
passed this subject – the first time
the school has achieved a “full
house” in Science passes in matric.
“I attribute this big improvement
to the science lab that ACTOM donated
last year for the use of the senior
classes at the school. It came into
operation in the middle of last year
and, as can be seen from the matric
results, has already proven to be a
asset in helping to teach the subject
more effectively,” Wium remarked.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 2
like to see meaningful incentives
being given to local manufacturers
in order to reverse the current
trend where local manufacture is
being increasingly marginalised
by a strong exchange rate and an
inflexible labour environment.
Hopefully a solution will be
found before the current conditions
lead to structural changes
that will result in permanent longterm
damage to the manufacturing
capacity of the country.
Business conditions will remain
tough in 2011 and our policy
of tight cost and cash control
must remain in place until signs
of a sustained economic recovery
become more evident, after
which a more expansionary strategy
can again be re-instated.
My thanks to everyone in the
group for the hard work during
the past year. I look forward to
your ongoing contribution during
the year ahead.
Mark Wilson
In recent years the school has
consistently achieved exceptionally
high pass marks – not only in matric
but throughout the school, which covers
all grades from Grade R through
to Grade 12. Last year was no exception,
with a 100% pass rate in matric
and 98% for all the other grades.
The school keeps growing year by
year. The number of matric learners
has increased this year to 39, while
the total number of learners at the
school has risen to 1207, from 1150
last year.
“We keep growing because our
reputation as a school that gets good
results attracts more parents to enrol
their kids here, with a substantial
number coming from many other
parts of Gauteng,” Wium explained.
MV Switchgear Business Co-ordinator Marius van Meygaarden with FBX gas-insulated switchgear in the company’s
plant.

Tshwane Electricity officials visit T&D plants
Senior officials of Tshwane
Municipality’s Electricity Department
paid a visit to T&D’s manufacturing
facilities on September 16.
They were invited by T&D to
familiarise themselves better with
the activities of the various T&D
companies, particularly with their
extensive local manufacturing capabilities
that have evolved over many
decades in keeping with the ACTOM
group’s policy of giving priority to local
manufacture wherever possible,
thereby also providing employment
to the local populace, rather than
exclusively importing products as
many of its competitors do.
In a presentation given to the visitors
before they were taken on a tour
of the plants based at Knights, Group
Director Andries Tshabalala, placed
particular emphasis on the group’s
commitment to local manufacture,
saying that in the past eight years in
particular the group has intensified
its efforts to extend the production
capacities of most of its plants, as
well as making acquisitions of companies,
to better meet the increased
demand, mainly from major customers
Eskom and the metropolitan municipalities,
and to further diversify its
product offerings.
The tour was also aimed at bringing
the officials up to speed on the
companies product offerings and
to inform them fully about the extensive
expansions that have been
undertaken at all of the plants over
the past few years.
After visiting Power Transformers’
Wadeville plant, the 18 officials, who
included directors, deputy directors
and project managers, were
taken to Knights where they were
given a presentation on the group
as a whole, presented by Group
Commercial Director Mark Dixon,
followed by Andries’ presentation
and ending with a presentation on
the T&D division’s operations, presented
by T&D Managing Director
Jack Rowan.
They then toured the Knights
plants – MV Switchgear, Distribution
Transformers, Protection & Control
and High Voltage Equipment.
The visitors from Tshwane Municipality’s Electricity Department during their tour of MV Switchgear’s
plant (top picture) and Distribution Transformers’ plant (above).
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

ACTOM speakers make their mark at AMEU
Convention 2010
ACTOM’s participation in AMEU
Convention 2010 comprised presentations
of papers by two senior staff
of Protection & Control (P&C), as well
as participation by the group in the
AMEU Convention 2010 Exhibition.
The papers were by Leon de
Nysschen, P&C’s Energy Metering
Manager, who presented a paper outlining
the various metering technologies
available to municipalities, and
Barry Gass, P&C’s Training Manager,
whose paper outlined a case history
relating to safety and the measures
that were put in place to avoid recurrence
of an accident that occurred
when an oil circuit breaker exploded
in a substation.
ACTOM was once again a major
sponsor of the annual AMEU
Convention, sponsoring the lunch on
the opening day and cocktail drinks
at the affiliates dinner, as well as
providing sponsorship for the golf
and bowls events.
In his paper, Leon examined the
various electricity metering technologies
available to municipalities. Of the
three technologies – Credit metering,
Advanced Metering Infrastructure
(AMI) and Prepayment metering
– the precision Credit meters are the
most sophisticated and expensive,
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011
being designed for use by large
power users.
Credit metering’s functions and
services include load profile, timeof-use
tariffs, interface with SCADA
and control systems and Automatic
Meter Reading (AMR) systems.
The main components of AMI, the
measuring function in a smart grid
system, are a master station, a bidirectional
communication network
and smart meters. Functions include
monitoring and recording demand,
real time logging of events, more effective
anti-tamper mechanisms and
remote disconnect/reconnect.
The prepayment system requires
that customers pay in advance, with
the prepayment meter automatically
disconnecting supply when available
credit is exhausted.
In rural environments where average
consumption is low, prepayment
meters without AMR support are
usually the answer, whereas in urban
areas where the communication infrastructure
is well developed, AMI
systems offer the flexibility of both
credit and prepayment modes, with
the added benefits of load control,
customer management and on-line
anti-tamper functionality.
Barr y, in his paper to the
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
Convention, set out the circumstances
that led to an electrician being
hurt by an explosion that occurred
in a substation and the results of an
investigation that was carried out into
this accident with the aim of avoiding
a recurrence.
The electrician followed most
of the correct safety procedures
required when he remotely closed
an 11 kV oil circuit breaker (OCB).
He tied a lanyard onto the closing
lever and for additional protection
wore a flash suit and stood behind
the closed but unbolted outer door
of the substation before pulling the
lanyard.
However he had not anticipated
the force of the explosion that followed,
which blew open the outer
door behind which he was standing,
breaking his right arm.
After the investigation it was decided
that part of the remedial action
required to avoid such accidents was
to install more modern and inherently
safer vacuum or SF6 breakers
in place of OCB’s, combined with a
schedule of regular maintenance and
tests to be carried out to identify and
rectify faults before they can develop
into serious threats to the safety of
personnel or damage to equipment.
A diagram showing
the components
and configuration
of an AMI metering
system, as discussed
by Leon de Nysschen
in his paper to
AMEU Convention
2010.

Training Centre’s short courses enable experienced
tradesmen to qualify
The group’s Training Centre, which
is primarily responsible for training
electrical and mechanical apprentices
for the benefit of companies within
the group, recently introduced a
range of short courses for group
tradesmen and outsiders alike.
“The short courses we have
developed, which run for between
three and six weeks each, are aimed
at providing experienced but unqualified
tradesmen with the opportunity
to gain the official qualifications they
need in their specific disciplines to
enable them to advance further in
their careers,” explained Training
Manager Dawie Oberholzer.
“There are many tradesmen out
there who have a lot of practical experience
behind them but who for
various reasons haven’t had the opportunity
to attend a technical college
or similar training institution to acquire
the theoretical knowledge and
write the exams required to get the
proper qualifications. In most cases
this will have stood in the way of their
advancement. Our short courses fill
this gap and provide them with the
opportunity to get ahead.”
The T&D division hosted a tour
for senior City Power officials of its
member companies’ facilities on
March 25.
The tour, organised by Prince
Ziqubu, T&D’s Marketing Manager,
was arranged to bring the visitors up
to speed on the companies’ product
Wiremen trainees apply their skills during a recent short course at the Training Centre.
“Not only are there many individuals
who would want to take up this
opportunity, but there are also many
companies employing tradesmen
who could help them by arranging
for them to attend our short courses,”
he added.
Basic and advanced courses in
the various disciplines are available.
The courses include basic and advanced
electrical, fitting, turning, fitting
& turning, tool jig & die-making,
hydraulics, pneumatics, electronics,
programmable logic controllers,
welding and wiremen.
“Trainees must have minimum
of five years practical experience to
attend these short courses,” Dawie
explained.
The Training Centre has been
providing full apprenticeship training
for many years in most of the trades
listed above, but with the new short
courses it has branched out into
electronics, programmable logic
controllers, welding and wiremen for
the first time.
The newly-launched short courses
are already proving popular and the
Training Centre kicked off with several
courses for wiremen recently, in
October and November 2010.
Betty Britz, the Training Center Secretary,
watches some of the wiremen trainees doing a
practical exercise on the course.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Power
John Thompson provides coal-fired boiler plus bag
filter for local cheese plant
John Thompson recently completed
a contract in which it provided
and installed a coal-fired steam boiler
for Ladismith Cheese in the Southern
Cape – complete with a bag-filter to
reduce particulate emissions.
This is the first local contract
undertaken by John Thompson in
Computer generated illustrations of the
equipment John Thompson has provided for
Ladismith Cheese: Top picture: The
bag filter. Above: The boiler installation
complete with bag filter, coal handling
equipment and ash conveyors.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011
which it has combined its boiler and
filtration technologies to more fully
meet the needs of its industrial boiler
customers.
The steam installation comprises
a Europac boiler producing 10 000
kg/h of steam at 10 bar. It is fitted
with the Micropac boiler management
system, which offers significant
benefits that include, among others,
increased overall boiler efficiency,
reduced fuel usage, reduced smoke
and particulate emissions, fewer
boiler-attendant combustion errors,
reduced power consumption and
noise levels under low load conditions
and a superior response and
turndown ratio.
The reverse jet pulse bag filter
system was provided by John
Thompson to meet performance,
durability, temperature, corrosionresistance
and low maintenance
requirements demanded by modern
industrial plant.
The bag filter produced for
Ladismith Cheese reduces particulate
emissions to below 50mg/m3. A
John Thompson mechanical cyclone
grit arrestor is also incorporated
in the plant for use when the bag
filter is by-passed during start-up
conditions.
“For the last number of years
John Thompson has focussed its
development programme on improved
coal combustion and control
which is now bearing fruit. With
the addition of the new bag filter
system to reduce particulate emissions
the argument for coal as a
fuel source for industrial boilers
has become stronger,” commented
Roger Dawson, General Manager
of John Thompson’s Package Boiler
division.

Award of prized Kusile unit transformers contract
results in multiple local development benefits
Eskom’s new Kusile power station
currently under construction near
Delmas in Mpumalanga is to be fitted
with locally designed and manufactured
unit transformers produced by
Power Transformers.
The capability of the company to
manufacture unit transformers flows
directly from substantial extensions it
has undertaken in recent years at its
Wadeville, Germiston, plant to both
increase its total production capacity
and extend the upper power limit of
its product to 160 MVA at 132 kV,
from 45 MVA at 132 kV previously.
The R215 million five-year turnkey
contract Eskom has awarded to
Power Systems incorporates design,
production and supply by Power
Transformers of 13 unit transformers
– two per generator unit, plus
one spare. They are specified with
dual secondary windings and rated at
110/55/55 MVA and 22/15,75/15,75
kV.
The unit transformers – the first
to be produced by the company
– comprise the largest portion of the
contract, which also consists of the
provision of the associated earthing
system and secondary protection
that includes on-line gas analysis,
a transformer explosion prevention
system and an emulsifying deluge
system.
The contract came into effect
in early January this year and is
scheduled for completion at the end
of 2015. Power Systems is due to
commence installation of equipment
for Kusile’s first generator unit in April
2012 and will commence work on
the others at eight-monthly intervals
thereafter.
“Power Transformers’ capability
to design and manufacture the unit
transformers was the single most
important factor behind Eskom’s
decision to award us the contract
in the face of stiff competition from
other contenders – most of them foreign
companies,” commented John
McClure, Power Systems’ General
Manager.
Another key factor that favoured
the selection of the local company
over foreign manufacturers
was that it provided Eskom with
additional scope for setting local
content requirements and applying
the Accelerated and Shared Growth
Initiative for South Africa (ASGI-SA)
provisions that Eskom and other
parastatal bodies and public sector
organisations subscribe to as part of
their conditions of contract.
“In its original tender conditions
for the contract Eskom set a local
content target of 10%, this being a
realistic target for a foreign supplier,
as in that instance the vast bulk of
the work would be done outside
the country. However, with us being
awarded the contract, a new local
content target of a minimum of 55%
was agreed to and consequently the
ASGI-SA commitments that apply
are also more far-reaching than if
the contract had gone to a foreign
company,” John explained.
“Although 55% local content has
been set as the minimum threshold,
we expect to surpass this figure by a
healthy margin,” he added.
The ASGI-SA requirements
include training of people in the
Nkangala district in which Kusile is
situated and providing employment
by channelling work linked to the
contract to local black-owned small
Transmission & Distribution
A schematic diagram of a Kusile power station generator electrical supply depicting the redundant
units transformers and ancillary equipment to be supplied by ACTOM.
business enterprises (SBE’s) and
black women organisations (BWO’s)
wherever possible.
“Between Power Systems and
Power Transformers we have undertaken
to train a total of 20 people with
a view to employing many of them
within the group in the longer term.
In addition, we are committed to allocating
a substantial amount of work
to small black business enterprises,
several of which will be sourced
from the Nkangala district, which will
specifically nurture entrepreneurship
and target employment creation. In
so doing, we intend to plough back at
grassroots level some of the benefits
that accrue from locally executed
engineering works,” John said.
“This cascade effect illustrates
the potential magnitude of human
resource development opportunities
in the form of job creation, entrepreneurship
and skills development,
with eventual meaningful benefits to
the economy as a whole, that could
be achieved if infrastructural management
and development enterprises
– comprising parastatals, government
institutions, municipalities and
private sector companies – made
greater use of local manufacturers
and suppliers,” he concluded.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Transmission & Distribution
Skills development course gives young employees
a career boost
Power Transformers has taken
steps to provide advancement opportunities
for some of its more
promising employees by providing
training for them focussed on power
transformer technology.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011
It recently completed its pilot
course devised for this purpose in
which it provided training to eight
young employees.
The course, run in weekly 1-1/2
hour sessions over a period of 13
Eskom’s Stacy McTavish presents a qualification certificate to Jeanette Maluleke, one of the eight
young employees who participated in Power Transformers’ first transformer skills development and
English communication course.
When local technical college
Ekurhuleni West College approached
Power Transformers recently to
give a group of its senior technical
students some practical experience
and instruction on the company’s
products and production processes,
it was happy to oblige – as it has
done on previous occasions for
students studying at similar training
institutions.
The six National Certificate
Engineering Studies students gained
maximum exposure to transformer
manufacture by being placed in
various parts of the factory and rotated
over a two-week period during
September and October.
Soon after they had completed
this stint of workplace based exposure
to enhance their theoretical
training, the college’s academic
months starting in August 2009 and
ending in September 2010, proved
highly successful.
“The course, while covering all
aspects of skills development relating
to power transformers, including
the materials used in their construction,
their design and the construction
methods applied, also focussed
strongly on English communication
and presentation skills since for most
of the students English is not their
first language,” explained Andrew
Russell, who devised and co-ordinated
the course.
The course culminated in presentations
by each of the trainees
in which they demonstrated some
of what they had learned, including
their presentation skills in English.
These were very well received by
the invited guests, who included
Stacy McTavish, Commodity
Manager, Power Transformers for
Eskom Procurement & Supply Chain
Management, who was the main
speaker at the event.
Appropriately, Ms McTavish’s talk
was on career development of nontechnical
persons breaking into heavy
electrical engineering careers.
Local technical college students get workplace
experience at Power Transformers
team expressed their gratitude to the company for providing this valuable
experience.
Michael Henry, Power Transformers’ Production Manager, with the six senior technical students in
Power Transformers’ plant.

Power Transformers produces first high-rated
autotransformer since plant upgrade
The 120 MVA autotransformer for the new Schaapkop substation undergoes testing at Power Transformers’ test facility.
Since completing a major upgrade
and extension of its plant three years
ago, Power Transformers has designed,
manufactured and supplied
its first large Eskom spec autotransformer
– a 120 MVA unit – which is to
be installed in George Municipality’s
new 132 kV/66 kV/11 kV Schaapkop
main intake substation currently under
construction.
The autotransformer underwent
final tests at Power Transformers’
plant in October 2010 and was delivered
to site in November.
Power Systems is responsible for
the construction of the new substation,
having been awarded a R65 million
turnkey contract for this by BDE
Consulting Engineers of George on
behalf of George Municipality at the
beginning of 2009.
Other ACTOM companies supplying
equipment for Schaapkop, which
will augment main power supply to
George currently provided by the
132 kV/66 kV Blanco substation, are
High Voltage Equipment and MV
Switchgear.
R o n n i e R u s s e l l , Po w e r
Transformers’ General Manager,
said: “Our production of this first 120
MVA Eskom spec autotransformer
for Schaapkop represents an important
milestone for us, as it is by far
the largest autotransformer we have
produced so far – the previous largest
being 40 MVA units.
“An important spinoff of this is
that it enhances our standing with
Eskom in securing orders for similar
autotransformers in the future,” he
added.
T h e a u t o t r a n s f o r m e r f o r
Schaapkop incorporates a 10 MVA
11 kV tertiary winding as backup
supply for new residential and commercial
developments in George in
the vicinity of the new substation, as
well as for additional supply of power
to a regional sewerage works and
recently completed sewerage water
recycling plant nearby.
Danie de Vries, Principal Engineer
for BDE Consulting Engineers, commended
Power Systems on its cooperativeness
and competence in
executing the contract – due for completion
in February 2011 – and timeous
delivery of equipment. “We have
found them very willing to adapt to
Transmission & Distribution
changing requirements as they have
arisen and the fact that they were
able to offer us a locally designed
and manufactured autotransformer,
which we would otherwise have
had to purchase from abroad, was a
major positive factor in their favour,”
he commented.
The Schaapkop substation comprises
two 132 kV incomer bays,
which are designed to accommodate
up to three power transformers eventually,
as well as 15 x 66 kV feeder
bays, two 66 kV bus section bays
and two 66 kV bus coupler bays.
Initially a temporary supply will be
routed to the substation while the
upstream Eskom infrastructure is
constructed.
The R30 million upgrade and extension
of Power Transformers’ plant,
completed towards the end of 2007,
raised the upper power rating limit of
the company’s product from 45 MVA
at 132 kV to 160 MVA at 161 kV. At
the same time the plant’s production
capacity was increased by 50% to a
total of 2250 MVA per annum.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Transmission & Distribution
Protection & Control provides Energy Management
System for Southern African Power Pool
Protection & Control (P&C) has
won a prestigious R13,7 million
turnkey contract from the Southern
African Power Pool (SAPP) to provide
an Energy Management System
(EMS) to monitor the state of transmission
lines (interconnectors)
between the 12 SAPP member
countries.
The contract was awarded in early
July 2010 and is scheduled for completion
at the end of June 2011.
The Energy Management System
collects and collates data from the
various utility control centres. This
information is then used to monitor
the state of the interconnectors between
the various utilities, including
the energy transfers between the
different countries. In addition, the
EMS will provide load forecasts,
contingency analysis, short-circuit
analysis and “look-ahead” simulation
scenarios.
P&C is executing the contract in
close partnership with its international
technology principal Alstom
Grid (formerly Areva T&D), which is
responsible for the design, manufacture
and supply of the equipment,
and a local EMS specialist company
that provides engineering support
in the form of assistance with configuration,
factory acceptance testing
and site acceptance testing. The
equipment involved comprises a control
system, including an application
Leading hospital group Netcare
Limited has awarded Protection and
Control (P&C) a contract to provide
an Automated Meter Reading (AMR)
system to serve all 13 of the group’s
Tier 1 hospitals around the country.
The contract, awarded in October
2010 and scheduled for completion
in October this year, encompasses
the supply, installation and commissioning
of a full AMR system, which
includes meters to automatically
measure incoming electricity supply
at each facility, including generation
of bills for tenants, meters to automatically
transmit load energy profile
data and energy total registers via
server, historian server and various
other application specific servers.
The protocol that will be used
between the various control centres
is Inter Control Centre Protocol
(ICCP).
SAPP, which is based in Harare, is
responsible for the coordination of all
energy trading taking place between
the member countries.
“The contract is seen as a key
project as SAPP represents all the
utilities in the region,” commented
Marius van Rensburg, P&C’s Sales
Manager, Protection Products &
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 10
Systems.
“At present SAPP relies on manual
feedback from the various utilities,
which is work intensive and time consuming.
The EMS system provides
more up-to-date representation of
the interconnect status and energy
being transferred between the various
utilities.”
The EMS at SAPP’s headquarters
will as a start be connected via VSAT
satellite links to the control centres
of three major utilities, South Africa’s
Eskom, Zimbabwe’s ZESA and
Zambia’s ZESCO.
Delegates from Southern African Utilities, SAPP, Alstom Grid and Protection & Control during a
workshop on the implementation of the EMS System at SAPP’s headquarters in Harare.
Netcare hospital group adopts metering system to
help reduce carbon footprint
an existing Ethernet network to
the group’s administration centre
in Midrand, and AMR software for
processing the information, to be installed
on a Netcare supplied Server
at the administration centre.
There are 10 Netcare Tier 1 hospitals
in Gauteng and one each in Cape
Town, Durban and Port Elizabeth.
Eddie Herrmann, Netcare’s
Acting National Technical Manager,
said the group decided to adopt a
metering system mainly for use as a
tool to assist it in reducing its carbon
footprint. “It will enable us to plan our
load profile so that we can analyse
our consumption of power and use it
more efficiently,” he explained.
“We are a member of the National
Business Initiative and participate in
its carbon disclosure project, in which
we are rated according to our power
consumption efficiency. The metering
system will provide us with a
load profile baseline to enable us to
accurately quantify the results of our
energy reduction initiatives and so
improve our ratings.
“Other significant benefits include
monitoring utility accounts to verify
that we are being charged correctly
and to ensure that we bill our subtenants
correctly,” he added.

11
Transmission & Distribution
Protection & Control scores a ‘first’ in Africa with
Wide Area Monitoring System for Eskom
A diagram of the architecture of the WAMS system that Protection & Control has been contracted to produce and install for Eskom.
Protection & Control (P&C) has
won a ground-breaking R31 million
contract to design, supply and
install state-of-the-art Wide Area
Monitoring System (WAMS) equipment
for Eskom.
The WAMS will enable Eskom
to monitor local and national disturbances
in its transmission network.
Disturbances may often lead to widespread
system outages. WAMS also
provides advance warning of possible
system deterioration so that corrective
action can be taken to avert a
crisis situation from arising.
“The WAMS, which will be one
of the largest of its kind in the world
and the first in Africa, is a dedicated
system that provides high-speed
information about the real-time behaviour
of the transmission network
to enable Eskom to manage the grid
most effectively”, explained Brian
van Rensburg, P&C’s Business
Development Manager.
Phasor Measurement Units
(PMU’s) will be installed at key nodes
in the transmission network. “The
PMU’s will constantly monitor key
system metrics such as power angle
and frequency and communicate the
data to Eskom’s National Control
Centre, where the operators will be
able to determine the power system
state with the aid of advanced
visualisation and stability monitoring
software applications,” he said.
Any system disturbance that affects
system metrics such as damping,
frequency and system phase
angles will be made visible on the
Human Machine Interface (HMI)
display and thus preventative action
can then be taken. “For example,
any abrupt phase angle or frequency
shifts will indicate that the transmission
network is under strain and preventative
action can be taken in these
circumstances. Depending on the
severity of the problem, additional
power generation will be brought on,
load will be reduced in co-operation
with large consumers, or, as a last
resort, controlled load-shedding will
be implemented,” Brian stated.
As with the WAMS, Eskom’s
Energy Management System, which
has been in operation since the
beginning of 2008, was supplied by
P&C in conjunction with its technology
partners.
The WAMS contract, awarded
in early July 2010, comprises two
phases – an initial R10 million design
phase and a R21 million production
phase. During the design phase
P&C’s technology principal, Alstom
Grid (formerly Areva T&D), will adapt
and customise its standard WAMS
to meet Eskom System Operator’s
requirements.
The subsequent production phase
will involve the rollout of the full system,
including supply of a number
of PMU’s and Substation Phasor
Data Concentrators (SPDC’s) to
be installed at 28 locations on the
network around the country. The
SPDC’s perform the function of collating
and transmitting information
from multiple PMU’s at a substation
to the National Control Centre. The
contract also encompasses development,
supply and integration of the
Phasor Point software by Psymetrics,
a Scotland-based engineering company
specialising in such systems.
P&C, the lead contractor, will
undertake local assembly and assist
with integration and testing of the
system.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Transmission & Distribution
PIX switchgear installed in Burnstone mine’s main
intake substation
MV Switchgear recently completed
two contracts for distribution
of 11 kV power at the new Burnstone
underground gold mine near Balfour,
Mpumalanga.
The contracts, together worth
over R10 million, involved supply of
specialised PIX air-insulated primary
distribution systems switchgear from
Schneider Electric (formerly Areva
T&D) for installation in the substation
supplying power to the mine, while
the second contract was for both surface
and underground electricity supply,
comprising locally manufactured
SBV4 switchgear equipment.
The contract for construction
and supply of 23 PIX switchgear
panels came from Midrand based
Consolidated Power Projects
(CONCO), which was responsible
for construction of the mine’s 88
kV/11 kV main intake substation. The
contract was awarded in mid 2009
and completed in February 2010.
“This order was the largest order
we have received to date for PIX
for an industrial application since
our introduction of this product into
the local market at the beginning of
2009,” commented Alec Duff, MV
Switchgear’s Marketing Manager.
The company introduced PIX to
spearhead a drive to gain entry into
the power generation and industrial
high fault level markets. “PIX is
ideal for MV network applications
Current Electric enhances MV current and voltage
transformers with protective screen
Current Electric is now producing
11 kV current and voltage transformers
(CT’s and VT’s) that are screened
by means of a metallic coating to ensure
that no live parts are exposed.
The new screened 11 kV units
introduced by Current Electric, the
leading local producer and supplier of
medium voltage CT’s and VT’s, were
awarded international IEC60044 quality
certification by the SA Bureau of
Standards late last year after being
successfully type-tested for impulse,
short circuit and power frequency.
General Manager Vanessa de
Swardt pointed out that screen
coating is applied to the body of
in Eskom’s new power plants and
has a number of features that we
believe gives it the edge over similar
products on offer,” commented
General Manager David Geldart at
the time.
The company was subsequently
successful, later in 2009, in winning
a prized R275 million contract
from Eskom to supply a total of 640
PIX units for installation in the new
Medupi power station currently under
construction. This order marked
MV Switchgear’s entry into the
power generation market.
PIX is an advanced air-insulated
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 12
range of switchgear that conforms
to the international IEC 62271 Parts
100 and 200 standard and is internal
arc classified up to 50 kA for 17,5
kV. It is compact, requires minimum
maintenance and has a number of
built-in safety features.
In late 2009 Burnstone mine,
which is owned and operated by
Great Basin Gold Ltd, awarded MV
Switchgear a contract for 35 SBV4
11 kV switchgear panels for surface
and underground power supply.
Deliveries of these units were completed
on schedule in September
2010.
Technicians do finishing touches to the array of 23 PIX switchgear panels supplied by Schneider Electric
of Europe and assembled at MV Switchgear’s Knights plant.
the CT’s and VT’s.
“Screened connectors
that come in
kit form have to be
installed over the
bushings to provide
the complete protection
that is required,”
she explained.
Current Electric’s General
Manager Vanessa de
Swardt and Design
Manager Giorgio Tarazza
with samples of the newlyintroduced
screened CT’s
and VT’s.

1
Transport
Signalling used ingenuity to provide vital data for
MetroRail’s passenger info system upgrade
In a major project undertaken by
the Passenger Rail Agency of South
Africa (PRASA) to upgrade many of
MetroRail’s passenger information
systems nationwide in preparation
for the 2010 Soccer World Cup,
Signalling demonstrated its ability
to adapt to the protocols of the main
system suppliers, as well as provide
efficient communication between
old legacy electro-mechanical interlocking
systems and the new stateof-the-art
integrated communication
system (ICS).
Signalling participated as a subcontractor
in the project, which commenced
in 2008 and was completed
in time for the Soccer World Cup
tournament in mid 2010. “The project
was aimed specifically at providing a
centralised automated passenger information
service at stations around
the country that were critical to the
transport arrangements associated
with the World Cup,” commented
General Manager Peter Colborne.
“More than 100 stations were
involved in the upgrade. The new centralised
electronic system replaced a
manual system in which each station
independently provided the relevant
information to passengers about
train arrival and departure times and
changes to timetables,” he pointed
out.
The scope of the sub-contracts,
awarded to Signalling by the main
contractor for the ICS system, was to
automatically feed the raw signalling
data from the stations, comprising
train arrival and departure times and
train routing information, into the
passenger information system.
“The stations involved had existing
signalling systems of three different
technological levels,” explained
Anton Reinhardt, Signalling’s Senior
Development Engineer responsible
for designing and developing the
communication interfaces between
the various signalling systems at the
stations and the ICS system.
“The first was the old legacy
system that was an entirely electromechanical
system and therefore
was the one that presented the biggest
challenges for us because of the
difficulties involved in gaining access
to the required information and of
transmitting it to the ICS system.
“The second type of system was
a little easier, because although it
had electro-mechanical interlocking
and no train describer, it was already
equipped with an electronic remote
control interface, which made it easy
enough to gain access to information
from the interlockings. And the third
type of system was the easiest of all
as it consisted of modern electronic
interlocking, complete with train describer
and remote control, so it was
just a matter of installing a simple
plug-in to access and transmit the
information.”
Signalling’s greatest ingenuity
was called upon to provide workable
solutions to the problems posed by
the old legacy system – although this
system was present in only seven of
the 100 plus stations involved.
“The legacy systems date back
to the 1940’s and 50’s. Not only
are they relay-based systems with
nothing electronic on them, but they
even have the old mercury timers,”
remarked Anton.
“Due to both safety and practical
considerations it wasn’t feasible to
try and interfere with the old wiring,
so we designed and developed a
distributed input-output subsystem
utilising a can-bus system, as used
in the motor industry. This has the
advantage of making use of the
redundancy inherent in the old
electro-mechanical interlockings,
instead of interfering with the existing
circuitry.
“In addition, we had to radically
adapt and repackage the modern
train describer in a format that the
legacy interlockings understood so
that the information so gathered
could be transmitted to the central
ICS system. The main challenge here
was to typecast the legacy system
so that it assumed all the characteristics
of modern interlocking,” Anton
concluded.
Hardus Joubert, a Development Engineer with Signalling, with one of the can-bus units the company adapted as a safe and effective means of accessing data
from old legacy interlockings.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Power Conversion
Electrical Machines wins order for Kusile’s
desulphurisation plant
Electrical Machines recently won
a sizeable contract for the design,
manufacture and supply of medium
voltage motors for the wet limestone
desulphurisation plant at Eskom’s
new Kusile coal-fired power station
currently under construction near
Delmas, Mpumalanga.
The order placed by Alstom S&E
Africa (Pty) Ltd, comprises a total
of 44 motors rated at 6,6 kV and
between 300 and 1800 kW. The first
deliveries are scheduled for June
this year and the contract is due for
completion in May 2014.
“This order comes after an extended
commercial and technical
evaluation process that began in late
2009,” said Sales Manager Brian
Lindsay.
“The motors fulfill some unusually
tough project specific requirements,
including an expected operational life
of 50 years, low full load sound levels
of 82 db, resulting in the motors being
constructed with integral sound
attenuators, and a low bearing temperature
rise of 35 degrees against a
design ambient of 50 degrees, with-
cooling systems.”
The contract adds to a considerable
volume of Eskom related work in
progress at Electrical Machines, with
many return-to-service contracts at
various stages of completion within
the works. The company has also
recently received key orders from
the Zimplats Ngezi Mine, Northam’s
Booysendaal mine via DRA for large
out the use of any external bearing A silenced MV motor similar to those on order for Kusile’s wet limestone desulphurisation plant.
ACTOM via its Power Conversion
division has acquired leading airconditioning
engineers and contractors
specialist company Luwa (SA)
(Pty) Ltd from its South African
shareholders.
The acquisition was concluded
in January and is effective from
February 1. Luwa SA was established
in South Africa in 1971, this year
marking its 40th anniversary.
Luwa SA, which is based in
Pinetown and Brackenfell, is one
of the leading and oldest players
in the industrial ventilation and airconditioning
solutions environment
and offers design, manufacture and
installation capabilities.
Paul Cuthbert, Managing Director
of the Power Conversion division,
said the acquisition complements
the group’s activities in the air movement,
air pollution and dust control
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 1
mill motors, some large pump motors
for NamWater and various special
purpose built shredder motors
destined for the USA market.
“It is encouraging to see good
orders coming from the export
and mining sectors again after a
slow 2009 and early 2010,” Brian
commented.
ACTOM acquires specialist air-conditioning
engineers and contractors company Luwa SA
markets and further reinforces the
group’s commitment to investing
in quality South African engineering
companies aligned with its market
focus.
“ACTOM is well established as
a major supplier of gas and dust
emission control systems as well as
fans for industrial mining and power
applications. The acquisition of Luwa
SA extends our involvement in the
air movement and controls industry
into new industries such as health
care and pharmaceuticals via Luwa’s
Clean Room Technology,” he stated.
Luwa will operate as a standalone
business within the Power
Conversion division. “We view the
company as a successful and wellrun
operation and have no intention
of incorporating it into another business
unit,” Paul emphasised.
Frank Van Dongen, Luwa SA’s
Managing Director, commented:
“From our point of view an important
benefit of the deal is that, by
becoming part of one of the most
forward-looking BBBEE groups in the
country, we gain meaningful status,
which opens up new business opportunities
for us.
“Another major benefit for our
company is that the financial muscle
of ACTOM, with its strong balance
sheet and successful track record
as a locally-owned group, promises
a solid capital base from which to
more easily expand our business as
requirements demand.”
He added: “We continue to have
access to Luwa’s international technology
which is a key player in the
global textile air-conditioning industry
and are able to offer solutions to industry
generally based on 40 years
of local experience.”

1
Power Conversion
ACTOM Air Pollution Control commended for ‘job
well done’ on large fume-extraction contract
Air Pollution Control (MikroPul)
recently completed one of the largest
gas-cleaning contracts it has ever
undertaken.
The turnkey contract, worth over
R100 million, was for Assmang’s Cato
Ridge works near Durban, where Air
Pollution Control provided a system
for capturing fumes generated by
the tapping operations of the plant’s
six furnaces.
The contract, awarded by
Assmang in mid 2008 and completed
in July 2010, included civils and the
supply and installation of electrical
and automated control systems.
The secondary gas-cleaning system,
which complements Cato
Ridge’s primary fume-extraction sys-
tem, comprises a large eight-module
reverse pulse filter baghouse covering
a ground area of 1200 m 2 , plus
ancillary equipment that includes extensive
ducting and extraction hoods
attached to jib cranes that swing the
hoods into position at the furnaces
during tapping operations.
Said Woitek Liberda, Air Pollution
Control’s General Manager: “The
filtration plant, with an extraction capacity
of 775 000 m 3 /hr, is designed
to serve tapping operations of up
to four furnaces simultaneously.
Emissions are guaranteed at well
below 15 mg/Nm 3 .”
A view of two of the extraction hoods that are swung into position by jib cranes to extract fumes
generated during tapping operations.
Sam Matsimela, a Consulting
Engineer with Assore, a 50% shareholder
in Assmang’s Cato Ridge
works, said the filtration plant is
operating efficiently and exceeds the
specified fume extraction capacity of
775 000 m 3 /hr.
He described Air Pollution
Control’s project management as
excellent. “They reacted swiftly to
most of our demands and to scope
changes and were extremely flexible
in accommodating the works’ pro-
duction requirements. They also gave
major priority to safety and must be
commended for their ability to work
safely while some of the furnaces
were in production,” he said.
Air Pollution Control, which
changed its name from MikroPul in
October 2010, remains unchanged in
all other respects and continues to
offer the world-renowned MikroPul
range of gas cleaning and dust control
and collection equipment in the
local market.
The large baghouse
installed by Air Pollution
Control at the Cato
Ridge works to capture
fumes generated by the
tapping operations of the
furnaces.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Power Conversion
ACTOM Air Pollution Control wins Medupi coal
dust collection contract
Air Pollution Control (MikroPul)
recently won a contract to supply and
install bag filters and ducting for dust
collection at the coal feed terrace of
Eskom’s new Medupi power station
currently under construction near
Lephalale, Limpopo Province.
The three-year contract was
awarded in December 2010 by ELB
Engineering Services, the main contractors
responsible for the supply
and installation of the coal and ash
handling equipment for Medupi.
“The coal dust collection contract
involves design, manufacture, supply,
installation and commissioning of six
bag filters – one for each of the power
station’s six coal bunkers – as well as
a total of 1,6 km of ducting for collection
of dust at numerous transfer
points in the complex configuration
of conveyors supplying coal to the
bunkers,” explained Martin Luyt, Air
Pollution Control’s Sales Engineer.
The filters to be installed are the
well-proven MikroPulsaire tubular reverse
pulse type. They are equipped
with explosion protection features,
including anti-static filter bags.
Delivery of the first of the filters
Contact Engineering provides superb service
refurbishing large flexible connectors
Contact Engineering has a longstanding
reputation as a leading
refurbisher and producer of flexible
laminated copper connectors.
For more than 20 years the company
has been providing this valuable
service to a wide variety of users, including
electricity utilities, aluminium
smelters, steel mills, foundries and
municipalities. The flexible connectors
are used in equipment with high
current capacity.
“We are one of the biggest
refurbishers of flexible laminated
connectors in South Africa and we
are one of only a few companies in
the country that has equipment for
heat-fusing,” commented General
Manager Ernie Muller.
“Our heat-fusing equipment,
which was designed and developed
in-house, applies well-proven stateof-the-art
technology for this proc-
and ducting systems is scheduled for
September this year, with the others
to follow at six-monthly intervals
thereafter and the contract due for
completion in early-2014.
Colin Haupt, ELB Engineering
Services’ Project Engineer responsible
for the main coal and ash terraces
As with the recently
awarded contract
for dust collection
at Medupi’s coal
feed terraces, the
bag filter supplied
by Air Pollution
Control in an earlier
contract for another
customer is also
explosion proof.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 1
A set of large laminated flexible copper connectors of the type that Contact Engineering refurbishes.
ess. Our customers can attest to its
effectiveness.”
The company’s heat-fusing equipment
can process laminated connectors
ranging from 17 mm to 350 mm
in width.
In addition to the large laminated
contract, said Air Pollution Control
was selected for the coal dust collection
contract because, in addition to
its bid being competitively priced, it
demonstrated that it has the technical
capability required to do the job.
copper flexible connectors, the company
also refurbishes and produces
braided connectors for smaller applications,
as well as the refurbishment
and manufacture of a variety
of electro-mechanical components,
contacts and slip-rings.

1
Electrical Equipment
Electrical Products supplies top quality luminaires
for Ford Motor Company plant
The Versabeam high-bay luminaires installed in FMCSA’s Engine Plant.
Ford Motor Company South Africa
(FMCSA) has selected luminaires
of the highest quality for lighting of
its Struandale Engine Plant in Port
Elizabeth.
A total of 504 Versabeam 400
watt metal halide high-bay luminaires,
manufactured by leading
international lighting specialists GE
Lighting of Europe and supplied locally
by Electrical Products, have
been installed in the refurbished and
new sections of the Engine Plant in
line with the practice of Ford Motor
Company in the United States, the
local company’s principal, which
uses this product exclusively in its
US factories because of its superior
characteristics over all other alternative
fittings on offer.
Prior to the order being placed
with Electrical Products in October
2009, FMCSA conducted exhaustive
comparative tests on the Versabeam
and a selection of alternative makes
of high-bay luminaires to confirm
the Versabeam’s superior lighting,
durability and safety features. The
tests included photometrics and
thermal imaging by way of infrared
photographs to check lighting efficiency
and thermal management
within the control gear and lamp
compartments.
“In all aspects the Versabeam
proved to be far superior to the others,
thereby fully justifying its premium
pricing,” commented Neil Stander,
the company’s Manufacturing
Engineering Manager.
“The Versabeam proved to be the
best in all tests with exceptional light
control, excellent illumination and no
glare. It was also by far the coolest
running luminaire among all those
that we tested.”
Elaborating on the Versabeam’s
features, Jack Carne, Electrical
Products’ Marketing Specialist,
Lighting Products, said: “The combination
of reflection and refraction
prisms in the acrylic diffuser results
in optimal control of light and guarantees
a high level of efficiency and
extraordinary illumination of vertical
surfaces with great visual comfort
due to minimal glare. It is expertly
designed to limit glare and focus all
useable light onto the floor area, as
well as disperse the light as evenly as
possible to ensure that there aren’t
light and dark spots.
“When needing to use high
wattage lamps to achieve minimum
lux levels, as applies in Ford’s case,
the efficiency of the reflector design
plays a vital role in determining the
amount of luminaires to be used,
which in turn has a knock-on effect
on the total electricity consumption
of the plant.
“The enclosed design of the
Versabeam makes it suitable for use
in damp environments or areas with
high dust levels.
“In addition, Ford has selected
the best available IP seal for the lamp
compartment, ensuring maximum
protection against ingress of dust, as
well as moisture, including splashing
and direct water spray.
“A further important characteristic
of Versabeam, which contributes to
its exceptional reliability and long life,
is that its large die-cast aluminium
control box acts as a very efficient
heat sink, drawing the heat from
source and emitting it to atmosphere,”
Jack concluded.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Electrical Equipment
More proactive business policy gives Electrical
Products a boost
In recent years Electrical Products
has greatly expanded its product and
service offerings.
“We have become more proactive
by closely following market
trends and developing more comprehensive
and competitively priced
product offerings to meet market
requirements,” explained Marketing
Manager Mike Ullyett.
“This has resulted in substantial
growth of our business in some of
the major market sectors we serve,
notably the utilities and municipalities
and the mining industry, as well as
contractors serving these sectors.
“For instance, in line with the accelerated
pace of development by
Eskom and other utilities in Southern
Africa to provide additional power
generation capacity and electrical
infrastructure extending into the rural
areas, we now provide a complete
electrification package comprising
cable for transmission lines and distri-
bution equipment comprising distribution
transformers, surge arresters,
fuse kits, insulators and general line
hardware equipment.”
An innovation the company has
developed for use in the mining industry
is a range of inexpensive and
versatile clamps and wedges to support
cables in vertical shafts. “These
are completely re-engineered versions
of our traditional Relco range of
clamps and wedges,” said Mike.
“Since we launched them into the
market about a year ago they have
proven to be highly successful due
to a variety of advantages they have
over their predecessors, as they are
easier to install, more lightweight
and better suited to modern shaft
layouts.”
Another field in which Electrical
Products has scored noteworthy
successes is in lighting, where it has
extended its product range and service
levels over the past three years.
Advanced street lighting products launched
Electrical Products launched
two new street lighting products
at AMEU Convention 2010 held in
Stellenbosch in September.
The products are designed and
manufactured by GE Lighting of
Europe and supplied and supported
exclusively by Electrical Products
locally.
One is a ceramic metal halide
(CMH) street lamp called CMH
Streetwise that is designed to
replace an existing high-pressure
sodium (HPS) street lamp without
the original luminaire having to be
replaced.
Jack Carne, Electrical Products’s
Marketing Specialist, Lighting
Products, said: “The modern trend
is to move from yellow to white light
and it is simply a matter of changing
the lamp, not the fitting, as the new
lamp is compatible with the existing
fitting. For old mercury vapour
(MV) fittings, all that is required is
to replace the existing magnetic
control gear with modern electronic
control gear. There is also an energy
cost saving, due to the more energy
efficient electronic control gear and
the fact that the lamp is capable of
being dimmed remotely.”
The second product is the Luna
street lighting luminaire, which is
designed for both HPS and CMH
lamps.
“It is competitively priced against
other locally available street lumi-
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 1
“Here again, as with our extended
electrical reticulation products for
the utilities and municipalities, we
set out to provide a complete package
instead of a limited selection of
products,” he pointed out.
“This too has paid off handsomely.
On the product side we
have moved upstream in providing
complementary one-stop packages,
such as poles and fittings in addition
to lamps, for example, while on
the service side we offer complete
lighting design solutions. We have
achieved this by both diversifying
our technology partnerships and
signing new extended technology
agreements with our longstanding
partners locally and abroad.”
Mike added that the company has
also recently landed some lucrative
supply contracts for major mining
projects in other parts of Africa
beyond its traditional market in the
Southern African region.
naires, yet it has the advantage of
having an IP66 rated lamp compartment
that make it resistant to high
pressure water spray, moisture and
dust. There is also a quick-release
plug on the lamp wires to disconnect
the gear tray from the luminaire for
easy maintenance,” Jack said.
Electrical Products’
Jack Carne with the
new Luna street
lighting luminaire.

Management appointments at MV Switchgear and
Protection & Control
New managers of MV Switchgear
and Protection & Control have been
appointed with effect from April 1.
Martin Kelly, the present General
Manager of Protection & Control,
has been appointed to the new post
of Divisional Chief Operating Officer
of the Medium Voltage Equipment
& Protection division, making him
directly responsible for the management
of MV Switchgear and
having overall responsibility for both
MV Switchgear and Protection &
Control.
Brian van Rensburg, Protection
& Control’s Business Development
Manager, has been appointed
General Manager of Protection &
Control, reporting to Martin.
Jack Rowan, Managing Director
The longest serving staff member
among ACTON Repair Services
employees who were presented
with long service awards in 2010
was General Manager Porra Araujo,
who has had 35 years service with
the company.
Porra is seen displaying his certificate,
flanked by Group Managing
Director Mark Wilson and Andries
Tshabalala, a Director of the ACTOM
group and Managing Director of
ACTON Repair Services, who made
the presentations to Porra and seven
of his colleagues on November 25.
The other recipients of awards
were Andrea Cooley, Financial
Accountant and Willie Zwane,
of the Transmission & Distribution
division, said: “As these two businesses
closely complement each
other both technically and commer-
Martin Kelly Brian van Rensburg
Porra attains 35 years service at Repair Services
1
cially, Martin in his position of overall
responsibility for both will be able to
maximise the synergies between
them.”
Test Bay Foreman, both with 25
years’ service, while those who received
15 years service awards were
Stephen Kruger, General Foreman,
David Sasman, Chargehand, Rookoo
Govender, Armature Coil Taper,
Leoni Little, Armature Coil Taper, and
Edward Mosala, Assistant.
In addition, four staff members
who went on pension were presented
with special certificates in
recognition of their years of service
with the company.
The picture shows them displaying
their certificates while being embraced
by Porra. They are (from left):
James Ndumase, Sam Ngubane,
Muhle Majola and Richard Mabote.
Distribution Transformers’ long-service awards recipients
Among employees of Distribution Transformers who were presented with long-service awards for 2010 at a presentation
function in November were two employees who
attained 35 years of service with the company. Seen
in the above picture with other recipients and General
Manager Alan Buchholtz, they are Lawrance Khoza
(back row, third from left) and Frieda Zwane (front
row, second from right).
The others in the picture, who received awards
for 10 or 15 years service, are (front row, from left):
Theophilus Thage, Jacob Mokganedi, Clement
Nkabinde, Rachel van Wyk, Siphiwe Sibeko and Jacob
Mathebula.
Back row: Philimon Malakoane, Moses Tshabalala,
Jacob Tholo, Vuyani Bonoyi, Steven Molefe, Sakie
Mokoena, Sakie Forbay and Comfort Xinti.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011

Spring Day celebration leads to launch
of Friday cricket tournament
Donovan Stevens (left), co-ordinator of the Friday social cricket tournament and captain of MW
Switchgear’s team, congratulates Thulani Ludidi, captain of Distribution Transformer’s team, winners of
the Final.
MW Switchgear’s staff decided to have a get together and braai at Knights
after work on Friday September 3 to celebrate Spring Day.
As part of the afternoon’s entertainment, Donovan Stevens, MV
Switchgear’s Financial Manager, arranged an action cricket match to be played
between MV Switchgear and Protection & Control.
Such was the enthusiasm and interest aroused by the match that within a
short while it was agreed that a mini-tournament be staged betweens teams
from each of the four companies based at the Knights site.
It quickly got under way, starting with a round-robin in which each of the
teams played all of the others, with a final match between the top two teams
to be played towards the end of the year. A handsome trophy for the winning
team was provided by Benoble, a MW Switchgear sub-contractor that undertakes
installation and commissioning of the company’s switchgear.
“At the start we decided to field mixed teams with equal numbers of men
and women in each team,” said Donovan, who is coordinator of the mini tournament
and captain of MW Switchgear’s team.
“As expected, many more men wanted to play than could be accommodated
in a team, so we rotated them to give them all a chance, while in most
matches the same women played each time because there were fewer of
them available to play.”
One of the most exciting matches played during the round-robin tournament
was a nail-biting contest that took place on October 8 between High Voltage
Equipment and Distribution Transformers. Towards the end of the match HVE
had a clear lead but had six runs deducted from their total when they lost
two wickets, resulting in Distribution Transformers winning by two runs with
a final score of 59-57.
MV Switchgear and Distribution Transformers made it to the final match,
which was staged on November 26, with a large crowd of spectators in attendance.
Distribution Transformers triumphed by winning this exciting encounter
27-24.
“When we resume Friday social cricket in the New Year the tournament
will be extended to include the whole ACTOM group in Gauteng, as many
people from other group companies have expressed an interest in taking part,”
Donovan said afterwards.
What’s Watt FEBRUARY 2011 20
What’s Watt is published by
ACTOM (Pty) Ltd to inform staff,
customers and other stakeholders
of developments in the group.
Editorial contact: Julian Kraft at
J Kraft Public Relations
Tel (011) 472-6686
mwkraftj@mweb.co.za
Produced by: Jeroen Luyk at
In Africa
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Contact at ACTOM:
Johann Ellis
Tel (011) 820-5020
johann.ellis@actom.co.za
Address:
2 Magnet Road, Knights, Boksburg
PO Box 13024 Knights 1413
For more information about the
group,
visit our Website at
http://www.actom.co.za
Operating companies:
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Isando: 011 392-0900
TRANSMISSION & DISTRIBUTION
High Voltage Equipment: 011 820-5111
Power Systems: 011 430-8700
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MV Switchgear: 011 820-5111
Distribution Transformers: 011 820-5111
Protection & Control: 011 820-5111
Current Electric: 011 822-2300
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PROJECTS
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Industry: 011 430-8700
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011 899-1111
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Contact Engineering: 011 892-3013
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Electrical Products head office:
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Mechanical Equipment: 011 871-6789
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