African Utility Week�s Industry Awards and African Power & Energy Elites Join Forces to Celebrate Continent�s Energy Pioneers

Cape Town, South Africa, August 11, 2019 –(PR.com)– Two leading programmes celebrating excellence and innovation in the African power and energy sector, have joined forces to honour the continent�s leading energy projects and pioneers. The African Power & Energy Elites publication and the African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards have aligned for their 2020 editions with a single nomination and selection process across a set of complementary categories.

For the last six years, the coveted African Power, Energy & Water Industry Awards have been taking place during African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa conference and exhibition in Cape Town. Meanwhile, the prestigious African Power & Energy Elites publication has celebrated leadership and successful projects in the sector since 2016.

The newly combined awards programme will be known as the African Power & Energy Elites and offer even more benefits, recognition and exposure for the finalists and winners, apart from the quality publication and glamorous awards evening. These benefits include access to, and speaking opportunities at leading energy events on the continent, a seat at the awards evening, a VIP tour of Cape Town and surrounds and an on-camera interview at the Awards evening.

The respective Elites categories are focused on excellence in leadership and pioneering projects and are applicable to both the public and private sectors, extending across power generation, transmission and distribution, water, independent power producers and project developers.

The final selection of African Power & Energy Elites projects and leaders is made by an external advisory board composed of experienced industry figures from around the world

Nomination categories:

Leadership
These are industry influencers who are innovative in their leadership approaches and strategies to improve the greater power and energy, and water value chain on a regional or country level. These leaders can be active in the private or public sectors and can include academia.

Generation Innovation and Optimisation
Projects in which electricity producers have improved thermal power generation efficiency and/or capacity by developing and implementing advanced and innovative technology and solutions into an existing or new power plant.

Renewable Energy Generation Innovation and Optimisation
Projects in which electricity producers have utilised renewable power generation and new business offerings to meet growing customer demand for cleaner energy options.

Rural Electrification
Electrification projects that have made a considerable positive impact to increasing energy access and electrification rates in urban, rural and informal settlements.

Transmission & Distribution
Projects that have provided growth in the transmission and distribution of electricity either locally, nationally or regionally and have faced complex challenges.

Smart Cities
Projects undertaken as part of a smart city initiative which have driven an integrated energy, transportation, water or gas system as part of an overall city plan.

Finance & Investment
These models should be exemplary in their fields which can be in the form of traditional financing models, FinTech and interactive platforms such as crowdfunding that attribute to the development of small, medium and large-scale power projects.

Digital Transformation
The most transformative product or project of 2019/2020 – this can include innovations across the water, power and energy value chain (generation; transmission; distribution). Additionally, innovation and progression in the use of data & analytics; significant meter rollouts; and innovations in research and development, training and skills development.

Deadlines:
– 30 Aug. 2019: Nominations close
– 30/31 Jan. 2020: Digital publication is released to market on ESI Africa with the shortlisted people and projects
– 13 May 2020: Awards evening at African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa

To nominate a person or project go to the ESI Africa website.

The African Power & Energy Elites is an annual journal produced by ESI Africa in collaboration with the Clarion Power & Energy Series recognising industry achievements across the power and energy value chain.

African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa is the flagship energy event organised by Spintelligent, a multi-award-winning Cape Town-based exhibition and conference producer across the continent in the energy, infrastructure, mining, real estate and agriculture sectors. Other well-known events by Spintelligent include Future Energy East Africa, Future Energy Nigeria, the Utility CEO Forums, Nigeria Mining Week and DRC Mining Week. Spintelligent is part of the UK-based Clarion Events Group and African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa form part of Clarion Energy, which runs over 40 events that cover the oil, gas, power and energy sectors, making it one of Clarion Events’ largest portfolios.