In early October the Southern African Energy Efficiency Confederation – SAEEC – hosted its 20th annual conference at a venue just north of Johannesburg. Delivering the opening keynote address at the conference, Deputy Minister of Electricity & Energy, Samantha Graham-Maré, expressed her strong support for the drive to improve energy efficiency, citing it, as highlighted by the IEA, as the first fuel of the energy transition – in terms of reducing use of fossil-fuel generated electricity and refining, managing, optimising, the ongoing demand for electricity as it continues to rise.

Graham-Maré also emphasised the parallel importance of engendering circularity in the fast-growing renewable energy sector, making the point that worldwide, we need to be ready to manage the disposal – recycling, repurposing, reuse – of the equipment and materials used in the first boom of building solar and wind energy plants and battery storage systems – when they reach their end of ‘first’ life. And that circularity needs to be engineered into new products, equipment and apparatus used in renewable energy plants going forward. Without it, she suggested, renewable energy cannot claim to be clean energy. She highlighted too that there is indeed value to be realised in integrating circularity into the industry.

Energy management + energy efficiency is one of the features in focus in this October 2025 issue of Electricity + Control, together with Industry 4.0 + IIoT, Measurement + instrumentation, and Safety of plant, equipment + people.

This issue of Electricity + Control is released for publication as Eskom shares its  2025/26 Summer Outlook – forecasting no load shedding for the summer period. This turnaround is in large part a result of the utility’s focused and ongoing commitment in implementing its Generation Recovery Plan which has enabled the progressive improvement in levels of energy availability and stability of supply through the past year. It must be acknowledged, however, that it is also in large part due to the now much higher share of renewable energy generation, driven mostly by the private sector. SAPVIA notes  that total solar capacity in South Africa had grown to 8.97 GW by 2024, with a significant portion coming from the private off-take market. This has given Eskom the space to address long-neglected maintenance demands in its aging power generation fleet. All round, it is good news for the country and for the economy.

In his comment upfront in this August 2025 issue of Electricity + Control, Technical Editorial Consultant Professor Ian Jandrell, proposes the view that Industry 4.0, rather than being seen as a revolution (bringing with it some sense of chaos and danger) is essentially about the digitalisation of all those steps that have always been part of optimising plant operations: a process of progressive transformation, making modern plants smarter and faster.

Digitalisation also gives rise to a lot more data than has ever had to be managed by plants before. And for plants looking to use artificial intelligence to optimise efficiencies and performance, relevant data is fundamental. In our feature on Industry 4.0 + IIoT, Sam Veng of Belden sets out the steps for building a data foundation to enable AI in manufacturing, as he shared in a recent blog post.

In this July 2025 issue of Electricity + Control we see how industrial technologies continue to evolve to provide integrated solutions that optimise operational efficiencies and advance performance across various industry sectors.

Looking at Control systems + automation, we learn that for TME, a machine builder specialising in machines for the packaging of powdered foods, Beckhoff PC-based control technology was a clear preference for its latest Cialdy Evo machine series. Factors favouring this decision included the scope it enables for innovation in TME’s packaging machines – through its flexibility, scalability, and openness.

At the end of May, Electricity + Control had the opportunity to join a tour of LH Marthinusen’s newly upgraded industrial fan manufacturing and services facility in Ekurhuleni, east of Johannesburg. The expanded and upgraded facility was officially opened by Minister of Trade, Industry & Competition, Mpho Parks Tau, and Mervyn Naidoo, CEO of the ACTOM Group, which is the holding company of LH Marthinusen. Speaking at the event, Naidoo, a long-time champion of local manufacturing, noted three key points that are perhaps fundamental to rebuilding South Africa’s manufacturing sector and the country’s re-industrialisation. Firstly, the investment in renewing the facility has been made possible by what is in effect a public-private partnership, with support from the DTIC, Eskom, and ACTOM/LH Marthinusen. Secondly, he highlighted that the manufacturing industry is, after a long idling time, beginning to see an upturn in new demand for mechanical and electrical equipment as Operation Vulindlela gains traction and new build infrastructure projects are increasingly being realised – particularly in the energy and rail sectors. Thirdly, he emphasised the importance of skills training for industry, essential to opening up employment and growing South Africa’s economy. A walk through the new ACTOM Training Centre, adjacent to the industrial fans production halls, formed part of the site visit, Here, 120 apprentices from nearby local communities – many living in informal settlements – are currently in training. These factors together will contribute substantially to the country’s progress in re-industrialisation.