As the power crisis persists and South Africa struggles to rebuild and grow its economy, for the local manufacturing and industrial sectors the optimisation of energy production processes is fundamental to keeping the wheels of industry turning. Steam and boiler operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider, Associated Energy Services (AES), has been assisting industrial plants to optimise energy usage and implement best practices for more than 25 years.
Managing Director, Chris Paterson notes: “I believe our services have never been more important in the country than at this time – and particularly in the context of South Africa’s declining gross domestic product. The current energy and productivity crisis requires agile, flexible and diverse solutions. As an experienced, innovative, reliable and well-established steam and boiler O&M service provider, we can assist industry to optimise energy efficiency with a range of services and solutions.”
These include:
- Mitigating risk and reducing energy plant downtime
- Assisting with the care of assets over an energy plant’s lifetime
- Achieving efficient fuel combustion
- Diversifying a plant’s energy resources
- Improving site operations, and
- Reducing a plant’s carbon footprint.
Reducing plant downtime
Commercial Director, Dennis Williams says: “At AES we are committed to mitigating risk and reducing plant downtime for our customers by providing effective operations and maintenance services. Optimising thermal energy streams from coal, liquid fuels, biomass or gas, we enable our clients to improve energy efficiencies, safeguard their plants from energy interruptions, and secure ongoing sustainability and profitability.
“Effective O&M is critical in driving an energy plant to achieve successful and sustainable operations; we enable our client-partners to benefit from the constant availability of steam and the reliability of assets, at an equitable price.”
Williams points out that AES is fuel-solutions- and technology-agnostic, saying: “We believe coal will be the mainstay in South Africa regarding power generation for the next 10 years at least, and the same goes for process energy, which also has a substantial fuel requirement. However, AES provides solutions to diversify the fuel mix and we can assist clients in diversifying by providing access to various fuel and technology-based energy solutions: from coal and LPG (liquid petroleum gas) to biogas, biomass and more.
“We can also mitigate fuel risk through an established fuel procurement offering. Being extremely stringent in terms of the quality of fuel which we provide, we assist in plant efficiency improvements, using less fuel and improving the plant’s carbon footprint.”
Various operating models
Williams continues: “The production of thermal energy is integrated into a client’s overall production. We always see the boiler house as the metaphorical ‘heart’ of the operation and, if this is inefficient, it has a knock-on effect on the quantity and quality of product produced – which, in turn, negatively affects the bottom-line.
“With resources and skills shortages playing a significant role in today’s economic challenges, AES offers its clients a fully outsourced energy plant operation. This includes the provision of our own team members on site for operations, maintenance and training. We can also offer a ‘cradle to grave’ approach, paired with a ‘build, own, operate, transfer’ model. We are flexible and work according to the client’s requirements.”
Pioneering O&M services
Paterson says AES operates across a broad range of industrial sectors and has a well-established national footprint. It promotes optimised energy processes in the power generation industry as well as in the mining, chemical, timber, pulp and paper, textiles, dairy, poultry, and food and beverage industries.
Williams adds that AES is widely regarded as a pioneer in providing local O&M services in the steam and boiler plant management and maintenance field, based on its nearly three decades in operation and the size of its client base. He highlights that AES was the first in its field to offer an industry uptime and availability guarantee, which endorses its commitment to risk mitigation and confirms its status as a pioneer in the sector.
People and safety first
AES operates according to strict safety standards; it holds ISO 9001, 14001 and 45001 certifications.
Paterson comments: “AES is committed to quality, diverse and sustainable technology advances and the development of human capital on an equal opportunity basis. Our certifications ensure that we maintain a focus on achieving, benchmarking and optimising our internally and externally focused processes and activities.
“The current energy crisis requires robust, sustainable solutions. At AES we are determined to continue playing our role in supporting the South African economy through the optimisation and management of industrial energy efficiency, the diversification of energy solutions, reducing carbon footprint and risk mitigation,” he says.
For more information visit: www.aes-africa.com
