The use of advanced technologies is making it increasingly possible to optimise power generation infrastructure in Africa, extend asset life, improve plant performance and extract greater value from existing capacity. Steinmüller Africa is a leading player in this field and its full lifecycle technology capability will be on display at Enlit Africa 2026.
The Elios 3 drone's live feed and thermal imaging identify a structural defect inside a power generation plant.
A member of the global Bilfinger Group, the company has built its capability around the combined application of drone inspection, 3D laser scanning and precision modelling. Bringing these technologies together into a single, connected approach it spans the full lifecycle of power generation assets, from initial engineering and construction through to long-term maintenance, repair and optimisation.
At Enlit Africa 2026, Steinmüller Africa will exhibit the Elios 3 caged inspection drone, which allows engineers to inspect the interior of boilers, cooling towers and turbine housings without taking assets offline.
The drone navigates confined, hazardous and GPS-denied environments autonomously, transmitting real-time data that feeds directly into maintenance planning and decision-making.
The technology reduces inspection time, eliminates the need for personnel to enter dangerous spaces, and generates accurate, actionable data that has historically been difficult and costly to obtain.
The Elios 3 is one of the advanced technologies Steinmüller Africa will demonstrate at Enlit Africa 2026, here navigating a confined, hazardous environment.
Alongside the drone, Steinmüller Africa will demonstrate its 3D laser scanning capability with a portable scanning arm and a full 3D scanner. The technology produces millimetre-accurate digital models of an existing plant and equipment, replacing reliance on ageing drawings and manual measurements with precise as-built data.
A 3D printed heat exchanger model and a boiler model will also be on display, illustrating how this data informs component design, fabrication and whole-system engineering decisions across the full asset lifecycle.
"What we are seeing across the continent is a growing recognition that optimisation is a strategy, and one that delivers results faster and more cost effectively than new build alone. That is the conversation we are looking forward to having at Enlit Africa 2026,” says Moso Bolofo, Director, Steinmüller Africa.
Steinmüller Africa's participation at Enlit Africa 2026 aligns with the event's theme, Compounding impact: Small changes, Outsized outcomes, which focuses on the targeted interventions that shift performance at scale across the continent's power sector.
The company's engineering specialists will be available throughout the three days of the event to discuss specific asset challenges and explain how an integrated lifecycle partnership approach translates into measurable operational outcomes.
Enlit Africa 2026 takes place from 19 to 21 May 2026 at the CTICC, Cape Town, South Africa. Steinmüller Africa will be exhibiting at stand A55.
For more information visit: www.steinmüllerafrica.com