For a number of years now, unexpected electricity outages have been a reality in South Africa. Load shedding, cable theft and other technical problems not only interrupt the flow of production, but leave huge losses of both time and money in their wake.

Anton Eberhard, a business school professor at the University of Cape Town and an energy expert, says in an age where the functioning of business is inconceivable in the absence of electrical power, even a brief power outage can cause tremendous losses of productivity, material and revenues, as well as compromise food safety.

He explains that the degree of impact caused by a power failure to an individual company varies by industry and the nature of applications. “It can range from being disruptive to life threatening, and therefore a reliable and adequate source of electric power is necessary for the provision of water, energy, security, heat for preservation of critical industrial machinery and the integrity of food products,” he adds.

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