The South African National Energy Development Institute (Sanedi), which is overseen by the Department of Electricity and Energy, and the Rustenburg municipality are partnering to improve energy efficiency and sustainability in the city, through the use of innovative technologies. This is part of Sanedi’s Viability and Validation of Innovation for Service Delivery (VVISD) programme. 

“Our partnership with municipalities such as Rustenburg is an important step towards modernising energy systems and building resilient, energy-efficient local infrastructure,” says Sanedi smart grids project manager Dr Neville Smith. The Rustenburg municipality's electricity department, Sanedi points out, is a “key beneficiary” of the VVISD programme.

Sanedi and the municipality’s electricity department held a Technical Working Group Committee meeting, focused on installing new technology at the Industries Substation.

The technology concerned is ripple control relays. These are key elements in ensuring effective load management and are expected to play a central role in increasing energy efficiency and maintaining a reliable electricity supply across the city.

Also discussed was the refurbishment and modernisation of Rustenburg’s existing electricity infrastructure. This would greatly increase the performance of the ripple control relays. The combination of refurbishment and the installation of the ripple control relays could, once completed, deliver energy savings of up to 5 MVA.

The rollout of this upgrade and refurbishment project is scheduled for implementation during the third phase of the VVISD programme.

“This collaboration demonstrates Sanedi’s ongoing commitment to empowering municipalities with smart infrastructure solutions that drive sustainability, improve operational efficiency, and strengthen service delivery,” affirmed the institute. “Through projects like VVISD, Sanedi continues to support South Africa’s transition towards smarter, more sustainable energy solutions – creating tangible impact at community level.”