The current gridlock in certain provinces within the South African grid has halted several projects from connecting to the grid and providing much-needed MWs. There have also been growing concerns about higher stages of load shedding from the public, raising alarms on grid stability. The rapid evolution of the energy landscape, the push towards cleaner energy, and efforts from the utility and policymakers to address the customer side of the equation in parallel have led to a converter-dominated power system both on the supply and demand side. This necessitates a shift in traditional power system planning and operations. These power electronic devices influence power system dynamics and introduce new and unique stability issues. Most often, when the term stability is mentioned, frequency stability and inertia topics are flagged and addressed in recent public discourse. 

It has been noted that the Northern Cape gridlock is due to voltage constraints and voltage stability phenomena. While extensive transmission grid enhancement and strengthening will unlock and solve the problems, we cannot wait more than ten years for the execution of these projects to provide energy security to South Africans. What other options do we have? Can the Northern Cape grid and other gridlocked provinces be unlocked in the medium to long term?

Ms. Naniki Nzuza holds an Electrical Engineering degree and a postgraduate Project Management diploma from the University of Cape Town. She is currently enrolled to do her Masters in Electrical Engineering at UCT, focusing on the impact of inverter-based and hybrid renewable generation on grid operations, looking at System Security and Operational requirements.

Naniki is a Senior Grid Manager with Mulilo Renewable Project Developments, providing technical leadership & oversight on grid integration for a portfolio of projects. She is an accomplished professional engineer and a subject matter expert in the energy industry with over 18 years of experience in power system planning & operations.

Naniki is passionate about paving the way for the next generation of leaders; she is mentoring young girls to encourage them into the STEM career stream through the GirlEng movement and the Girls4Girls mentorship programmes.

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Event: Thursday, 14 September 2023 from 18:00 to 19:00

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