South Africa's energy transition, as well as similar efforts by other countries, is accelerating the demand for power transformers, as nations upgrade and expand their power grids to meet rising energy needs.
According to Mervyn Naidoo, Group CEO of ACTOM, the worldwide shift toward renewable energy is exposing a critical infrastructure gap: a severe shortage of transformers.
The demand for transformers, essential for transmission and distribution, has surged beyond current global supply capabilities.
This shortage is further complicated by the fact that renewable sources, such as solar and wind, are often geographically dispersed, located far from existing grid infrastructure.
Author's summary: South Africa's transformer manufacturing industry can fill local and national infrastructure gaps.