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Home » Keeping the wheels of industry turning by energy optimisation – Part 1

Keeping the wheels of industry turning by energy optimisation – Part 1

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The optimisation of energy production processes is crucial in keeping the wheels of industry turning as the local manufacturing and industrial sector continues to be challenged by the ongoing power crisis and struggling economy. This is the first part of a two-part series.

Commercial director Dennis Williams. Image credit: Associated Energy Services (AES)
Commercial director Dennis Williams. Image credit: Associated Energy Services (AES)

Steam and boiler operations and maintenance (O&M) service provider, Associated Energy Services (AES), has been proudly assisting industrial plants to achieve energy usage optimisation and best practices for over 25 years.

“I believe our services have never been more important in the country than at this current time – particularly in the wake of the country’s declining gross domestic product (GDP). The current energy and productivity crisis requires agile, flexible and diverse solutions. As an innovative, reliable and well-established steam and boiler O & M service provider with a 25 year-plus track record, we can assist with energy efficiency optimisation through a wide-ranging portfolio of solutions,” says managing director Chris Paterson.

These offerings include the following:

  • Mitigation of risk and reduction of energy plant downtime;
  • Assistance with the care of assets over the energy plant’s life-time;
  • Procurement of efficient fuel combustion;
  • Diversification of the plant’s energy resources;
  • Improvement in site operations; and
  • A reduction in carbon footprint.

Reducing plant downtime through effective O&M

Commercial director Dennis Williams explains: “AES is passionate about mitigating risk and reducing plant downtime through effective operations and maintenance and the optimisation of thermal energy streams from coal, liquid fuels, biomass and gas, allowing our clients to optimise energy efficiencies, future-proof their plants and secure ongoing sustainability and profitability.

“O&M provision is critical in driving an energy plant to achieve successful and sustainable operations, allowing our client-partners to benefit from the ongoing availability of steam and reliability of assets at an equitable price.”

Williams explains that AES is fuel-, solutions- and technology-agnostic, saying: “We believe coal will be the mainstay in South Africa regarding power generation for the next 10 years at least, and the same goes for process energy, which also has a substantial fuel requirement. However, AES provides solutions to diversify the fuel mix and are agnostic around fuel, we can assist clients in diversifying by providing access to numerous fuel and technology-based energy solutions: from coal and LPG (liquid petroleum gas) to biogas, biomass and more.

“We are also able to mitigate fuel risk through an established fuel procurement offering. Being extremely stringent in terms of the quality of fuel which we provide, we assist in plant efficiency improvements, using less fuel and improving the plant’s carbon footprint.”

Supplied by PR, edited by Eamonn Ryan