Edison Power

COMPANY PROFILE

2015

Edison Power

www.edisonpowergroup.co.za | +27 (0)31 566 9500

company profile

Power to the people Editorial: Rebecca Bingley

Standing as the oldest electrical contracting company in South Africa with a history that now spans over three decades, Edison Power Group, founded by leading entrepreneur Vivian Reddy, continues in its quest to become the leading electrical company in the industry. Recently voted the Best Electrical Company in South Africa for the fourth consecutive year, the award is a testament to Edison Power’s continued dedication and reliability in an increasingly competitive market space.

South Africa’s demand for reliable power remains high and while a large proportion of its power generation is dominated by coal, the renewable energy market is starting to catch up.

The national wholly state-owned utility, Eskom, continues to govern the power generation space, supplying an estimated 95% of South Africa’s electricity but with load shedding taking place on a more frequent basis, perhaps it is time the independent electricity providers stepped up to the plate to help with the increasing demand and diversify South Africa’s energy mix.

FOUNDER: VIVIAN REDDY Born in Durban, Vivian Reddy’s story is certainly one of rags to riches success. Beginning a career with one

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of the largest electrical companies of the time, Hubert Davies, Reddy was later chosen as South Africa’s first representative to the Boy Scouts Jamboree in Japan and it is here that he met his lifelong hero, Neil Armstrong.

This chance meeting led him to realise his dream to be successful and follow the mantra – ‘Whatever you do, you’ve got to do your best.’

And that’s exactly what Reddy did, building a true business enterprise that would grow to become the leading electrical company within the industry today. Spanning over three successful decades, Edison Power Group now stands as the oldest electrical contracting company in South Africa and specialises in electrical installations, working in an array of sectors including; commercial, township reticulation, live line installations, wind and solar EPC, industrial, HV and LV Reticulation and substation and transformer installations, amongst many, many more.

edison power

Vivian Reddy has established a somewhat influential status across Southern Africa – boasting a reputation as a truly successful entrepreneur and committed philanthropist. Patron to over ten organisations, Reddy now has involvements in religion, education, welfare organisations, conservation programs and community centers.

Starting Edison Power during Apartheid with R500 and a bakkie, the company was originally named Reddy’s Electrical but found limited work due to the era and thinking of the time. Once the name was changed to Edison Power – after the influential figure, Thomas Edison – the contracts began rolling in. 35 years on, and Reddy is putting his industry knowledge and reputation into helping others – providing numerous education bursaries and launching and sponsoring orphans of the AIDS trust.

Now standing as the largest electrical company in South

Africa with a multibillion Rand turnover and employing over 2000 people, Edison Power has been involved in many large projects and developments over the years.

PROJECTS Involved in numerous sectors, Edison Power has used its expertise and reputation in the electricity sector to assist with projects in the commercial and construction sector, assisting with large shopping centers, hospitals and national monuments, amongst many others.

One of these key projects is the Stranger Hospital in KwaZulu Natal. Subsequently striving to become the number one health care provider of choice for both the private and public sectors in the region, it has received numerous accreditations in recent years, including 100% COHSASA accreditation in 2003.

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company profile

Edison Power has also been involved in numerous shopping centre projects and developments. The Gateway Theatre of Shopping currently stands as the largest shopping centre in Africa and in the southern hemisphere. Located in Umhlanga, north of Durban, it has a retail floor space measuring 180,000 sq. meters.

Featuring 275 stores, the Tyger Valley Centre offers the very best in retail therapy and is renowned as the retail heart of the fairest Cape, located in the Tyger Valley business district.

Working within the commercial sector, Edison Power was involved with the Nedbank Ridgeside Office Block, completed in December 2010, it consists of a four-storey office block and measures 6,500 sq. meters.

Another notable project is the Standard Bank Global Leadership Centre – a complex which comprises of a number of different components. There is a learning wing which contains eight classrooms, an auditorium which enables a number of training programs and 16 syndicate rooms, while the residential wing has a

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swimming pool, gym and 151 bedrooms opening out into an outdoor space.

Voted The Best Electrical Company in South Africa four years running and winning FNB KZN Top Business Portfolio Awards in 2010 for Construction, Edison Power Group has also been awarded the Impumelelo Award Top 300 Companies Award.

So, what is the key to the ongoing success of the Edison Power Group? With over 34 years in the business, a lot can be pinned on its dedication to innovation.

Where so many companies fall short of this requirement and tend to amble along, taking fewer risks, Edison Power has ensured it continues to change and adapt with emerging trends; more recently focusing on renewable energy.

WIND ENERGY IN SA Wind energy is fast becoming the leading renewable power generation source in South Africa – with up to 400 turbines turning in the wind by the end of last

Edison Power

Panel & Switchboard Manufacturers 130 Khuzimpi Shezi (Williams) Rd, Durban Contact Mike Pienaar- mike@gammapanels.co.za or Alex Di Paolo – alex@gammapanels.co.za Tel: (031) 305 6681 Fax: (031) 304 9186

Manufactrers of: Low Voltage Switchgear Panels, Motor Control Centres, Medium Voltage Kiosks & Medium Voltage Metering Cubicles

Proud to be associated with Edison Power

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company profile

year. Across South Africa, there are currently five wind farms in operation, with a further 15 in the construction process and seven now approaching financial close – on completion, the wind farms will generate a total of 1,983 MW of power.

Johan van den Berg, CEO of the South African Wind Energy Association (Sawea) said: “Wind energy is certainly here, and there is plenty more in development and ready and waiting to be given the go-ahead.”

With the government’s Integrated Resource Plan for Electricity 2010-2030 in place, it is hoped wind and solar energy will make up at least 20% of supply to the national grid in South Africa by 2030.

More recently, South Africa’s very first Wind Atlas has been developed to provide potential investors with good opportunities in the sector. In conjunction with the Danish government and the United Nations Development Programme, it has been designed to help the government and industry identify potential wind development locations. So far, the Western Cape, parts

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of the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape have been identified as decent locations. Further funding from the Danish government will help expand the Wind Atlas into the remaining areas of the Eastern Cape, parts of the Free State and KwaZulu-Natal.

In a seminar on the Wind Atlas in Cape Town last year, Chief Director of clean energy in the Department of Energy explained: “We need good and reliable tools such as the Wind Atlas for long-term strategic planning. It will help developers to prepare for wind farms and diversify our energy mix.”

Dipolelo Elford, Sawea’s Chairperson added: “The wind industry is able to rapidly build much more than we are currently doing. Dozens of prospective wind farms have permits and approvals in place and could go into construction within six months if government gives the go-ahead today.”

VAN STADENS WIND FARM A R550 million project, the Van Stadens wind farm located in Nelson Mandela Bay, has an installed capacity of 27 MW. Standing 150m high, each turbine

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has a 3 MW capacity and a lifespan of 20 years. With an estimated production of 80,000 MWH/year for the Nelson Mandela municipality, it will provide enough generation to provide power for up to 6,000 households.

Edison Power were named electrical contractor for the Van Stadens Wind Farm project and provided electrical services to the EPC contractor who was responsible for the construction of the farm, Basil Read, Motomo.

This project was the first of its kind for Basil Read and it chose to partner with South African company, 3E Renewable Energy Services international for the operation and management of the farm, who boast extensive wind farm expertise.

Van Stadens’ project manager, Jeff Pipe explained: “There is no room for shortcuts, especially with geotechnical work. We spend almost R15m more than expected and are not in a position to ask the client for more money. We have been very, very thorough.”

THE EDISON POWER GROUP Over the years, Edison Power has added an extensive list of subsidiaries to its group, helping to cover a wide

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range of sectors, it has cemented its leading position in the industry and continued dedication to clients.

Edison Power’s renewable company, Edison Green, is currently involved with Suzlon, the 5th largest wind energy company in the world and is also in talks with another IPP which uses PV (Photovoltaic) technology for effective and efficient power generation. The use of this technology would help in creating solar farms which are both emission free and carbon neutral.

Helping to divert the ways in which energy is used to generate electricity and in keeping with the government’s 2030 sustainable plan, Edison Green is looking to become a key player in the EPC renewable energy sector and in the ownership of both wind and solar projects.

Edison Power KZN is currently the largest power company in the Province, completing 95% of all major projects in KwaZulu Natal.

Now standing as the contract of choice for large electrical projects including King Shaka International airport, it has an electrical contract value of R550 million. Edison Power KZN has played an important role in creating a stable platform for the development of the entire group.

Edison Power While its Transmission and Distribution division specialises in the erection of transmission and distribution lines, it already holds alliances with two multi-national companies, KEC international and Quanta Services. Boasting the resources to capture the potential of the transmission and distribution projects throughout Africa, it is thought the value could reach over R100 billion spanning across the next ten years.

In an alliance with Itron, currently the world’s leading provider of energy and water management solutions for utilities with thousands of employees, Edison Power’s Smart Metering Division is a global leader in technology and innovation. This division specialises in communication systems, data collection and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) that helps to efficiently collect and transmit data.

Whilst Edison Power Gauteng looks to participate in the Gauteng market via joint ventures and associate companies, it maintains

high level standards of professionalism, performance and reliable deliveries in an attempt to keep up with the changing market demands, ensuring it secures contracts and sustains growth and development.

Speaking in 2013, Bazil Govender, Managing Director at Edison Power explained: “We are driven by our determination to be the leading, culturally diverse company in the electrical industry through the provision of cost effective, efficient services and a commitment to increasing shareholder value whilst improving the quality of life of all South Africans. In our 34-year history, the business has never once attracted any form of negative sanction for failure to meet the foregoing criteria of performance.”

Looking to the future and the Edison Power Group, with a rich and successful history behind it, has certainly put in place a strong list of accomplishments and challenging status – aiming to become the biggest and the best in Africa by 2017 (BABA 2017)

.

“Is that even possible?”

“It’s done.”

To realise your ambitions, you need the right partner by your side, with the end-to-end business solutions to see things through. That’s why we’re here. That’s what we do. Whatever your opportunities or challenges, we have the local insight and on-the-ground expertise to meet them with you. Isn’t that what partnership is about? www.standardbank.co.za/business Authorised financial services and registered credit provider (NCRCP15).

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