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Hitachi Energy South Africa ‘gives to gain’ and empowers the next generation of women in STEM
20 March 2026
International Women’s Day (IWD), celebrated annually on 8 March, recognises the achievements of women across industries while calling for continued progress towards gender equality. This year’s global theme, ‘Give to Gain,’ highlighted the power of generosity, mentorship and opportunity in creating lasting impact.
For Hitachi Energy South Africa, the theme resonates deeply. Through its partnership with the Power Grids Education Trust, the company is helping to empower young women pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), demonstrating how investing in talent today helps build a more innovative and inclusive future.
Future-proofing data centres across EMEA
10 March 2026
A recent study commissioned by Lenovo and conducted with Opinium reveals that traditional data centre designs are increasingly inadequate to meet the evolving demands of businesses across EMEA. Key challenges include supporting AI workloads efficiently, achieving sustainability goals, and complying with data sovereignty regulations — all while managing rising energy consumption and costs.
Although 92% of IT decision-makers prioritise partners who reduce energy use and emissions, only 46% believe their current infrastructure supports these sustainability targets. Conventional cooling methods like air cooling are struggling to balance efficiency, cost, and environmental impact amid exponential data growth.
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How data centres are reshaping Africa’s power market
06 March 2026
African Energy Chamber
The global digital economy is driving an unprecedented surge in electricity demand from data centers and IT infrastructure. Worldwide, uninterruptible power supply demand for IT equipment alone is forecast to reach 249 GW by 2030, with total installed capacity, including cooling and ancillary loads, expected to climb to 374 GW.
For Africa, where digitalization, cloud adoption and mobile services are accelerating, this trend presents both a challenge and an opportunity. According to the African Energy Chamber’s (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org) State of African Energy 2026 Outlook, data centers are poised to become a transformative force within the continent’s power markets, reshaping investment priorities ahead of African Energy Week (AEW) 2026.
Find out more As energy grids evolve, real-time modelling is the key to a resilient, bi-directional energy future
03 March 2026
Nishandra Baijnath, Systems Architect, Digital Automation at Schneider Electric
Utilities and municipalities are facing a pivotal challenge as the country’s legacy power grid – engineered for one-way energy delivery from centralised suppliers to end-users – must rapidly evolve to meet a new paradigm.
South Africa’s electrical grid is a classic example of a traditional power system, designed for one-way energy flow. Historically, generation was located close to the fuel source, which saw coal-fired power stations concentrated in Mpumalanga. These stations fed power into high-voltage (HV) yards, which then connected to the national transmission network. This network transported electricity across the country, eventually stepping down the voltage through distribution infrastructure to serve consumers and large power users.
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