Empowering Africa with Innovative Engineering

Lesedi is a major engineering, procurement and construction company, having successfully completed numerous key projects in the nuclear, industrial power, mining, and oil and gas environments. A thriving home for engineers, Lesedi is becoming essential in solving the regions infrastructure problems.

South Africa’s engineering sector is in something of a transition as the needs of the country and the problem-solving nature of engineers are not coupled. An energy network in crisis, with power supply failing to meet demand, and a shocking decline in the number of engineers staying in the country is damaging the industry when it is sorely needed.

According to the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (SAICE), the infrastructure issues in the country are exacerbated by the number of engineers leaving for foreign shores. SAICE’s Infrastructure Report Card (IRC) suggested at the end of 2022 that too many senior engineers in the civil sector had left the industry, leaving gaps in skills and stalling younger talent development due to lack of mentorship.

But while the problem is a national issue, not all companies are downtrodden by negativity. In fact, South Africa remains home to some of the world’s best engineering talent thanks to the mining, construction, and power generation industries. Within some companies sits a base of engineers that are skilled, knowledgeable, and proactive – it’s a hotbed of innovation where world-class standards are not only abided by but advanced.

Lesedi is one such business. Located in Century City, Cape Town, the company was known for many years as a services provider to the nuclear energy space, specifically for Eskom at the Koeberg nuclear plant. But today, Lesedi (the Sesotho word for light) is a multidisciplinary, multi-industry, multi-skilled engineering, procurement, and construction company, responsible for major projects across power generation, mining, and oil and gas.

At Lesedi, the engineering light shines brightly, and few are looking to leave South Africa when the country needs them most. With more than 300 employees, the history of the company is deeply rooted alongside Koeberg nuclear power station. Four years after construction began in Cape Town in 1976, Lesedi Nuclear Services was established. In 1984, the first two units began commercial operation at Koeberg and Lesedi acted as a leading engineering partner throughout. By 2001, the company was well-recognised and struck up a partnership with French AREVA NP selling a 45% and starting a BBBEE company. In 2006, AREVA acquired a further 6% and the company began to diversify and become involved in other energy infrastructure projects. After a construction boom in the lead up to the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Lesedi was joined by Group Five and J&J Group in 2012, bolstering skills across the industry. By 2018, the company was well-established and proven, and AREVA (now Framatome) remains the major shareholder. “We are a home grown South African company, ready to take on the next challenge for Africa. We are a company born in Africa, for Africa, empowering Africa. With Lesedi evolving into a firmly established African company, the time has arrived to rebrand the company to reflect its purpose and vision for the future. Lesedi therefore launches its new identity and is on a journey of transformation,” the company said recently as it launched a new brand identity.

With this fresh image, Lesedi now aims to be the leading EPC enterprise on the continent. Solving complex challenges, while creating the opportunity for the people of Africa to empower, energise and enrich the continent.

TRADITIONAL ENERGY

Currently, South Africa’s power generation mix comes mainly from coal with the balance made up of oil and nuclear, and a minority from hydro power and wind or solar or other renewable sources. While this is set to change, the swap will be slow. However, Lesedi wants to participate in the transition and use its experience across the energy sector to fuels South Africa’s future.

At Koeberg – Africa’s only nuclear power station, one of the world’s safest – Lesedi has been a key supplier of maintenance products and services for many years. The company built two tanks for the storage of borated water that is used in the reactor cavity and spent fuel cooling system. In 2018, these tanks were installed on site after being manufactured locally. 12 metres in diameter and 18 metres high, these large tanks were made from high-grade stainless steel and required specialist equipment and knowledge to install, removing old units at the same time through a period of planned outage.

“Lesedi has been executing upgrade and maintenance projects at Eskom’s Koeberg Nuclear Power Station for almost 30 years. This work includes having completed over 150 modifications on the plant and is supplemented by nuclear services contracts with a number of foreign nuclear power stations located in England, Brazil, China, France and the USA,” the company says.

At the Salem nuclear power station in New Jersey, USA the Lesedi team again proved its value in the nuclear sector when it assisted a major team effort to replace baffle bolts around a core barrel. This is potentially a dangerous and risky manoeuvre where every eventuality must be mapped out. Working with local teams, as well as site owners, Lesedi’s experience in Cape Town was a major part of the project which was completed event free. Both projects allowed for the stations to be returned to action quickly, providing minimal CO₂ energy to large populations.

RENEWABLE SOURCES

In alternative and renewable energies, the company is also a forerunner, leading the way in engineering excellence through application of world-class standards and deployment of industry leading suppliers from steel and raw materials to fixings and software. At the Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme in the Western Cape, Lesedi helped in the replacement of four 35-bar reciprocating air compressors. Lesedi had to design, manufacture, test, supply, deliver, instal and commission of the four air compressors along with associated equipment that allow the system to function efficiently and effectively.

In solar energy, the company is a trusted partner of Exosun – a global solar technology provider. The company’s clever engineering allows solar panels to follow the line of the sun and maximise output. In southern Africa, Lesedi will work on solar farms with to manage and maintain Exosun infrastructure and ensuring the power of the sun is harnessed in full. Already active the Namibian desert, this technology will expand across the region as the obvious benefits of solar in southern Africa begin to rollout.

Even biomass projects are undertaken by Lesedi. These types of project need heavy engineering to make sure things can move, heat, cool, and digest correctly. By burning wood and other organic matter, CO₂ emissions are produced by the fuel source is entirely renewable. It is expected that around 80% of Africans rely on some form of biomass for their energy needs and this will be the case the next decade. Lesedi worked with partners in Ghana to produce biogas from cocoa husks as the world’s second largest coca producer looks to add new sources to its network.

“Our experience supporting the development of REIPPP biomass projects as well as other biomass, waste to energy, coal to power, solar and gas and oil to power projects has led to the development of industry partnerships that improve the development process,” the company states.

With so many projects across so many different areas of expertise, Lesedi is truly a shining light in the South African engineering space, not fearful and distracted by negativity, but ambitious and creative, making things happen, and trusting engineers to solve problems. Here, engineers have freedom to achieve and Lesedi continues to pave the way for new engineers to enter the market and learn, ultimately solving South Africa’s infrastructural challenges.

“We build relationships, reputations and confidence by combining a can-do attitude with engineering expertise in pursuit of empowering Africa. Our purpose is to create that which empowers others to create,” the company says.