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Asset maintenance of power infrastructure such as transformers enables such assets to operate to full lifespan optimally.
As such, new developments in this area of asset optimisation mark maintenance milestones.
UK-based M&I Materials recently announced the opening of manufacturing operations in South Africa, producing its MIDEL brand of fire safe and biodegradable ester dielectric fluids for electricity transformers.
Giles Salt, CEO of M&I Materials, commented: “Developments in the energy infrastructure sector across Africa present a great opportunity for our products.
“The opening of this manufacturing facility demonstrates our commitment to sub-Saharan Africa, and we look forward to providing products and technical support to power utilities and transformer manufacturers across the region.”
According to a company, the plant is the first in Africa to make ester transformer fluids, and is the latest addition to MIDEL’s growing global manufacturing footprint.
This brand has already been selected by a South African transformer manufacturer to supply the fluid for 6,000 transformers operated by the state-owned power utility, Eskom. Read more: Global power monitoring market to grow by 8%
Ester transformer fluid
M&I Materials opened an office in South Africa in 2017, and entered into a manufacturing agreement with ISEGEN South Africa to manufacture the MIDEL natural ester fluids, which are made from local soybean or rapeseed crops.
The M&I Materials plant at ISEGEN will be used exclusively for the manufacture of MIDEL fluids.
The M&I Materials investment will create local employment opportunities through the use of locally grown raw materials used in manufacturing MIDEL fluids.
Victor Khuboni, MIDEL’s business development manager for sub-Saharan Africa, also commented: “Making MIDEL ester transformer fluids here in Africa will support local manufacturing, increase skills development and create transformational opportunities in local communities.”
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