Leadership – Pat Naidoo Consulting Engineers

Pathmanathan (Pat) Naidoo, Ph.D. , Pr.Eng

Professional Engineer ECSA RSA FSAIEE RSA, SMIEEE USA, MIET UK

Specialist Consultant

Electrical Energy, HVAC and HVDC Power Systems and Industrial Plants

Society continues to grow totally dependent on electrical energy. Electricity is valued because it is convenient, clean and instantly controllable at the point of use. Electricity powers the economy. Price and quality of supply are the key parameters of continued interest. Let us use the energy efficiently, safely and wisely. Let us provide the energy at affordable rates and in an acceptable quality.

ELECTRICITY IS BEST AND ACCESS MUST BE FOR ALL

EDUCATION

Ph.D. Management of Technology and Innovation

DaVinci Institute of Technology Management RSA

M.B.A. Management

Samford University USA

M.Sc Electrical Engineering

University of Kwa Zulu Natal RSA

B.Eng. Electrical Engineering

University of Durban Westville RSA

EXPERTISE

Electrical Engineering – Power Generation, Power Transmission, Power Delivery, Extra High Voltage AC and DC Electrical Technology, Flexible AC Transmission Systems, Power Systems Planning, Design, Operations, Engineering, Protection, Control, Maintenance, Refurbishment and Decommissioning, Electrical Safety

Electrical Energy – Power System Economics, Energy Management, Energy Savings, Renewable Energy Development, Energy Trading, Energy Banking, Quality of Supply, Regulation and Markets, Off Grid Technology

Project Development – Feasibility Studies, Business Planning, Project Finance, Project Management

Business – Customer Engineering, Business Management, Leadership for Results, Technology Innovation, Technology Management, Performance Monitoring, Failure Analysis, Performance Enhancement, People Development, Professional Engineer Mentorship, Leadership and Management Coaching

BRIEF RESUME

Pathmanathan (Pat) Naidoo, Ph.D., Pr.Eng, is the Resident Engineer with Pat Naidoo Consulting Engineers, a private, independent and professional electrical engineering company, recently established in the Republic of South Africa. Dr Naidoo comes directly to the private sector from the post of Chief Executive of the Western Power Corridor Company of Southern Africa and Senior General Manager of Eskom, South Africa.

Dr Naidoo had spent 26 years with Eskom, the vertically integrated national electricity utility of South Africa. He commenced work as an engineer in training and progressed through the company to executive leadership. During his tenure as Senior General Manager he led the Transmission Group of Eskom South Africa and directly managed Power System Operations, Eskom Power Pool Energy Operations, Real Time Control of the South African National Grid, Regional Management of the Southern African Power System and Cross Border Energy Trading.

He served Eskom as a member of the various Company, Group and Divisional Committees such as Operations, Procurement, Investment, Finance, Audit and Human Resources. He led Eskom’s participation at The Southern African Power Pool (SAPP), a regional gathering of national utilities and at The Union of Power Producers and Distributors of Africa (UPDEA), a continental gathering of national utilities.

In later years, he was seconded to the Office of the Chief Executive of Eskom as Technical Director of the Mozambique Transmission Company (MOTRACO – A Joint Venture of Eskom South Africa, SEB of Swaziland and EDM of Mozambique), as Special Projects Leader for the Refurbishment of Eskom’s Large Power Transformers, as Specialist Consultant of Eskom’s 765 kV Transmission Technology for Commercial Consulting Contracts for Power Grid Corporation and National Thermal Power Corporation of India and State Grid of China, as Specialist Consultant of HVDC Technology for Eskom and the Southern African Power Pool and as Chief Executive of the Western Power Corridor Company (PTY) LTD (WESTCOR), a five country joint venture incorporated in the Republic of Botswana.

WESTCOR was equally owned by the Governments of Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa and Namibia and the work involved conceptual, prefeasibility and feasibility studies for large scale hydro electric power generation in the Congo River and the transportation of the bulk electrical energy onto the national grids of the participating countries and the rest of Southern Africa. In the feasibility stage of the studies the shareholders stopped the project due to unforeseen changes in the founding agreements.

In 1994, Dr Naidoo received The Young Achievers Award of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers and in 2010, The Ann van Dyk Applied Research Award from the Da Vinci Institute of Technology Management. Dr Naidoo currently chairs the Power and Energy Society of IEEE SA Section. Dr Naidoo is fluent in English.

SYNOPSIS OF WORK EXPERIENCE

ESKOM HOLDINGS LIMITED

26 years of engineering, management and leadership development at Eskom South Africa; a vertically integrated national electricity utility.
From Engineer in Training, to Assistant Engineer, to Engineer, to Senior Engineer, to Principal Engineer, to Chief Engineer, to Technical Services Manager, to Senior Manager, to Senior General Manager; with external joint venture company appointments as Technical Director and Chief Executive.
Eskom is the world’s lowest cost supplier of electrical energy; mostly bulk generation for large mining, industrial and redistributor customers
Power Generation is mostly thermal, little nuclear and hydro; supported by large peaking hydro and emergency gas facilities
Power Transmission is mostly 400 kV HVAC; supported by EHVAC 765 kV, 533 kV HVDC and 275 kV, 220 kV and 132 kV circuits. Power Delivery is at mostly at 22 kV of wood pole design; supported by 11 kV, 33 kV and 88 kV.
Worked across the entire business spectrum from 11 kV to 765 kV; from street lighting to large submerged arc aluminium smelters; from major city bulk delivery to deep, underground gold mines; in power system planning, design, protection, control, operations, construction, maintenance, refurbishment and decommissioning.
Extensive training in all fields of engineering, in management of resources and leadership of employees.

Memorable moments included the re-integration of a 6×600 MW stranded thermal power station when multiple generator transformers failed; commissioning of new bulk loads of hundreds of megawatts for new aluminium smelters; voltage depression protection of continuous process industrial plants; planning, design, construction and commissioning of FACTS technology at 400 kV; emergency recovery of a large part of the SA National Grid when lost during severe snow storms; cross border energy trading and revenue management; airborne live technology workings on 765 kV and 400 kV transmission lines including aerial washing of polluted insulators; introduction of large scale silicone rubber insulation technology at 275 kV and 400 kV; introduction of concrete poles for lower cost 132 kV power delivery lines; regional short term energy market design and operations, cross border transmission line construction; cross border joint venture company establishment and operations; EHV technology commercial consultancy to India 765 kV and China 750 kV inaugural projects……………the list is endless.

THE SOUTHERN AFRICAN POWER POOL

Notable Contributions as a Member of the Operations and Management Committee

Established the co-ordination centre in Harare, Zimbabwe. Appointed the first co-ordination centre manager, the first understudy engineer and the first office staff. Funding was provided for by USAID. The first manager appointed was the past Executive Director of the New York Power Pool.
Developed and established the short term energy market for opportunity trading of electrical energy between interconnected members. The average annual trade was USD 4m. The market continues to function.
Developed the power pool plan to show future integration of new supply options, new transmission interconnections and new demand profiles for the SADC region.
Prepared the founding agreements for the new regional cross border joint venture company : The Western Power Corridor Company (PTY) LTD.

MOTRACO

The Mozambique Transmission Company

Notable Contributions as Technical Director

Planned, designed, built and operated a new 400 kV transmission system to supply the new BHP Billiton Mozal Aluminium smelter in the port city of Maputo; to interconnect with the Mozambique and Swaziland National Grids at Maputo and Edwaleni sites, respectively. The power system was developed in two stages; involving 2 x 300 km 400 kV power transmission lines; 2 x 400/132 kV substations and 2 x 300 MVar 400 kV series power capacitors.
Maputo substation received 3 x 500 MVA power transformers and Edwaleni Substation received 2 x 125 MVA power transformers
Project Management results included costs management to below budget and final commissioning ahead of schedule; savings returned to shareholders.
Fault free project commissioning and loading of smelters to full capacity; 900 MW.
Fault free integration with the Mozambique and Swaziland national grids

At full load, a new 500 MVA power transformer developed severe vibrations; prepared contingency plans but eventually operated and repaired the unit on site and within a tight schedule of 48 hours. Operation was successful and the unit remains in service to date.

THE WESTERN POWER CORRIDOR COMPANY

WESTCOR

Notable Contributions as Chief Executive

Established the project office and concluded the conceptual first pass study, the pre-feasibility study and the business plans for the 5000 MW Inga 3 hydro electric power station on the Congo River. The design employed was run of river technology for a minimum footprint at the environmentally fragile site alongside the mighty Congo River.
Developed the power transmission plans for very long distance bulk power transfers in association with country to country power delivery and transmission integration with each national grid. New 800 kV EHVDC designs were prepared for the 3000km, 3000 MW power transfers whilst new 400 kV transmission lines provided for country to country national grid integration.
Developed the company business plan showing an annual revenue flow of USD 2,1 b for the sale of 5000 MW at unity load factor and at world’s lowest tariff of US 5 c/kWh. With an estimated USD 8b capital expenditure, the payback period was planned to be less than a decade.
Project was aborted by shareholders when unforeseen changes were proposed to the founding agreements. Early set back but managed carefully to the satisfaction of all shareholders with virtual no financial loss to any party.

ASSOCIATED LINKS

Google the following:

Motraco

Southern African Power Pool

Westcor

Western Power Corridor

Inga

SADC

Nampower

ENE

SNEL

Botswana Power Corporation

The Congo River