“All eyes are on reducing costs and increasing machine run time”Global energy giant Shell will return as a platinum sponsor to African Utility Week at Cape Town’s CTICC from 17-19 May. As the country goes through tough economic times and companies are facing growing price tags for their equipment maintenance, all eyes are on reducing costs and increasing machine run time. Shell Lubricants were designed with cost saving in mind to maximise equipment efficiency, prolong engine life and reduce downtime, resulting in companies spending less on the maintenance of engines and operating longer, earning more profit. Tendani Ndwamise, Direct Sector B2B Marketer at Shell South Africa says at this year’s event that Shell will focus on the promotion of its Commercial Lubricant products. “We will have a number of products on exhibit at our stand, which have all been fully approved by a number of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs)” says Tendani. These include:•    Gas Engines Oils – Shell Mysella•    Transformer Oils – Shell Diala•    Diesel Engine Oils- Shell Argina XL•    Turbines- Shell Turbo S4Renewable energy sources“Great pressure has been placed on the country’s power utility to meet energy demands. The need for Independent Power Producers (IPPs) has become dire and the importance of the role of renewable energy sources has increased significantly,” adds Tendani. “To meet this demand, the number of gas engines using unconventional fuels such as landfill, bio or sewage gas has grown significantly. While renewable energy sources are friendlier on the environment and also more sustainable, they also run on big engines that require frequent maintenance and are costly to maintain. This has made it more important for Shell to develop the right kind of oils to improve engine maintenance and performance for these specialised applications” she continues.African Utility WeekShell heads up an impressive list of 250 technology and service providers to the energy sector on the continent who will showcase their solutions at the 16th edition of the annual African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa conference and exhibition. Some 6000 engineers, stakeholders and solution providers from around the globe will gather for the Cape Town event. The trade exhibition will be free when registering in advance and feature hands-on demonstrations and CPD-accredited technical workshops on the exhibition floor. The event will also feature technical site visits and the coveted industry awards gala dinner.“Shell is delighted to be a platinum sponsor for African Utility Week for the second year running. We have seen the benefits of this partnership first hand. We look forward to engaging with the African Utility Week attendees again to discuss our unique offerings to the power sector and we hope that African Utility Week will be an important milestone for further development of a safe, reliable and sustainable power supply in Africa,” concludes Ndwamise.---ENDS----African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa are organised by Spintelligent, leading Cape Town-based trade exhibition and conference organiser, and the African office of Clarion Events Ltd, based in the UK. The event forms part of a global energy event series, including European Utility Week, Australian Utility Week, Asian Utility Week and Latin American Utility Week. Other African flagship events in Spintelligent’s power portfolio are East African Power Industry Convention (EAPIC), West African Power Industry Convention (WAPIC), iPAD Rwanda Power & Mining Investment Forum and iPAD Cameroon Energy & Infrastructure Forum. Dates for African Utility Week and Clean Power Africa 2016:Conference and expo: 17-19 May 2016Awards gala dinner:  18 May 2016Site visits: 20 May 2016Location: CTICC, Cape Town, South AfricaWebsites: www.african-utility-week.com  Twitter: https://twitter.com/AfricaUtilities Linkedin: African Power ForumContact:Communications manager:  Annemarie RoodbolTelephone:  +27 21 700 3558Mobile:  +27 82 562 7844Email:  annemarie.roodbol@spintelligent.com