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APO Group·2 November 2026
How can South African <a href="https://usglobalxpress.com/jumia-black-friday-campaign-to-empower-small-businesses-across-nigeria/” title=”Jumia Black Friday Campaign to Empower Small Businesses Across Nigeria -“>businesses turn energy investment into lower operating costs, stronger resilience and long-term competitiveness? This question drove the second day of VUKA Group’s (https://WeAreVUKA.com/) C&I Energy + Storage Summit in Johannesburg, with discussions examining the commercial value of storage, industrial energy strategies and the infrastructure needed to support Africa’s growing digital economy
The programme brought together business leaders, energy specialists, financiers and public-sector representatives to address practical decisions facing commercial and industrial users, alongside the EIUG Conference, Water Security AfricaandData Centre Summit
Energy security, industrial competitiveness and infrastructure readiness emerged as closely connected priorities, with discussions highlighting what businesses need to turn investment plans into operational gains
Energy storage featured prominently, with panellists examining how tariff optimisation, peak shaving and renewable energy integration can strengthen its value beyond backup power. The investment case, however, needs to account for battery degradation, warranties and operational risk
Addressing the attendees, Junaid Munshi, Group Executive: Distribution for Eskom told the audience: “For an industrial business, solar and storage can improve the energy cost position. But the opportunity extends beyond the customer’s electricity bill. Where network capacity is constrained, coordinated battery use may relieve pressure on the infrastructure serving that business and, where proven technically dependable, could defer or reduce grid investment. The asset behind your meter can therefore also become a resource beyond it.”
The EIUG session “Industrialisation under threat?” put changing electricity consumption under scrutiny, asking whether lower demand reflected efficiency gains or weakening industrial output. Tariffs, investment conditions and industrial growth remained central to the discussion, highlighting the need to assess energy trends against the health of the wider economy
At the Data Centre Summit, Africa’s AI ambitions brought power availability and infrastructure readiness into focus. Discussions on grid access, wheeling and network investment highlighted the importance of planning digital growth alongside the electricity infrastructure needed to sustain it
For businesses developing energy projects, public-private engagement sessions explored infrastructure co-investment, municipal coordination and workable wheeling agreements
Water Security Africa reinforced the wider rees, digital water technologies and lessons from case studies
Across the discussions, the practical message was consistent: competitive businesses need more than access to technology and capital. They also need reliable infrastructure, workable commercial arrangements and coordinated delivery
The afternoon programme translated these themes into business decisions. “The C&I energy playbook” drew together insights from across the summit, while the closing “decision clinic” addressed real project challenges, from choosing between onsite solar and wheeled power to sizing batteries and preparing projects for financing. Experts from DBSA, Standard Bank, SustainableDNA and the City of Tshwane contributed practical guidance
Download the programme to review the full Day 2 agenda and participating speakers: https://apo-opa.co/4eEKq9a
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.
Additional Links:
Register your interest for C&I Energy&Storage Summit 2027 https://apo-opa.co/3X0OAC8
Join Post Event report waiting list https://apo-opa.co/3V5Kect
About the C&I Energy + Storage Summit:
Organised by VUKA Group, the C&I Energy + Storage Summit connects commercial and industrial energy users with project developers, financiers, regulators and solution providers to address the practical challenges shaping South Africa’s private energy market. https://apo-opa.co/4BEuFJk
Distributed