Cape Town’s quest to escape the shackles of load-shedding and enhance its reputation as a green city has taken a step forward with a decision to build a R1.2bn solar power and battery storage project.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said the Paardevlei ground-mounted solar PV and energy storage system project, to be built just outside Somerset West, will produce up to 60MW of renewable energy — enough to shield the city from one full stage of load-shedding. It is the latest in a series of interventions to reduce the city's dependence on Eskom.
Hill-Lewis said on Monday the solar plant was one of two projects supported by the C40 Cities Finance Facility (C40 CFF) after the city applied two years ago for technical support for its climate resilience projects. Cape Town was selected out of 60 cities that applied for project support.
While the project will be implemented by the city, the C40 CFF “will support the project team in their efforts to undertake a technical feasibility study”.
“This project is another critical step in our journey away from Eskom reliance and towards a load-shedding free Cape Town. Our goal is to protect Cape Town customers from four stages of Eskom load-shedding within three years, and ultimately to be the first metro in South Africa to be entirely load-shedding free,” Hill Lewis said.
The goal will not be achieved by “a single silver bullet solution, but rather by a multipronged approach”.
The feasibility study for the Paardevlei plant will be complete by the end of 2023, with full commissioning of the plant estimated by August 2026. It is envisaged to be built on a portion of Paardevlei not suitable for human settlement.
Another project to be supported by the facility, which will make Cape Town “more energy secure, more financially stable and less carbon polluting”, is the Liveable Urban Waterways Project. It will use nature-based solutions to improve the city’s catchment and waterways management.
Hill-Lewis said the project was as important for the long-term environmental health and sustainability of the city, “including the ecological health of our catchments, promoting better groundwater recharge and improving the condition of our river corridors and public open spaces ... not to mention the opportunities that will open up in the green economy”.
The Liveable Urban Waterways Project will apply a methodology in two test catchments — Diep, and the Big & Little Lotus — which will be the start of a process to develop a project pipeline which the city can implement as funds become available.
“It is water projects such as these that will help ensure Cape Town’s long-term sustainability and it could not happen soon enough as investment in this space has been insufficient in the past.
“Decarbonising the city's grid through solar farming and energy efficiency could not come at a more critical time for our city and our country as we experience continuous high-stage load-shedding with no end in sight,” the mayor said.
The two projects are part of the R2.3bn investment by the city over the three-year medium-term budget framework to end load-shedding in Cape Town, which also includes about R1bn for the maintenance and operation of the Steenbras pumped storage hydro power plant, also used to shield residents from the rolling power cuts.
Thomas Schaef, country director GIZ South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini said: “The co-operation agreement between the City of Cape Town and the C40 CFF shows the importance of international co-operation to generate actions that benefit the population. The energy and climate projects supported by C40 CFF will not only improve energy security and living conditions, but will also contribute to the South African government's commitment to become carbon neutral and resilient.”
The city previously announced major policy shifts to enable residents to be net generators of energy at their homes or businesses. This will allow excess power to be sold back to the municipality. A week ago, the city issued its largest purchase tender for 500MW of dispatchable power that will be available immediately at the flick of a switch as part of its goal to be more energy resilient.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.