Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis this week engaged with 100 renewable independent power producers (IPPs) as the city intensifies its efforts to end load-shedding and ensure energy security.
Over the years, Cape Town has been at the forefront of calling on government to be allowed to procure its own energy in order to wean itself from the embattled Eskom.
“I was honoured to welcome more than 100 stakeholders from the independent power producer sector to the Cape Town Stadium for an engagement session on the city’s vision to achieve energy security. This was part of our journey towards ending load-shedding in Cape Town,” says Hill-Lewis in a statement.
Speaking at the event, he laid out how private sector innovation will be key to securing Cape Town’s energy future, both through increasing the reliability of the city’s electricity supply to end load-shedding and making electricity more affordable for Capetonians and their businesses.
“I was joined by the mayoral committee member for energy, councillor Beverley van Reenen, and the city’s executive director for energy, Kadri Nassiep, who both outlined the city’s medium- to long-term vision for an independently-powered, energy secure Cape Town.”
According to the mayor, Nassiep also explained which aspects of this vision are already being actioned, putting Cape Town at the cutting-edge of municipal energy independence in South Africa.
“This included our first round of procurement of power from IPPs, the tendering process for which is ongoing.”
He notes stakeholders were then given an opportunity to consult a panel of officials from the city, and also offer their ideas about what the city could do to reach its goal of reliable, affordable and clean energy for all Capetonians, as quickly and sustainably as possible.
“I look forward to continuing a dialogue with the sector as we work together towards energy security in Cape Town, harnessing the private sector’s innovation and efficiency for public good,” Hill-Lewis says.
The City of Cape Town recently received a R1.8 million boost from the US Agency for International Development, as the city steps up plans to procure its own renewable energy.
The R1.8 million donation will assist the city with a number of projects relating to renewable energy purchase, generation and energy-efficiency interventions.
Last month, the city published tender documents for the first stage of its procurement of affordable, renewable energy from IPPs.
In February, the city received a R5.9 million donation from the International Finance Corporation to boost its renewable energy efforts.
Over the coming months, the City of Cape Town will procure up to 300MW of renewable energy.
The city is looking for proposals from IPPs for projects between 5MW to 20MW that will allow residents to access an affordable and reliable electricity supply, especially those that will help reduce the reliance on Eskom during peak times of use.
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