The City of Cape Town will design, build and operate a R1.2 billion solar photovoltaic (PV) plant, mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced yesterday.
The project will feature battery storage capable of providing protection against one full stage of Eskom load-shedding.
In a statement, Hill-Lewis reveals the solar PV and battery storage plant is to be located in a Paardevlei area, outside Somerset West, not developable for human settlements purposes.
It will yield up to 60MW of renewable energy, he states. “This project is another critical step in our journey away from Eskom reliance and towards a load-shedding-free Cape Town. We are confident Cape Town will be the first metro to free our economy from power disruptions, and ensure a green and just energy transition.”
The project comes as the Mother City accelerates its move to wean itself from embattled power utility Eskom.
The city announcedin January that residents and businesses will soon be able to sell excess electricity they generate, for cash.
South Africans are increasingly investing in alternative energy sources, such as solar, in a bid to beat the load-shedding woes.
The solar plant project is one of two projects awarded support from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), according to the mayor.
The CFF initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the government of the UK and the Agence Française de Development. It is implemented by the Dutch Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, in partnership with the C40 CFF’s climate leadership group.
C40 CFF offers cities technical and financial assistance in support of a green and just transition.
Hill-Lewis explains the C40 CFF will support the project team in their efforts to undertake a technical feasibility study, to be completed by the end of 2023, with full commissioning of the plant estimated by August 2026.
Thomas Schaef, country director for GIZ South Africa, Lesotho and eSwatini, adds: “The cooperation agreement between the City of Cape Town and C40 Cities Climate Facility shows the importance of international cooperation 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.”
During the city’s budget for 2023/24, Hill-Lewis tabled a R2.3 billion budget plan to end load-shedding over three years, inclusive of funding towards the Paardevlei solar PV plant.
On 6 April, the city notes it issued its largest power tender yet, seeking to buy 500MW of dispatchable energy on the open market. This is the final phase of a three-phase procurement to protect residents from the first four stages of Eskom’s load-shedding within three years.
In addition, contracts for 200MW renewable energy procurement from independent power producers will be awarded within 2023.
The power heroes programme tender is expected to be awarded within the next few weeks, and will entail incentivised voluntary energy savings via automated remote switching off of power-intensive devices at peak times, concludes the city.
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