As part of the City’s plan to end load-shedding, a tender has been awarded to Lesedi Technoserve Consortium for the Atlantis solar PV Project, the City’s first grid connected 7MW solar plant. Construction of this R200m project is expected to take 12 months with completion estimated for the end of 2025 when it will then be connected to the nearby substation to feed 7MW, with a potential upscale to 10MW directly to the grid. The plant will be owned by and operated by the City and hopes to have a number of similar plants rolled out across the City in years to come. This initiative will also being significant benefits for the economy as well as job creation. The City is now inviting potential tenderers to bid for Cape Town’s first ever battery energy storage facility. Interested bidders are encouraged to submit their applications for this exciting energy-diversity project by 20 November 2024. Battery storage systems are increasingly important as more renewable energy comes onto the grid. These systems enable the energy generated from solar or wind, for instance, to be stored until the energy is needed and used. These systems add to security and reliability of supply. Our game-changing Battery Energy Storage pilot project is expertly designed to eventually incorporate new energy storage within the City’s network. The utility-scale battery storage project will target a minimum rated power output of 5MW, and useable energy storage capacity of 8MWh, roughly enough to power more than 300 homes with an average daily consumption of 25kWh per day. The integration of battery storage at our ground-breaking Atlantis Solar PV facility makes our hybrid plant even more exciting. This initiative underscores our commitment to diversifying energy sources, enhancing sustainability, and actively working to lower electricity costs in the wake of Eskom’s outrageous 44% tariff hike proposal. All of these projects are in our progressive Energy Strategy and driven via our Mayoral Priority Programme for greater energy security, and more affordable and cleaner energy for Cape Town. Most of these tenders and programmes are a first-of-its-kind and our City teams are working incredibly hard in a very tough regulatory and financial environment to make our city more future-fit and to reduce our reliance on Eskom where we can. The City currently uses 75% of the tariff income from our electricity sales to buy Eskom power.
Given the significant interest in the draft Local Spatial Development Framework (LSDF), the City has extended the commenting period until 11 November 2024.
How to comment:
. Go online to access the relevant documents and submit comments at:
www.capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay
. Send an email to: BlaauwbergRoad.LSDF@capetown.gov.za
