Cape Town - A R1.2 billion solar PV plant with battery storage large enough to protect against a full stage of load shedding will be designed and built for the Cape metro.
So announced Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on Monday, saying the project formed part of two projects awarded support from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), which offers cities technical and financial assistance in support of a green and just transition.
The CFF initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Government of the United Kingdom, and the Agence Française de Development (AFD) and is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH together with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
In April 2021, the CFF embarked on its third phase of calling on cities to apply to access the technical assistance they offer.
More than 60 cities around the world applied, and Cape Town was the only city that was successfully awarded assistance for two projects.
Hill-Lewis said the project was a critical step in the city’s journey away from Eskom reliance.
“It gives me great pleasure to announce that the City’s Paardevlei ground mounted solar PV and battery storage project just outside Somerset West will yield up to 60MW of renewable energy – enough to protect against one full stage of Eskom’s load shedding.
“We are confident that Cape Town will be the first metro to free our economy from power disruptions and ensure a green and just energy transition,“ he said.
On April 6, the City issued a power tender seeking to buy 500 MW of dispatchable energy on the open market.
Hill-Lewis said the project was the final phase of a three-phase procurement to protect residents from the first four stages of load shedding within three years.
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.
More on this story in the Cape Times on Tuesday.
Cape Times