Cape Town’s Innovative Energy Strategy: Striving Towards a Sustainable, Loadshedding-Free Future

The City of Cape Town has called on its residents and other stakeholders to review its ambitious draft Energy Strategy before the deadline for public comments on 31 July 2023. The strategy outlines the City’s commitment to ending loadshedding, reducing energy poverty, and optimizing energy use.

Councillor Beverley van Reenen, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, highlights the importance of the strategy’s three key commitments, which will be achieved through the development of a future-ready municipal electricity service, proactive infrastructure upgrades, and assistance for residents with the evolving energy market.

A Comprehensive Roadmap for a Clean Energy Future

Cape Town’s draft Energy Strategy offers a comprehensive roadmap for navigating the rapidly changing energy landscape by fostering collaboration between businesses, residents, investors, and the City. The plan envisions a future Cape Town powered by a cleaner, more affordable energy mix, significantly decreasing dependence on Eskom, South Africa’s public utility.

The City aims to add up to one gigawatt of independent power supply to permanently eliminate loadshedding. The initial 650 MW of this capacity is expected to be operational within the next five years, providing enough buffer to protect the city from up to four stages of Eskom loadshedding by 2026.

Diversified Energy Mix for a Resilient Energy Landscape

The diversified energy supply mix under consideration includes several components, such as Embedded Independent Power Producers (IPPs) for renewable energy (200 MW), Dispatchable energy (up to 500 MW), Wheeling (up to 350 MW), Private Small-Scale Embedded Generation (up to 100 MW), and City-owned Small-Scale Embedded Generation (up to 20 MW).

Through these diversified and sustainable energy sources, the City of Cape Town aims to create a more resilient and future-proof energy landscape for its residents, reducing the impact of Eskom loadshedding.

Aiming for a Sustainable and Resilient Energy Future

Cape Town’s draft Energy Strategy offers a promising vision for the city, blending innovation, collaboration, and sustainable practices to safeguard Cape Town’s energy future. The city is encouraging all stakeholders to participate in the process and contribute to a sustainable and resilient plan.

The next twelve days offer a critical opportunity for stakeholders to have their voices heard and contribute to shaping a robust and sustainable energy plan for Cape Town. By working together, the city hopes to craft a strategy that benefits all and propels Cape Town towards a cleaner, more efficient, and loadshedding-free future.