- The upgrading of Steenbras Dams is part of Cape Town’s plan to end load shedding.
- Steenbras Dam, owned and operated by the City of Cape Town, holds 65 billion litres of water.
Cape Town has revealed plans to expand the capacity of Steenbras Dam to alleviate the City’s electricity crisis. Though it is time and cost-intensive, the expansion process aims to protect residents from another load-shedding stage. The upgrading of Steenbras Dams is part of Cape Town’s plan to end load shedding. However, the main focus remains on procuring energy from Independent Power Producers and buying electricity from citizens.
Steenbras Dam holds 65 billion litres of water. Owned and operated by the City of Cape Town, it is one of six large dams that make up the Western Cape water supply system. It’s also why the City is often two stages of load shedding below the rest of South Africa. When the electricity supply is low, the City releases stored water from the upper dam to the lower one, generating up to 180 megawatts of electricity. During periods of excess electricity, it pumps the water back to the upper dam, where it is held for the subsequent shortage. It functions like a massive battery, charged when the power is up and used when the power is down.
Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said that increasing the lower dam’s capacity is the most important thing. “The lower dam defines the capacity of this enormous battery to give us power when we need it. Steenbras is well maintained. It’s humming along like a well-oiled machine, which is the secret.
“When the lower dam is full, your battery is empty, and to recharge it, you have got to pump water back to the top. The City is conducting a detailed engineering study to determine how to get more space around the dam wall. This will only come to fruition in five years and is worth exploring.”