- Cape Town wants to self-generate its power.
- The city wants to reduce reliance on Eskom’s weak grid.
- The city could build up to 200MW of its own capacity and purchase 300MW from IPPs.
The city of Cape Town intends to generate 450MW of renewable energy to meet its energy needs as it plans to reduce dependence on Eskom’s grid and increase its clean energy transition. The city of 4.6 million plans to end the load shedding that has increased in recent years due to Eskom’s inefficiencies. The city’s energy director Kadri Nassiep, Cape Town’s energy, states: “Cape Town could get funding to build 100-200MW of its own generating capacity. We will be seeking proposals to supply up to 150MW from private power stations to be built and operated in the city.” The city could also look to purchase about 300MW from IPPs outside the city. Nassiep adds that the city hopes to commence self-generation by next year.
Other cities also have ambitious self-generation plans. For example, Durban plans to produce 400MW and Johannesburg 150MW, with 50MWp from rooftop solar panels. Across the border in Namibia, the municipality of Windhoek plans to produce its own electricity and reduce dependence on NamPower. The city has already launched a tender for the construction of a 25MWp solar PV plant.