Western Cape to implement pilot project to eliminate power blackouts

Premier Alan Winde led discussions this week during a meeting of the Western Cape Energy Council, which brought together mayors from various municipalities collaborating with the Western Cape government to alleviate the impact of load shedding.

He explained that government plans to achieve this by implementing containerised solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and battery storage in these areas.

“Our aim with this project is to pilot how we can speedily install containerised solar PV cells with battery storage in these municipalities, which would stop load shedding in these towns. We would like to see these projects launched as soon as possible,” Winde said.

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MER programme

According to the Office of the Premier, municipalities interested in joining the initiative were required to meet specific criteria.

Mayors and their teams presented their capabilities to the Energy Council, outlining their ability to fulfil the specified requirements.

“The municipalities’ technical capacities will undergo further evaluation before the final selection is publicly announced in June,” said Winde.

He also said that government was working with five other regions through the Municipal Energy Resilience (MER) programme to assist them in becoming load shedding free.

The MER programme provides funding for foundational energy studies to pay for private and public sector power projects.

“The Western Cape Energy Resilience Programme serves as the guiding plan for the provincial government’s strategy to eliminate blackouts, positioning the Western Cape as a hub for energy resilience, alongside various other ongoing initiatives,” he said.

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Anton Bredell, Minister of Provincial Local Government, Environmental Affairs, and Development Planning, expressed appreciation for the candidate municipalities’ dedication to reducing their reliance on Eskom.

He recognised that each town has distinct electricity needs and system requirements, highlighting the innovative process of creating and implementing electrical systems.

Local government

Bredell stated, “The department will provide technical and project management support to these municipalities.

“We believe that it is the responsibility of local government to invest in infrastructure and systems that will enable the private sector to flourish while supporting local governments in delivering basic and essential services to our residents.”

Mireille Wenger, Minister of Finance and Economic Opportunities for the Western Cape, emphasised the government’s efforts to establish a coherent and predictable energy policy environment in the region. Wenger highlighted the MER initiative’s role in assisting municipalities in conducting research to understand and quantify their current and future electricity needs.

“We are doing our homework to be prepared and plan for new sources of energy in a responsible way. The fact is that we must have frameworks in place, such as wheeling frameworks for power transmission and distribution, as well as cost-of-supply studies and Electricity Master Plans. These elements form the foundation for bringing more energy onto the grid,” Wenger explained.