Cape Town launches SA’s 1st metro-run solar plant in Atlantis

Construction has begun at the City of Cape Town’s (CoCT) first city-run solar PV plant in Atlantis.

The City of Cape Town’s Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, and Energy Mayco Member, Alderman Xanthea Limberg, have turned the sod at the City’s 7MW Atlantis solar photovoltaic (PV) plant.?

According to the City, construction on this R200m project is expected to take about a year, after which they’ll connect the Atlantis solar plant to a nearby main substation to feed 7MW (and potentially scalable up to 10MW) directly to the grid.?

It is the first utility-scale renewable energy project in Cape Town and will be owned and operated by the City. The first power is expected to be delivered near the end of 2025.?

The CoCT is the first metro in South Africa to begin building its own solar PV facility, as it seeks to diversify its energy resources and become future-ready.

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The City states that the idea is to have several similar plants rolled out across the metro in the coming years.

“What an exciting day this is for Cape Town and also for the people of Atlantis,”said Hill-Lewis.

“This is one of our flagship projects in our priority programme to build a more secure energy future, with advanced plans to diversify energy sources for cleaner and more affordable energy. This is so vital as we face another massive Eskom price hike,” he stressed.

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“Not only are we breaking ground today for the construction of the solar PV plant, but I am thrilled to announce we’ve just issued our very first 5MW battery storage tender. The battery storage facility will be constructed on this same site. We are leading the pack in South Africa and I am proud that our solar plant is the first one under construction in the country,” he added.?

The Mayor stated that this project forms part of their broader SA-record infrastructure investment of R39,5bn between July 2024 and June 2027.?

The tender for the plant’s engineering, procurement, and construction was awarded to the Lesedi Technoserve Consortium.

‘At the heart of the City’s investment programme is the desire to boost our local Cape Town economy. Our Atlantis project will have significant benefits for the economy and job creation, increasing green jobs across various skill levels. We are working closely with all stakeholders,” he said.?

Limberg explained that the Atlantis site will also house the City’s first utility-scale battery storage operation.?

“The Battery Energy Storage System Project aims to serve as a pilot project to eventually incorporate energy storage within the City’s network. By co-locating the battery system at the Atlantis PV plant, it allows the solar PV and BESS to operate in synergy as a hybrid plant.?

“The BESS project will target a minimum rated power output of 5MW and have a usable energy storage capacity of 8 MWh. We ask potential tenderers to visit the City’s tender portal for more information and to submit their application before 20 November 2024,” she said.?

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