Western Cape Premier Alan Winde says loadshedding has cost the province between R48.6 billion and R61.2 billion in real GDP since it started in 2007.
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In a statement, Winde noted that small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) have ‘borne the brunt of the energy crisis’, resulting in up to R61.2 billion losses in real gross domestic product (GDP).
Last year, the provincial government allocated R12 billion to its Alternative Energy Support Programme, which provided solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery storage systems to 12 trading hubs in seven municipalities where SMMEs operate.
This helps about 50 businesses keep their doors open, sustaining more than 100 jobs.
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Furthermore, the provincial government also provides mobile power solutions to support another 135 businesses.
Since late 2023, the Western Cape Government (WCG) has been distributing loadshedding relief packs to vulnerable residents across the province.
‘Over and above the more high-level interventions we are leading, we have also been handing out load shedding relief kits (emergency lighting and solar charging systems) to Western Cape Department of Social development-funded facilities, like gender-based violence shelters and school learners,’ Winde said.
‘In any way possible, we want to help our residents, in this case, by offering them these packs in the hopes of making them feel less vulnerable during power cuts.’
To date:
- 4 000 packs have been distributed to social development facilities
- More than 16 000 packs have been distributed to quintile 1-3 schools
- In total, 96 000 packs are to be distributed to vulnerable Grade 1 and 12 learners across the province
- Western Cape municipalities have registered 220MW of small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), including an estimated 835MW of solar PV
Twenty-four municipalities are supported with SSEG interventions, of which 21 feed electricity back into the grid. ‘Between last year October and January 2024 nationally there was close to 4 500 MW of SSEG that came into the system. Roughly 35% of that is sitting in the Western Cape,’ says the province’s special advisor on energy, Alwie Lester.
A prime example is the Hessequa Municipality, which is implementing a renewable energy project to make the town of Riversdale loadshedding-free. The bid has already gone to market and closed at the end of April.
‘The WCG and municipality are currently evaluating the bid and within the next few weeks we should be able to announce a successful bidder for that project,’ Lester adds.
The project comprises three phrases:
- Phase 1: A 4MW solar plant with 2MWh battery storage
- Phase 2: An additional 6MW solar plant with 2MWh battery storage
- Phase 3: A 6MWh battery storage to provide a complete solution delivering a 10MW solar plant with 10MWh battery storage after three years
Furthermore, the Saldanha Bay Municipality is in the process of rolling out a renewable energy project. A 50-hectare site has been earmarked to develop a 1.5GW gas-to-power project in partnership with ArcelorMittal.
The WCG’s Municipal Energy Resilience (MER) Initiative, which develops and mobilises municipalities to implement renewable energy solutions, has seen a successful request for information from 1 000 potential energy generation projects. Around 2 000MW worth of projects are currently in the market.
‘We are also taking steps to save power and manage demand for energy in facilities we manage,’ says Winde.
In 2023, the WCG allocated R89 million to the local government to ensure that essential services operate during loadshedding.
This includes:
- Generator capacity for 195 health facilities
- Completed inverter installations in 47 clinics
- 10 hospitals have been exempted up to Stage 6 loadshedding
In addition, energy-saving LED interventions were undertaken at 52 schools. Of these, 23 schools were fitted with this type of lighting and work is underway at 29 schools.
The total estimated annual energy savings of this intervention is 536MWh.
A total of 418kWp solar PV and 653kWp of battery storage have been installed at 18 schools, meaning that up to 17 000 learners can continue their studies during loadshedding.
A further 56 schools are in line to receive the same interventions.
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