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Cape Town launches IPP tender process to end load shedding in municipality

16 Feb 2022

Speaking at the Solar Power Africa conference in Cape Town on Wednesday, 16 February, City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis announced that the municipality has opened its first round of tenders for the purchase of electricity from independent power producers.

Source: www.pixabay.com

"It has become clear to the City of Cape Town that if we wish to halt the damage caused by Eskom’s monopoly over electricity generation, we have to take matters into our own hands. The only way for us to provide reliable and affordable electricity to our residents is to source it from elsewhere," said Hill-Lewis, in a statement released earlier this month.

BREAKING: Cape Town mayor announces they have opened a procurement process for IPPs to generate up to 300 MW of energy, most being in solar power. Lewis says the tenders are on the city’s site as of this morning. #solarenergy @TimesLIVE pic.twitter.com/jEcNC5cSKc
— �� (@AJGMolyneaux) February 16, 2022

"Bringing IPPs onto the grid, through the tendering process, is a crucial step in ending load shedding over time. The economic effects of a reliable power supply in Cape Town will mean more profitable businesses and more job opportunities," he said.

Over the coming months, the City of Cape Town will procure up to 300MW of renewable energy. The tender documents are now available on the city's website, Hill-Lewis said at the conference.

"The city will be considering proposals from IPPs for projects between 5–20MW that will allow us to access an affordable and reliable electricity supply, especially those that are able to help us reduce our reliance on Eskom during peak times of use. We will consider proposals from a range of projects, including generation-only projects, generation-plus-storage projects, and storage-only projects," he said.