The Atlantis Special Economic Zone (SEZ), which has been launched by President Cyril Ramaphosa, has already attracted R680-million in investment and created 312 jobs.

A large slice of the investment was contributed by wind tower manufacturer Gestamp Renewable Industries.

It is expected that the Atlantis SEZ will attract a further R3.7-billion in investment by manufacturers of wind blades, smart meters, batteries, wind turbines, solar water heaters, solar photovoltaic (PV) panels and other players.

The City of Cape Town says the Atlantis SEZ is dedicated to the manufacturing and provision of services in the green technology space. This would be for any technologies that reduce or reverse the impact of people on the planet.

These include companies involved in the waste, agroprocessing, water technology, gas and chemicals value chains, according to a combined information pack compiled by Invest SA, Wesgro, GreenCape, the City of Cape Town, Invest Cape Town and the Atlantis SEZ.

Some 93 ha of City of Cape Town industrially zoned land has been made available for the Atlantis SEZ. Bulk infrastructure is in place, including fibre. The zone is also being promoted for its proximity to both the Cape Town and Saldanha ports, as well as good public transport links and close proximity to universities and greentech markets.

National incentives for the country’s ten SEZs include a preferential 15% corporate tax and tax relief, building allowances and tax relief and employment tax incentives. Other incentives include a tax allowance which supports capital investment and training.

The City of Cape Town says it offers attractive land lease arrangements for greenfield sites, which have environmental authorisation in place, as well as a quick, clear transparent application process for business sites. It is also hoping to attract investors through a ‘one-stop shop’ investment facilitation service and fast-tracked developmental approvals for land use and building plan applications, as well as a municipal electricity tariff subsidy.

The South African greentech manufacturing market is estimated to be worth at least R30-billion.

GreenCape’s market intelligence report has highlighted greentech opportunities for international and local investors. GreenCape expects the South African energy storage (battery) market to reach R14.5-billion a year by 2035. It forecasts that the energy efficiency market will reach R21-billion a year, while the rooftop PV market will top R75-billion a year by 2035.

Agriculture is also expected to make strides, with 15% of growth predicted in the use of controlled-environment agriculture, including high-tech solutions such as hydroponics, and low-tech solutions like shading.

The report says the drone industry, which is a key component of precision agriculture, was worth R2-billion in 2017. The residential market for groundwater and rainwater systems in the Western Cape has seen a rapid rise, with the market estimated to be worth about R5.8-billion, says GreenCape.