Name of the Project
Berg River Voëlvlei Augmentation Scheme (BRVAS).

Location
In the Western Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
The Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) will fund and implement the BRVAS project on behalf of the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS). The water users will include the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality, the Drakenstein district municipality, the Bergrivier, Saldanha Bay, Swartland and Stellenbosch local municipalities, as well as the Lower Berg Irrigation Board, besides others.

Project Description
The BRVAS has been designated a Strategic Integrated Project by the Presidential Infrastructure Coordinating Commission.

BRVAS will abstract water from the Berg river in winter and pump it to the existing Voëlvlei dam.

The new scheme will augment the yield of the water supply system by 23-million cubic metres a year. The project comprises:

• abstraction works on the Berg River – a diversion weir, sediment traps and a 5 MW pumpstation;
• 6.3 km bulk water pipeline from the Berg River to Voëlvlei dam;
• appurtenant works – a canoe-fishway chute, saddle embankment (flood risk management) and access road;
• electricity supply and associated installations to energise the new pumpstation; and
• measures to mitigate the impact of the project on the environment.

Potential Job Creation
To be determined during the construction tender process.

Capital Expenditure
The project is estimated at R1.2-billion.

Planned Start/End Date
Project Construction is planned to start in 2025.

Latest Developments
TCTA has reported that there has been good progress made in the implementation of the BRVAS, with construction expected to start in July 2025, according to plan.

In February 2021, the TCTA appointed professional service provide, the Amanzi Entaba joint venture, to improve the level of scope definition by embarking on the conceptual design, which was successfully completed in February 2022. This resulted in design development and improvements, which were subsequently approved by the DWS.

This further resulted in material changes to the project implementation timelines and capital cost to completion. This was followed by cost saving initiatives, which led to the optimised Project Charter in August 2022.

With the cost optimisation initiatives, the project has become more affordable for the intended users. This has enabled the DWS, supported by the TCTA, to start a consultative process with the users with the aim of concluding the water supply agreements in due course.

The final phases of the process to raise the funding are now under way and intended to be completed later this year, enabling the procurement process for the appointment of the PSP to develop and finalise tender designs and specifications for the construction phase of the project.

Key Contracts, Suppliers and Consultants
Amanzi Entaba Joint Venture, or AEJV, a joint venture between Bigen Africa Group Holdings, Nyeleti Consulting and Gibb Holdings (consulting services).

Contact Details for Project Information
TCTA, tel +27 12 683 1200 or email ​info@tcta.co.za.
TCTA project manager Constance Ramagoma, email cramagoma@tcta.co.za.