Cape Town receiving GIZ support for embedded generation, utility sustainability plans

6th March 2024 By: Schalk Burger - Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

The City of Cape Town is receiving support from German development agency the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through an embedded generation adviser and seconded project managers, who support the implementation of the city's projects funded through the C40 Climate Finance Facility (CFF).

The C40 CFF projects are the Green Infrastructure and Improved Catchment Management project, the Paardevlei Solar Farm and Net Zero Carbon Municipal Buildings project, the City of Cape Town mayoral committee says.

The city's Energy Directorate has been engaging the German Development Bank (KfW) regarding technical assistance support to the City's Power Utility Reform programme, it adds.

"The aim of the Power Utility Reform programme, in line with the city’s Energy Strategy, is to develop a transformation plan for the utility to enable high-quality and cost-effective service delivery that will enable optimised and effective infrastructure investments, financial resilience and procurement from a more diverse energy generation portfolio at optimised costs," the mayoral committee says.

"Cape Town's planned energy projects require a significant amount of resources, including technical assistance and world-class expertise that several of our international partners including the GIZ and KfW are generously availing.

"We welcome this fresh boost in technical assistance that is valued at more than R4-million. It will go a long way in supporting our urgent energy programmes in line with our Energy Strategy, as well as provide opportunities for knowledge exchange and international best practices that stand to benefit Cape Town," says Cape Town Energy MMC Beverley van Reenen.

"The latest technical assistance in principal agreements comes on the heels of the World Bank technical support to the city through targeted technical assistance to a number of directorates including Energy, Future Planning and Resilience, and Water and Sanitation.

"We are overjoyed at the confidence that global partners have in the city as we move towards more diversified and sustainable resource management to enhance Cape Town’s resilience," she comments.