The Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen, delivered the welcome address at Africa Tech Week and outlined the City’s steps to mitigate up to four stages of Eskom’s load-shedding under the Mayoral Priority Programme on Energy by making use of technological innovation.
‘The occasion of the Africa Tech Week could not have come at a better time. We have made great progress in our endeavour to end load-shedding in Cape Town over time and in particular, how new tech and innovation are driving our energy security initiatives.
‘These include our urgent desire to end load-shedding in Cape Town, further expand and strengthen our network, and ensure access to safe and reliable energy supply to Cape Town’s homes and businesses.
‘We often brag that Cape Town prides itself not only as a premier holiday and conference destination but also as a leader in the quest of ending load-shedding, more specifically in the context of municipal authorities exploring and developing alternative energy tech solutions.
‘As load-shedding accelerates the energy evolution toward the uptake of reliable power supply instruments such as small to utility scale embedded generation, dispatchable energy solutions including battery storage, demand side management and wheeling, what has become clear is the urgent investment in new tech and innovation. I am confident that this Africa Tech Week will showcase new tech and augment new innovation.
‘The City’s programmes provide a direct answer to the theme of the summit. We are sparking change and reshaping the tech ecosystem in light of the energy crisis in our country.
‘Cape Town is yet again demonstrating to the rest of the country that political will – coupled with sound administrative leadership that is underscored by a heightened sense of civic duty and an open commitment to partnership with the business community – is a catalyst for growth and development.
‘We are passionate about building a City that works and collaborating with like-minded visionaries in the procreation of ideas that have the potential to turn our fortunes around as a City and our country in general,’ said Councillor Van Reenen.
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member, Alderman James Vos, whose Economic Growth Directorate is one of the sponsors of the event, said the return of Africa Tech Week to Cape Town highlights that the metro remains at the forefront of development in the industry.
‘Through City-driven initiatives, we have grown Cape Town’s tech industry workforce and helped local start-ups to make their innovative ideas a reality. Through events such as Africa Tech Week, we can forge more connections between entrepreneurs, funders, and corporations and carve out new avenues of opportunity in this city and across the continent,’ said Alderman Vos.
‘The City’s programmes provide a direct answer to the theme of the summit. We are sparking change and reshaping the tech ecosystem in light of the energy crisis in our country.
‘Cape Town is yet again demonstrating to the rest of the country that political will – coupled with sound administrative leadership that is underscored by a heightened sense of civic duty and an open commitment to partnership with the business community – is a catalyst for growth and development,’ said Councillor Van Reenen.
The City’s process of delivering on the Mayor’s Energy Priority Programme to end load-shedding is under way and includes:
- R220 million on embedded independent power purchase
- R288 million on the Power Heroes programme which looks at voluntary power reduction in return for an incentive
- Estimate R1 billion investment in Steenbras (over the next nine years) subject to all due diligence and legal and regulatory processes
- R640 million on solar PV; R53 million Cash for Power programme, which involves selling excess power back to the City
- R50 million in Battery Storage
- R32 million on waste-to-energy
