Construction on Cape Town’s desalination plant set to start in 2026

Project timelines subject to environmental approvals.

The City of Cape Town aims to start construction of a permanent desalination plant in Paarden Eiland in 2026 with the aim of having it operational by 2030 if the plan receives all the necessary regulatory approvals.

This is according to a draft scoping report prepared by Cape Town-based engineering firm Zutari, which was appointed to do the necessary environmental impact assessments of the proposed desalination plant.

ADVERTISEMENT CONTINUE READING BELOW

Read/listen:
V&A Waterfront to commission R184m desalination plant early 2024
As dams overflow, Cape Town braces for future droughts

The identified site in Paarden Eiland – a light industrial area in Cape Town – is adjacent to the container staging area of Transnet National Ports Authority (TNPA) near the N1 and R27 highway interchange.

The proposed plant, expected to produce between 50 million and 70 million litres of water per day, is part of the City of Cape Town’s broader strategy to secure water supply for a growing population.

Water security

By 2030, the city aims to ensure 300 million litres of extra water supply from various sources, including water desalination, water reuse through purified recycled wastewater, and extracting groundwater by drilling boreholes and tapping springs.

Zahid Badroodien, mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, says desalination is a critical part of the city’s action plan to meet increased demand.

Read: Heavy rain or not, Cape Town’s water supply remains constrained

“Water and sanitation investment now makes up 42% of Cape Town’s R120 billion ten-year infrastructure pipeline,” Badroodien notes.

Since 2020, Cape Town has seen significant growth in population, partly due to migration from other provinces.

Read:
Bold infrastructure reforms announced to lift SA onto a ‘higher path’
Drought-hit Algeria has $5.4bn plan to make drinking water from sea

Besides meeting the increase in water demand as a result of the increasing population, the city also needs to take climate change and future droughts into account, as these occurrences will put pressure on the Western Cape Water Supply System, comprising six major dams, several connecting pipelines, and supplement schemes.

Since the threat of a ‘Day Zero’ scenario at the beginning of 2018, where Cape Town would have been the first major city in the modern world to run out of water, the metro has carefully monitored water supply and usage.

Read: JHB has a water leaks problem … Here’s what’s being done about it

The Paarden Eiland plant

The city previously conducted a pre-feasibility study in which more than 40 potential sites for desalination plants were considered, but only two sites were named as preferred options.

The identified area in Paarden Eiland for the first plant is on land historically reclaimed from the sea and previously used as the now-decommissioned Salt River Power Station.

ADVERTISEMENT: CONTINUE READING BELOW

Read: Cape Town sets the ball rolling for revamped rail service

According to the engineering firm’s report, the site generally carries “low environmental sensitivity” as it is in an industrial area and within the urban edge.

The site is also close to existing electrical and potable water tie-in points, which will reduce linkage distances.

The proposed infrastructure for the site may include:

• Marine infrastructure comprising seawater intake and concentrate disposal outfall works;
• A desalination plant, which will include facilities for pre- and post-treatment;
• An access road; and
• Power generation.

The authors of the report note that reverse osmosis desalination plants, such as the one considered in Paarden Eiland, are energy-intensive due to the process of forcing saline water through a semi-permeable membrane.

“The saltier the source water and the colder the source water, the more pressure is needed to push feedwater through the membrane.”

Read:
Cape Town may pump as much sewage into the sea as it likes
Cape Town extends public comment on sale of old Woodstock Hospital

The identified space for the plant is not big enough to consider an on-site renewable power plant to generate electricity for the operations, and the site will therefore need its own generator to provide power during power interruptions.

Lifespan and budget

According to the draft report, the plant’s operational lifespan is estimated to be 50 years, with an annual operating budget of R400 million (based on 2024 rand values).

The city said previously it would consider a public-private partnership (PPP) for the development of the plant.

Should the project be implemented as a PPP, the timelines need to be finalised, which may impact the target dates.

Follow Moneyweb’s in-depth finance and business news on WhatsApp here.