- As part the growing need to augment the City’s drinking water supply with alternative sources to build resilience and security against seasonal droughts, the City of Cape Town is planning to build its first large scale desalination plant.
- Construction is set to begin in 2026 with full commissioning expected in 2030.
The City is currently in the feasibility study stage of its first permanent desalination plant, planned for the Paarden Eiland area. Desalination is a scientific process of removing salts from sea water, then processing it further to make it suitable and safe for human consumption.
This is part of the City’s 2030 strategy to increase drinking water supply by 300 million litres a day. The planned permanent desalination plant is expected to produce between 50 and 70 million litres of water per day.
‘Cape Town has already allocated the largest CAPEX budget to Water and Sanitation, making us one of the leading infrastructure investors in the country. We are future-proofing our city by investing in infrastructure at a rate far outpacing any other metro, in fact over the next three years, we will invest R43bn, which is more than Joburg and Durban combined.
‘Water and Sanitation investment now makes up 42% of Cape Town’s R120 billion 10-year infrastructure pipeline. We are determined to see the New Water Programme through, ensuring that our city remains resilient and ready for the challenges ahead,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
‘Desalination is a critical part of the City’s action plan to provide for increased demand for drinking water into the future, taking into consideration the threat of climate shocks and drought. Water and Sanitation teams are working hard to ensure that water provision is sustainable and that the implementation of desalination benefits Cape Town residents and businesses,’ added Councillor Badroodien.
For more information about the progress of the City’s NWP, download the City’s Water Outlook report: https://bit.ly/4eA6PSb
Author: Bryan Groenendaal
