GreenCape, in partnership with the City of Cape Town (CCT), has published a new industry brief which looks at the Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant.
The CCT is investing in resilient capital infrastructure projects to ensure energy, water and food security for industry and residents and accelerate the transition to a carbon neutral economy whilst simultaneously creating jobs.
The CCT’s ambitious R120 billion 10-year project pipeline investment includes major climate action projects to build water and energy security, with approximately 40% of the pipeline aiming to contribute to strengthening Cape Town’s ability to respond to climatic shock events in the future. As part of this project pipeline, the CCT aims to add 300 million litres of water per day from new, diversified sources.
The 2015-2020 Western Cape drought highlighted that a new relationship with water is needed,including finding alternative sources of water. This has resulted in the formation of Cape Town’s Water Strategy (Our Shared Water Future) and the New Water Programme (NWP).
Commitment 3 of Cape Town’s Water Strategy calls for sufficient, reliable water from diverse sources. The NWP includes augmentation from surface water, groundwater, water reuse and desalination.
From a desalination perspective, the NWP includes a permanent desalination plant to be located at Paarden Eiland. The pre-feasibility design of this plant has been completed, and the project is currently in the feasibility design phase, which includes Municipal Public-Private-Partnership considerations. The feasibility phase explores the optimal service delivery option in accordance with Section 78 of the Municipal Systems Act (MSA), Act 32 of 2000.
The planned permanent Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant will be a 70 Mℓ/day seawater desalination plant with a multi-barrier process that will include pre-screening, dissolved air flotation, rapid gravity sand filtration, reverse osmosis, a potential advanced oxidation process, a disinfection step, stabilisation of the water, and safe brine disposal.
This project presents opportunities for interested companies to provide technologies, products and services linked to the planned desalination scheme. In addition, ~30 direct jobs will be created at the plant, as well as approximately 100-150 indirect jobs, requiring a range of skills and qualifications.
To read the full brief, click on the PDF thumbnail at the top of this post.