Cape Town selects contractor for 7-MW city-owned solar project

The South African city of Cape Town has selected a contractor for its 7-MW Atlantis solar photovoltaic project, anticipating construction to begin in August this year.

The city said in a press release on Tuesday it has awarded the engineering, procurement and construction contract to the Lesedi Technoserve Consortium following a tendering procedure.

“The project is currently in the detailed design phase and the transmission of first power into the grid is expected towards the end of 2025,” Councillor Beverley van Reenen, the city's Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, said in the press release.

The city of Cape Town will own and operate the Atlantis solar farm, expecting it to serve multiple functions. The grid-connected plant is one of the initiatives devised to help Cape Town end load-shedding over time and provide cheaper electricity compared to what the city currently pays to national utility Eskom.

Additionally, Atlantis will offset electricity consumption in municipal buildings, contributing to the city’s target of reaching net-zero carbon in its buildings by 2030.

A number of similar plant projects could follow in the coming years, the city added.

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