Cape Town launches its first solar power plant, and it could save residents R400m

Cape Town has launched its first metro-built hybrid power station, with the new facility in Atlantis expected to save residents at least R400 million over the next 20 years.

The R220 million Helderhoop Solar and Storage Power Plant was officially launched by Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis on Thursday, 8 October.

The facility combines solar generation with large-scale battery storage and forms part of the City’s push to reduce its reliance on Eskom.

12 850 solar panels and two batteries

The new power plant covers 15 hectares, roughly the size of 21 rugby fields and contains 12 850 solar panels and two utility-scale batteries.

Construction has now been completed, although the plant is currently operating under controlled test conditions as part of the commissioning process.

According to Hill-Lewis, the electricity generated by the facility will be cheaper than buying power from Eskom.

“The key benefit of this new power plant is that the power it generates is much cheaper than Eskom,” he said, adding that the project could save Cape Town residents at least R400 million over 20 years.

The City says its broader goal is to reduce its dependence on Eskom’s electricity and avoid some of the impact of the utility’s annual price increases.

Atlantis gets ‘Helderhoop’

The plant has been named Helderhoop, meaning “Bright Hope”, following a public competition.

The winning name was submitted by Vinolio Cloete, who was a matric learner at Saxonsea High School in Atlantis when he entered the competition. His motivation was that the name represented “light and energy with hope for a better future for Atlantis”.

Hill-Lewis said the facility was particularly fitting as the Atlantis community marks its 50th anniversary. The project also contributed to employment during construction, with around 305 jobs created.

The City says the plant is part of a broader strategy to develop alternative sources of electricity.

Cape Town recently became the first municipality in South Africa to buy electricity on the open market, securing power at rates that the City says are 20% cheaper than Eskom as part of its initial 200MW Independent Power Procurement Programme.

Hill-Lewis said the Atlantis project demonstrated that municipalities could play a bigger role in developing their own energy supplies.

“This follows our City recently also becoming the first to buy power on the open market,” he said.

The City has also invested in other developments in Atlantis, including the completed R31 million upgrade to Wesfleur Stadium, improvements to MyCiTi bus stops and support for investment in the Atlantis Special Economic Zone (SEZ).

Cape Town contributed 96 hectares of municipal land to the Atlantis SEZ.