Latest news with #XantheaLimberg
Zawya
5 days ago
- Business
- Zawya
Cape Town to spend $3.9bln on energy projects
The City of Cape Town's energy focus will be on three projects: streetlighting enhancements, the multi-year refurbishment of the Steenbras power plant and the city's solar PV programme, as well as continued investment in own-build solar PV plants. The city's mayoral committee member for energy, Xanthea Limberg, outlines the way the energy directorate will spend R71.2bn over the next three years. 'Some of the investment will be in streetlighting, curbing energy theft and vandalism and focusing on load-shedding protection while investing in the growing energy needs of Cape Town. 'Our programme to upgrade and enhance the capacity of our Steenbras plant at an amount of more than R1.2 bn over the next three years is making significant progress, and we are also taking great strides in our solar PV programmes. 'This year, some R1.3bn capital expenditure has been set aside, including R75.5m on our street and public lighting programme. In line with our energy efficiency strategy, we are expanding our LED streetlight replacement programme with an R160m injection over the next three years. 'We have also set aside a total project amount of R183m for our pioneering small-scale embedded generation programme and some R57m to enhance the power output capabilities of the soon-to-be-completed Atlantis Solar plant with our first battery storage project. 'We are also investing in various critical infrastructure upgrades across the metro, such as Bellville, Grassy Park, Gugulethu, Oakdale, Melkbos, Paardevlei, Woodstock, Triangle and Monte Vista, among others. 'We are also looking at investments in the low-voltage depots in Hout Bay and Noordhoek. The city continues its investment in new metering infrastructure with some R100m in the 2025/26 financial year, topping more than R320m for the programme in total over three years. 'Over the next three years, we will continue to focus on energy security and diversification of electricity supply, protecting our electricity infrastructure and endorsing responsible tariff reforms, in alignment with the National Treasury's tariff reform programmes to realise our stated ambition of a future-fit, sustainable and resilient utility. 'The city is taking part in the treasury's tariff reform strategies, to ensure the sustainability of our services and that of our services are cost-reflective while giving customers more control over the usage components of the tariffs. 'We can already see some of these changes reflected in our budget and tariff structures, and we will see more of this in the years to come as all metros and utilities align their tariff structures with the proposed National Treasury reforms."
IOL News
06-06-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Cape Town's Atlantis solar plant: A groundbreaking step towards renewable energy
The City of Cape Town said it's making progress with its R200 million solar photovoltaic (PV) plant in Atlantis. This is after installing around 2,400 solar panels of the total planned 12,850 to power the local grid by the end of this year. Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis visited the first municipal own-built solar plant in South Africa on Thursday. He was accompanied by the mayoral committee for energy, Xanthea Limberg. 'It's awe-inspiring to see thousands of panels springing up at this first City-owned solar plant in South Africa, which is also benefiting the local economy and community here in Atlantis. This plant can potentially scale up to 10MW fed directly into our local grid, and we'll connect the initial 7MW capacity to a nearby main substation by the end of the year,' he said. 'This project is part of the broader change sweeping across our city, as we source alternative energy to ultimately meet 35% of total demand by 2030; as we scale-up the energy efficiency initiatives already saving ratepayers R350 million per year; as we make it easier for households to go solar and sell us the excess to get cash for power; as we open our grid to energy traders this year; and as we invest R5 billion on grid upgrades over three years to support this decentralised energy future,' Hill-Lewis said.
IOL News
21-04-2025
- General
- IOL News
Power outage disrupts Easter Sunday for residents in Langa and surrounding areas
A number of residents from Langa, Pinelands, Ndabeni, Epping, Bonteheuwel, and surrounding areas had their Easter Sunday get off to a rough start due to a major cable fault. Mayco Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, explained that early on Sunday morning City teams were alerted to a major high voltage cable fault impacting the areas, and that the cause of fault was vandalism and theft. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'City energy teams have been working 12-hour shifts non-stop to restore power to affected communities. The speed at which this intricate and challenging work has been done is almost unprecedented,' Limberg said. 'The dedication, trouble-shooting, and effort have been notable. Teams are on track to restore power by Monday evening if all goes to plan.' A number of councillors have been updating their residents, with councillor Lwazi Pakade explaining that part of the reason for the delay in repairs on Sunday was due to City repair teams needing law enforcement escorts for safety. He said that another reason for the delay in restoration was because 'power can't be rerouted from other substations due to grid constraints'. By late on Sunday evening, not only was Pakade on the scene, along with Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie, but so was Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis who was updating residents via social media. McKenzie said that having a number of WhatsApp groups has helped to keep the residents informed of developments. 'The power-outage, in not just Bonteheuwel, but the surrounding areas also, has been hugely frustrating for residents… Ever since the outage I've taken to providing updates every single hour all the way through. 'I have a WhatsApp group for every street in my community, as well as various other WhatsApp groups, so residents are consistently updated with the progress of what was happening,' McKenzie said. 'The challenge with this outage was that a high-voltage cable had been vandalized and that high-voltage cable provides electricity to a number of sub-stations and those sub-stations supply to the various affected areas.' Limberg added that City energy teams have worked through the night to do excavations and major cable repairs to restore power following significant vandalism and theft to feeders and cables. 'For this to happen, some areas that had power restored yesterday and last night due to the rerouting of supply have been placed on power rotation today. This is critical for the full restoration to take place. 'Power to areas that were restored is being shut down at short notice for periods of four hours at a time throughout the day in Bonteheuwel, Langa, and Thornton from 9am until the restoration is complete,' she said. 'Residents each receive four hours of electricity until such time that the work is repaired and completed. We are hoping that the completion of the work will be around 5pm on Monday afternoon, which is something that must be commended. 'The teams have worked exceptionally hard, and under normal circumstances, specifically if you look at Eskom, these sorts of repairs will take between 7 and 14 days,' McKenzie said. 'For this repair to take just over 48 hours, and by ensuring that most residents receive their supply of electricity, the community in itself is hugely appreciative of it, despite the frustration.' Limberg added that due to the large power supply that has to be restored, system tripping from overload is a real risk. Residents have been advised to switch off non-essential energy equipment, heaters, pool pumps, and geysers, as it will help to restore power faster. Factsheet for residents to note: Power rotation started in Bonteheuwel (including Netreg) and Langa from approximately 9am. Rotations to last for four hours. Thornton will also later be put on rotation. Customers who were on Sunday are off for four hours at a time. Those who have been off will be on in four-hour blocks until restoration is complete. Power rotation is essential for the complete restoration to take place in this large area. Switch off non-essential equipment and geysers to avoid large tripping and restoration delays. Charge phones and devices if you can and prepare for four blocks of four-hour power-off times. 'The City apologises for the inconvenience, but we thank our teams who have really gone above and beyond the call of duty to help our communities,' Limberg said.
IOL News
21-04-2025
- General
- IOL News
Easter Sunday got off to a rough start for some Cape residents due to massive power outage
A number of residents from Langa, Pinelands, Ndabeni, Epping, Bonteheuwel, and surrounding areas had their Easter Sunday get off to a rough start due to a major cable fault. Mayco Member for Energy, Xanthea Limberg, explained that early on Sunday morning City teams were alerted to a major high voltage cable fault impacting the areas, and that the cause of fault was vandalism and theft. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ 'City energy teams have been working 12-hour shifts non-stop to restore power to affected communities. The speed at which this intricate and challenging work has been done is almost unprecedented,' Limberg said. 'The dedication, trouble-shooting, and effort have been notable. Teams are on track to restore power by Monday evening if all goes to plan.' A number of councillors have been updating their residents, with councillor Lwazi Pakade explaining that part of the reason for the delay in repairs on Sunday was due to City repair teams needing law enforcement escorts for safety. He said that another reason for the delay in restoration was because 'power can't be rerouted from other substations due to grid constraints'. By late on Sunday evening, not was Pakade on the scene, along with Bonteheuwel councillor Angus McKenzie, but so was Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis who was updating residents via social media. McKenzie said that having a number of WhatsApp groups has helped to keep the residents informed of developments. 'The power-outage, in not just Bonteheuwel, but the surrounding areas also, has been hugely frustrating for residents… Ever since the outage I've taken to providing updates every single hour all the way through. 'I have a WhatsApp group for every street in my community, as well as various other WhatsApp groups, so residents are consistently updated with the progress of what was happening,' McKenzie said. 'The challenge with this outage was that a high-voltage cable had been vandalized and that high-voltage cable provides electricity to a number of sub-stations and those sub-stations supply to the various affected areas.' Limberg added that City energy teams have worked through the night to do excavations and major cable repairs to restore power following significant vandalism and theft to feeders and cables. 'For this to happen, some areas that had power restored yesterday and last night due to the rerouting of supply have been placed on power rotation today. This is critical for the full restoration to take place. 'Power to areas that were restored is being shut down at short notice for periods of four hours at a time throughout the day in Bonteheuwel, Langa, and Thornton from 9am until the restoration is complete,' she said. McKenzie that 90% of Bonteheuwel residents had power by 7pm, last night and that they are currently on rotation for that 10% that is left over. 'Residents each receive four hours of electricity until such time that the work is repaired and completed. We are hoping that the completion of the work will be around 5pm on Monday afternoon, which is something that must be commended. 'The teams have worked exceptionally hard, and under normal circumstances, specifically if you look at Eskom, these sorts of repairs will take between 7 and 14 days,' McKenzie said. 'For this repair to take just over 48 hours, and by ensuring that most residents receive their supply of electricity, the community in itself is hugely appreciative of it, despite the frustration.' Limberg added that due to the large power supply that has to be restored, system tripping from overload is a real risk. Residents have been advised to switch off non-essential energy equipment, heaters, pool pumps, and geysers, as it will help to restore power faster. Factsheet for residents to note: Power rotation started in Bonteheuwel (including Netreg) and Langa from approximately 9am. Rotations to last for four hours. Thornton will also later be put on rotation. Customers who were on Sunday are off for four hours at a time. Those who have been off will be on in four-hour blocks until restoration is complete. Power rotation is essential for the complete restoration to take place in this large area. Switch off non-essential equipment and geysers to avoid large tripping and restoration delays. Charge phones and devices if you can and prepare for four blocks of four-hour power-off times. 'The City apologises for the inconvenience, but we thank our teams who have really gone above and beyond the call of duty to help our communities,' Limberg said. The City has recently launched a new campaign, 'Protect Your Power', where residents have been encouraged to report any vandalism, illegal connections and theft via WhatsApp or call.
