The project has been awarded support from the C40 Cities Finance Facility (CFF), which offers cities technical and financial assistance in support of a green and just transition. The CFF initiative is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Government of the United Kingdom and the Agence Française de Development (AFD), and is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH together with the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.
According to Hill-Lewis, the project will yield up to 60MW of renewable energy – enough to protect against one stage load shedding. The feasibility study for the Paardevlei plant will be complete by the end of 2023, with full commissioning of the plant estimated by August 2026.
Hill-Lewis recently tabled the city’s Building Hope Budget for 23/24, with a R2.3bn end load shedding plan over three years, inclusive of funding towards the Paardevlei solar PV plant.
