The City of Cape Town has announced it is embarking on feasibility studies to investigate the most suitable options for constructing, financing and operating the planned Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant and Faure New Water Scheme, for purified recycled water.

The City says the study will be undertaken by a qualified transaction advisory team, who have been appointed as approved by Council resolution.

The aim is to diversify drinking water supply resources, in the face of climate change,  unpredictable rainfall and a growing population.

The notion of a desalination plant was first mooted in 2018, when the City was in the midst of a severe drought, facing a Day Zero scenario of running out of potable drinking water.

The desalination project, if all goes according to plan, is expected to produce 50 to 70 million litres of additional drinking water a day by 2030.

Overall, the City aims to add an extra 300 million litres of water per day from various sources, including desalination, water reuse, groundwater and clearing of alien invasive species.

Progress made on desalination to date

• An independent advisory panel (IAP) of 12 international and local desalination experts, consisting of scientists, engineers, public health and social science practitioners, was established to guide the City in making informed decisions regarding the establishment of a permanent seawater desalination plant.
• The National Treasury’s Government Technical Advisory Centre (GTAC) appointed a Transaction Advisor on behalf of the City to investigate the most appropriate approach to deliver the desalination project.
• The City together with the Transaction Advisor evaluated the viability of the proposed site for the desalination plant, comparing it with other locations identified.
• The findings of the Section 78(1) assessment were presented to Council in March 2024. Council granted approval in terms of Section 78(2) of the MSA, to proceed with detailed feasibility studies of alternative options for the implementation and operation of the City’s first Permanent Desalination Plant and as well as Faure New Water Scheme (FNWS) (in compliance with Section 78(3) of the MSA).
• These detailed studies will explore various implementation options, including the potential for external mechanisms such as a Public Private Partnership (PPP), and will include among others a value assessment and due diligence assessment of the considered options.
• Through published public notices, the City announced its plans, under Section 78(3) of the MSA, to explore implementing and operating a permanent Sea Water Reverse Osmosis (SWRO) Desalination Plant at Paarden Eiland and a water re-use scheme at Faure (FNWS) through external mechanisms; encouraging the public to submit any enquiries for clarification.
• An environmental impact assessment is now under way.

The MMC for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien says the City is committed to build a water secure future, and a permanent desalination plant is one intervention in that journey.

‘By leveraging on a diverse pool of expertise and exploring all feasible options for implementation, we are confident that Cape Town will establish quality technologies in water treatment from diverse sources, which meet safety, technical and regulatory standards.’