Infrastructure
Question by:
Hon Matlhodi Maseko
Answered by:
Hon Tertuis Simmers
Question Number:
23
Question Body:
- The Department is driving a number of key energy interventions as part of the Premier’s announced energy resilience programme. These interventions range from interventions to drive energy efficiency as evident in my Department’s Property Efficiency Report to specific infrastructure interventions such as the installation of rooftop PV on government-owned buildings, the installation of around 970 solar geysers valued at R24 Million through subsidised housing projects and the identification and release of state land for possible solar plant installations. Together with the Department of the Premier, the Provincial Treasury, the Department of Economic Development & Tourism and the Department of Local Government, my department will also drive further specific energy interventions around the development of an appropriate Independent Power Producer procurement framework for municipalities, the development of an energy project preparation facility for municipalities, a gas-to-power options and costing analysis, an analysis of the status of the grid infrastructure in the Western Cape towards identifying grid strengthening and expansion needs and the costing thereof, and identifying and unlocking barriers to new energy generation.
- While the provincial government tracks the various interventions across Western Cape municipalities it is difficult to quantify the exact number of energy interventions across the province as these are driven across all three spheres of government as well as the private sector.
- It is difficult to quantify the cost associated with each project given the number of role-players involved. At a Provincial level, the Premier in his state of the Province address has set aside R 1.1 billion over the MTEF period 2023/24 to 2025/26 for energy interventions with R 89 million earmarked to local authorities in 2022/23 to fund generators, while the Mayor of Cape Town has set aside R3,9 billion to end loadshedding. The remaining municipalities will collectively invest around R1.9 billion in energy infrastructure.
- The exact quantum of generation capability is yet to be determined given the number of role-players involved across the three spheres of government as well as the private sector.
Answer Body:
- The infrastructure requirement is characterised across multiple infrastructure sectors, some of which sits within a national, provincial or municipal mandate. The biggest impact of population growth on infrastructure is felt across bulk infrastructure (water, waste, sewerage and roads) as well as service infrastructure (social infrastructure) being education and healthcare. Investment is not only required in new infrastructure, but also in maintaining existing infrastructure to perform at acceptable standards. At a Provincial level, the total infrastructure investment over the 2023 MTEF amounts to R32.573 billion.
Various funding models and service delivery models are currently being investigated and tailor made to the various infrastructure asset classes. This work is ongoing and involves the Provincial Treasury as well as international development partners.
Various partnerships for both funding and delivery are being explored and the development of these will be fast-tracked within the current financial year. The development of appropriate partnership and partnership models forms the cornerstone of the Western Cape Infrastructure Framework 2050 which is currently being developed.
Date:
Friday, May 19, 2023
