Media statement 25 January 2024
Cllr Cilliers Brink
Executive Mayor of Tshwane
Today, the City of Tshwane Council approved the second Rooiwal report, which gives the green light to procced with the 40-year lease of Rooiwal Power Station and Pretoria West Power Station in terms of Regulation 35 of the Municipal Asset Transfer Regulations.
This follows our robust public participation engagements with various stakeholders wherein we received an overwhelming positive response which indicates that our residents understand that we need to take drastic actions to end load-shedding for an energy secure future.
Today’s Council approval is one of the six steps to get the two power stations running again. It marks a major milestone to move Tshwane closer to energy independence and stabilising electricity supply to communities.
As part of our master energy plan, over the next three years, the City working towards securing at least 1 000 MW of alternative energy. This has occasioned the need for the City to engage with independent power producers and open up opportunities for alternative energy production.
So far, we are pleased with the transparent manner in which the leasing process is unfolding. Additionally, given the scale of the transaction, the City Manager will appoint a professional transactional advisory team to ensure maximum effectiveness.
Tshwane residents should be proud of this progressive step because every time higher stages of load-shedding hit us, it destroys our infrastructure, leads to prolonged outages and frustration, and creates opportunities for cable theft. That is why this project to move in a different direction is so important for our future.
I want to reiterate that the leasing process will not favour any specific energy provider and will be managed in a transparent, competitive, and fair manner. I look forward to announcing other initiatives as part of our energy plan to reduce the City’s dependence on Eskom and alleviate the burden of load-shedding for all our residents.
Media enquiries: Sipho Stuurman
(siphost@tshwane.gov.za)