STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S DEPUTY MAYOR AND MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR SPATIAL PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENT, ALDERMAN EDDIE ANDREWS

I want to welcome guests to Enlit Africa, formerly known as African Utility Week and POWERGEN Africa conference, that is currently underway at the Cape Town International Convention Centre in Cape Town.

The conference commenced on 7 June and will end on 9 June 2022.

The aim of the conference is to explore the theme ‘Collaboration to fast forward Africa’s Energy Transition’.

Cape Town is privileged to be the host city for this year’s Enlit Conference and I have an easy task of welcoming our distinguished guests and briefly talk about are our plans to ensure we diversify our energy supply and amplify the reasons why conferences such as these are important for the sustainability of our shared future.

This year’s Enlit Conference looks at collaboration to fast forward Africa’s energy transition. As a City, we have ‘crossed our t’s and dotted our i’s’ in that regard. As part of our Energy Priority Programme, we have started a few projects that speak to securing Cape Town’s current and future energy needs.

Together with our key stakeholders and as part of our NetZero Carbon goals, we desire to position Cape Town as a leader in renewable energy and create a thriving market for independent power producers.

It is for these plans and projects that we have initiated, that we looking to network, discuss and learn from all who are present at this conference.

In the City of Cape Town, our purpose is clear and simple:

We need to improve the living conditions of our poorest residents

We need to roll back poverty

We need to spread opportunities

We need to grow our economy

We need to deliver excellent basic services, to inspire optimism and

We need to be an example to the rest of South Africa

We have set ourselves a very ambitious agenda during this term of office - to inspire hope for South Africa’s future.

We believe that cities are key stakeholders and huge drivers of economic growth. We have a large share of the population, both public and private institutions and infrastructure.

Here in Cape Town we are moving boldly to protect residents from load shedding and making strides to diversify our energy supply.

I am personally delighted that this conference is hosted here in Cape Town as it comes against the backdrop of our bold and ambitious plan, to ultimately, end load shedding in Cape Town.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis and Energy Mayco Member, Beverley van Reenen, have made several announcements in the recent months about the City’s rapid pace in seeking clean and green power from Independent Power Producers (IPP’s) and developing a space for our electricity clients who are both commercial and residential, to become net producers of electricity.

Conferences such as this one is important to convene, as they offer the government and other sectoral stakeholders useful insight regarding potential challengers and opportunities and what reform to pursue to overcome those challenges and realise the opportunities.

I trust that you feel welcome and wish you all the best as you network and collaborate in discussion to create new ideas and grow our knowledge base to provide sustainable solutions that will help our continent to be energy secure and climate conscious. I know you’ll experience Cape Town’s best!

Source: City Of Cape Town