The City of Cape Town’s 4th Cape Town State of Energy and Carbon 2021 Report has been launched. It highlights the key transitions under way and required in an energy sector that continues to be in turmoil and where greater public private partnerships are increasingly emerging as tangible beacons for a more sustainable and secure future.

The report aims to provide a data-rich evidence base for decision makers, support for researchers and planners as well as operational transparency in the energy sector. It looks at aspects of electricity, transport and waste and how these can transition to more sustainable operations. For the first time, the full data set of the State of Energy and Carbon is available digitally on the City’s Open Data Platform.

‘Load-shedding across South Africa continues to limit economic growth, and electricity price increases add an unnecessary burden to households already under financial pressure. Coal-fired electricity remains the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions even as the recent 6th Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has highlighted the need for immediate multilateral action on climate change. The expansion of the scope of this publication to a ‘State of Energy and Carbon’ reflects the critical role of energy supply in climate action. Our economy needs a clean, reliable electricity supply. This has placed electricity sector reform front and centre of policy at all levels of government. The best thing the City can do right now to significantly reduce carbon emissions is to reduce reliance on Eskom power and use renewable technology to end load-shedding, over time, in Cape Town,’ said the City’s Executive Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis.

‘When looking at electricity, the report highlights that we must urgently move forward with City partnerships and plans that will end load-shedding over time. The only we way we can achieve this is through cleaner, renewable energy sources, moving away from harmful fossil fuels and making sure the lights are kept on.

‘Transport is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions of any one sector and the demand for petroleum continues to grow. Key interventions to reduce emissions include improved public transport options, electric vehicle preparedness and ensuring that urban planning supports effective mass transit.

‘In the waste sector, organic waste and wastewater are significant sources of emissions but they offer opportunities for climate action. Our landfill sites have made great strides in capturing and flaring the powerful and very harmful greenhouse gas, methane. The City is now nearing the production of electricity from landfill gas with the 2MW waste-to-energy project at our Coastal Park Landfill.

‘Our energy and climate data is internationally recognised for its quality and we can be proud of the work put into it by officials, partners and service providers’, said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Energy, Councillor Beverley van Reenen.

Source: City Of Cape Town