France to help drought-hit Witsand with solar-power desalination plant
The French government and the Western Cape provincial government have committed to invest R9m on a 50-50 basis in the country’s first solar-powered desalination plant, at Witsand in the Hessaqua municipality.There are at least four desalination plants in the drought-hit province, with three in Cape Town and one in Mossel Bay, but the one in Witsand will be the first to be powered by solar energy. Desalination plants are very energy intensive and when fossil fuels are used to generate the energy, this comes with carbon dioxide emissions and contributes to climate change.French ecology minister Nicolas Hulot attended the launch of the project on Monday together with Western Cape finance MEC Ivan Meyer. The project will be commissioned at the end of October.Meyer said the drought-hit Witsand community suffered severe water shortages during the summer months when holiday makers flocked to the town. The plant will deliver 100kl of fresh water daily.The Osmosun technology, developed by Fr...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.