Cape Town turns landfill methane into power for 4,300 homes

Cape Town has launched a new gas-to-energy facility at the Coastal Park Landfill that will generate enough electricity to power more than 4,000 households.

The project captures methane produced by decomposing waste and feeds it into generators. The resulting electricity is supplied directly to the national grid and is used to power on-site operations.

Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Waste Management Grant Twigg says the project has been more than a decade in the making due to regulatory approvals, infrastructure requirements and coordination with Eskom. 

The City invested R93 million and has already generated R36 million in carbon credits, with further credits expected as the system scales up.

The City is now expanding similar gas-to-energy projects to the Bellville South and Vissershok landfill sites, with an additional R82 million earmarked for development. 

Twigg stresses that residents will not face higher tariffs, emphasising that the work is being funded through existing budgets and is considered a priority in Cape Town’s long-term infrastructure plan.

"With the current budget that we have, we think it's going to be sufficient to make sure that we operate a Coastal Park and also for the investment that we're making at Vissershok and at Belville. So definitely, we're trying our utmost not to burden the residents of Cape Town, but to make them benefit from this."

To listen to Twigg in conversation with 702 and CapeTalk's Africa Melane, click below: