Public participation on Cape Town's desalination plant feasibility study closes 31 August

John Maytham (standing in for CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit) speaks to Michael Killick, Director at the Water and Sanitation Directorate of Bulk Services at the City of Cape Town.

Listen below:

The City has completed the study to determine the most feasible service delivery mechanism and contracting model for the implementation and operation of the planned Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant.

The plan is for it to be implemented by 2031 to avoid another Day Zero, says Killick.

RELATED: Six days left! Share your thoughts on Cape Town's desalination plant feasibility study

All residents and stakeholders are invited to comment on the outcome of the feasibility study, which will determine how the City’s first desalination plant will be built, operated and maintained.

Comments are open until 31 August 2025.

The City is committed to achieving its ambitious commitment to produce 300 million litres of new water from new water sources by 2032.

The New Water Programme will ensure that 11% of Cape Town’s water supply will be sourced from seawater desalination to help meet a growing demand and improve resilience.

Some key points and recommendations in the study are:

• The recommended procurement model for the project is an external service delivery mechanism delivered through a Public-Private Partnership (PPP).
• The recommended PPP structure is for the private party to design, finance, build, operate and maintain the plant for 20 years before transferring it to the City.
• The plant will remain City-owned.
• The unique risk profile of desalination projects makes these facilities particularly well-suited to benefit from a PPP.

The full report can be accessed here.

Submit your comments by Sunday, 31 August 2025:

• Email: public.participation@capetown.gov.za
• Online: capetown.gov.za/haveyoursay
• Deliver your written comments by hand to your nearest Sub-councils office

• Caption: The proposed site location for the Paarden Eiland Desalination Plant

Some water experts have raised concerns about a desalination plant, which is a high-cost and high-energy process that leaves residue behind, which might not be good for the environment, Maytham notes.

Killick says, despite these challenges, this public participation process is focused on the implementation mechanism of the project – so whether the City should outsource operations, do it internally, or use a combination of both processes.

The City still aims to do a full environmental impact assessment and there will be a lot more public participation in this part of the process too, says Killick.

Things like cost and brine discharge will all form part of the environmental assessment.

"One's got to look at the cost of not doing these projects. The City's demand is growing and we need to supply additional water. Unfortunately, there are very few surface water options left available for us to implement... so, the City's future is re-use and desalination."

- Michael Killick, Water and Sanitation Directorate Director - City of Cape Town

Scroll up to the audio player for more.