V&A executive manager: operations André Theys
Cape Town’s V&A Waterfront has signed a ten-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with Etana Energy for 43 GWh of renewable energy yearly, which will result in wind and solar supplying 70% of the iconic mixed-use property’s electricity by early 2026.
The PPA follows a similar deal between Etana Energy and Growthpoint Properties for 195 GWh of renewable energy annually, representing 32% of the property group’s total yearly consumption. Growthpoint Properties is the joint owner of the V&A Waterfront with the Public Investment Corporation.
V&A executive manager: operations André Theys says 90% of the Waterfront’s emissions come from energy purchases and the PPA with licensed electricity trader Etana will make a major contribution to reducing V&A’s carbon footprint and supporting its strategy to transition to net-zero carbon emissions by 2035.
The V&A, which accommodates 24-million visitors a year, reports that it has already reduced its carbon emissions by 47%, and the precinct’s planned waste-to-energy pyrolysis plant will produce synthetic gas for electricity to complement its solar PV capacity.
V&A Waterfront is also piloting small, vertical-axis wind turbines, following the installation of four 1-kW units within the mixed-use property’s Silo District and another 3-kW turbine near to the complex’s Breakwater parking.
Under its broader sustainability strategy, the V&A has reduced water use by 61%, while a blackwater treatment plant produces water used to flush toilets and a desalination plant has the capacity to take the entire neighbourhood off the City of Cape Town water supply.
All organic and recyclable waste, comprising 62% of all waste generated on the site, is diverted from landfills and single-use plastic will be phased out by 2025.