Transnet Ports Authority plans to make potable at all ports by the year 2025

The South African National Ports Authority and Transnet have announced that they are looking at setting up water desalination plants at eight major ports along South Africa’s coastline. 
 
A media report carried out by Business Insider SA, reveals that Transnet has major plans for South Africa’s ports, as they also want to spend R44 billion on critical infrastructure upgrades over the next five years.  
 
As the country’s rail, port, and pipeline authority in South Africa, Transnet is also looking to renewable sources of electricity such as solar, biomass, and geothermal to empower and stabilise its energy supply, and costs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. 
 
As per the latest on a long list of plans for the country’s ports, TNPA, through a Request for Information (RFI) published on the government’s e-tender portal on Friday, outlines plans for water desalination plants. 
 
“Transnet National Ports Authority is solely dependent on external parties to provide water to the port system,” TNPA noted as part of its RFI. 
 
“There is a business need for TNPA to implement sustainable initiatives and to reduce or eliminate the reliance on external parties for water supply,” the Authority said, adding that its ports, combined, used 6 million KL of municipal water per year. 
 
“The TNPA’s expectation is that the envisaged water desalination plants should be operational by 2025, to supply the ports with the required potable water, as well as any current or developing projects in the pipeline. 
 
“It is thus envisaged that the construction of the water desalination plants will be initiated towards the end of 2023.” 
 
According to the report, prospective sites for desalination plants at the ports of Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mossel Bay, Ngqura, Gqeberha, Richards Bay, and Saldanha are displayed on satellite imagery accompanying the RFI. 
 
TNPA says the dependence on external water supply can pose a risk to supply to the ports when the need arises for additional water supply and when there is a water supply shortage. 
 
In addition, the plans are also influenced by water previous water shortages in the Mother City and the ongoing crisis in Nelson Mandela Bay (Gqeberha) as examples of these risks. 
 
Main Image: Transnet Port/Twitter 
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