Cape Town Launches PPP Procurement for Faure Water Reuse Project

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The City of Cape Town, South Africa, has launched the PPP procurement process for the Faure New Water Source Project, with the procurement scope covering financing, design, construction, operation, and maintenance. Phase 1 of the project is planned to deliver a drinking water supply capacity of 70 million liters per day, with a long-term design capacity expandable to 100 million liters per day. The target for first water delivery is 2031.

The project will utilize the effluent from the upgraded Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Plant, further purifying it through advanced water treatment processes to meet South African and international drinking water standards, then blending it with existing water sources and connecting it to the existing supply system of the Faure Water Treatment Plant. The Faure Water Treatment Plant currently has a treatment capacity of approximately 500 million liters per day, and the new system will be connected as an independent water reuse treatment and conveyance facility.

The Cape Town City Council granted in-principle approval for the project to adopt a PPP model in December 2025. According to the feasibility study materials published by the municipal government, the PPP partner will be responsible for project design, financing, construction, operation, and maintenance, while the municipal government will retain asset ownership and regulatory control. The project was previously registered as a potential PPP project with South Africa's National Treasury in October 2024 and is subject to oversight by the National Treasury's PPP unit.

The capital value of the Faure project given in the municipal government's 2025 infrastructure report is approximately 2.83 billion rand. The project is included in Cape Town's "New Water Programme," under which the municipal government plans to add approximately 300 million liters per day of new drinking water supply capacity by the mid-2030s through new water sources such as water reuse, seawater desalination, and groundwater.

Procurement has now entered the pre-qualification stage. The municipal government plans to first select candidates with financing, engineering construction, and long-term operational capabilities before proceeding to the formal proposal stage; previously announced arrangements indicate that the formal proposal stage is expected to advance in the second half of 2027. The project also has an independent advisory committee covering technical review during the design, procurement, construction, commissioning, verification, and operation stages.