WCG DoTP APP 2023/2024

CLIMATE CHANGE AND ENERGY

Drawing on the resilience created during previous crisis, such as the drought of 2017-19 and COVID 19, the Premier is leading the Provincial response to the electricity crisis to mitigate its impact on citizens. A Western Cape Energy Council was established and tasked with generating short- and longer-term solutions for the energy crisis. The provincial response aims to ensure that citizens continue to have access to safe drinking water and that sewerage systems can operate during loadshedding; that citizens can stay connected and have access to information; and assist municipalities through a programme that supports and builds capacity at municipalities across our province to implement renewable energy projects. All government departments are developing and implementing contingency plans to minimise the impact of loadshedding on the rendering of government services. The Growth for Jobs Strategy includes strategic measures aimed at achieving Energy Sustainability and Net Zero Transition. Medium to long term strategic objectives include the rollout of a provincial energy efficiency programme, and a long-term electricity/ energy master plan, the Western Cape Integrated Resource Plan, will be developed for a reliable, decentralised, distributed energy system for the Western Cape. Processes for Small-Scale Embedded Generation (SSEG) and a standardised wheeling framework are envisaged. Distribution infrastructure that enables the generation and transmission of renewable energy within key municipalities is planned. From a province-wide perspective, the department assesses the climate responsiveness of all departmental APPs and supports departments to mainstream climate change in their programmes and budgets. It also supported the Department of Environment Affairs and Development Planning with the generation of evidence that informed a climate change action plan and a high-level Climate Change Response Theory of Change. A hotdesking pilot is underway in selected business units that will also contribute positively to reducing our carbon footprint and contribute to savings through releasing office accommodation, particularly in rental buildings. From an internal perspective, the department adopted an Alternative Work Arrangement Policy which enables working from home or scheduling arrival and departure times from work to fall outside of peak hour traffic with a resultant reduction in carbon emissions. The Department’s policy and strategy unit will support the provincial Just Energy Transition, which requires a shift to reliable and clean green energy. This will not only slow down the progression of the climate crisis and lower dependency on fossil fuels but will also help strengthen provincial power generation capabilities while offering new opportunities for trade and export through green hydrogen. The department is implementing its departmental Electricity Disruption Contingency Plan in response to the ongoing energy crisis. Provincially, the department is preparing to support the mitigation efforts of the Western Cape Disaster Management Centre in the areas of ICT infrastructure, system and network continuity, people management and provincial communication in the event of a major disruptive event as a result of prolonged electricity disruptions. In this respect, the department scaled down its reliance on data centres by moving ICT services to the cloud. Not only does this approach reduce dependency and reliance on third parties during major disruptive events, but it also contributes to the principles of Green IT. Similarly, the Department previously developed a Water Resilience Contingency Plan which outlined its mitigation measures to reduce the demand for water and the measures that will be implemented to ensure business continuity.

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DOTP ANNUAL PERFORMANCE PLAN FOR 2023/2024