Johannesburg secures R550 million international grant for waste-to-energy project

THE Infrastructure Fund, a partnership between the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), National Treasury and Infrastructure South Africa, has secured a R550 million grant from Dutch-based Invest International to support the rollout of the City of Johannesburg's landmark Alternative Waste Treatment Technology (AWTT) Project.

- SIPHELELE DLUDLA

FROM LEFT: Mohale Rakgate, chief investment officer from the Infrastructure Fund; Minister of Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in Netherlands , Aukje de Vries, and Johannesburg Mayor Dada Morero.

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Valued at approximately R5.7 billion, the AWTT Project represents a major step in South Africa's shift towards sustainable waste management and renewable energy generation.

Implemented as a public-private partnership (PPP) between the Infrastructure Fund, the City of Johannesburg (CoJ) and private-sector partners, the initiative aims to divert about 500 000 tons of municipal solid waste per year — around 31% of the city’s annual waste — away from landfill sites.

At the heart of the project will be a dirty Materials Recovery Facility (dMRF) and a Waste-to-Energy (WtE) plant that will be designed, built, financed, operated and maintained by the private sector over a 25-year concession period. Ownership of the facilities will revert to the City at the end of the agreement.