The Paardevlei 132 kV Switching Station project of the City of Cape Town has been lauded on the international stage, securing two prestigious global honours for infrastructure excellence.
The high-tech project, which strengthens the electricity network, was selected for its strategic impact, technical innovation and successful delivery under challenging conditions.
The project was the Silver Winner (small to medium project) at the International Project Management Association (IPMA) Global Project Excellence Awards 2025. At the Project Management (PM) Summit and Prestige Awards 2025, it was also named Project of the Year runner-up.
“These awards demonstrate excellence in infrastructure delivery and highlight the capabilities of our teams, not only in the Energy Directorate but across the municipality,” said Xanthea Limberg, Mayoral Committee member for Energy.
“Despite this project being implemented at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, the project was completed with only 1,4% cost variation on the R152,2 million budget, which illustrates our strong financial and project management discipline.”
The strategic importance of the Paardevlei Switching Station lies in its ability to lay the foundation for future grid connections, including the proposed Paardevlei Solar Plant. It is expected to achieve long-term savings for the City, of around R8 million a year, and enables connection points for independent power producers and large power users. This supports the City’s sustainability goals and less reliance on Eskom. “[The energy team’s] response to challenges sharpened focus on our delivery, and this project is one of high strategic importance,” Limberg said.
Ina Kruger, head of transmission system development, said the project set a benchmark for future delivery.
Additional individual and project honours went to Wesley Barthus, Helderberg Electricity Depot manager, who was named Emerging Project Manager of the Year.
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