Webinar: small hydro in waste water treatment infrastructure

Balancing services, flexibility, and just climate responses for water utilities and industry

South Africa’s water and wastewater infrastructure is energy-intensive yet it holds significant untapped renewable energy potential.

With more than 850 wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) across the country, micro and small hydropower systems present a practical opportunity to:

🔹 Reduce operational energy costs
🔹 Improve service resilience amid load shedding
🔹 Lower carbon emissions
🔹 Contribute meaningfully to South Africa’s Just Energy Transition

This upcoming webinar introduces a project demonstrating the operational integration of micro hydropower at WWTWs, with strong replication potential across the agriculture and mining sectors.

Speakers include:
• Mr Nico van Blerk – ERWAT
• Prof Marco van Dijk – University of Pretoria
• Dr Chantal R-Kotze – Partnering for Impact (PFI)
• Dr Tshepang Mosiea – Department of Science, Technology & Innovation (DSTI)

Technology innovators:
Bluecap Hydro (Netherlands)
WD Power (South Africa)
EasyHydro (Ireland)

This initiative builds on foundational work by the University of Pretoria and the Water Research Commission, including the South African Hydropower Atlas and conduit hydropower developments. The focus is clear: moving from research to scalable implementation through practical case studies, procurement frameworks, and stakeholder engagement models.