Proposed Greentech Special Economic Zone at Atlantis Pre-feasibility Study Final Report

The report assesses the feasibility of a greentech SEZ in Atlantis, South Africa. It identifies high-potential opportunities in wind turbine components, solar PV components, and solar water heaters, driven largely by government programs like the REIPPP. The study recommends a business case that prioritizes refurbishing existing industrial property over greenfield development to reduce costs and risk. It projects that a moderate demand scenario could create 1,440 direct permanent jobs and attract R650 million in FDI by 2030.

• The most immediate high-potential greentech opportunities for Atlantis (2014-2017) include the manufacturing of wind turbine blades and towers, selected PV module components, solar water heaters, and basic components for LED and CFL lighting.
• Utility-scale renewable energy demand is primarily driven by the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme and the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP), with wind, solar PV, and CSP making up over 95% of allocations.
• The report recommends 'Option 2' (using existing industrial property and greenfield sites) over 'Option 1' (developing only greenfield sites) because it is significantly less costly and carries lower risk of speculative development.
• Under a moderate demand scenario, the Atlantis SEZ could attract 18 greentech firms and 11 suppliers, creating 1,440 direct permanent jobs and attracting R650 million in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) by 2030.
• Atlantis possesses several comparative advantages, including low industrial property rentals (R15-R19/m2, roughly half the provincial average), ample vacant land, and proximity to the Cape Town demand hinterland.
• Key challenges for the area include its relative remoteness from the Cape Town urban centre and ports, inadequate training facilities at West Coast College, and social issues such as crime and drug abuse.
• The report suggests that the SEZ could be expanded into a 'West Coast SEZ corridor' from Blaauwberg to Atlantis (and potentially Saldanha) to unlock location-sensitive opportunities like waste-to-energy near landfill sites.
• The emergence of a natural gas supply in Atlantis, via the Ibhubesi Gas Project or LNG imports, could attract energy-intensive manufacturers post-2020 if gas is competitively priced relative to grid electricity.
• To unlock the SEZ's potential, the report recommends implementing a 'one-stop shop' for investment facilitation, improving certainty around government policy (IRP and Eskom IDM), and establishing a zone labour agreement to avoid disputes.
• The report critiques the proposed fixed-term corporate tax incentive (2014-2024), arguing that a permanently lower corporate income tax rate (5-15%) is more effective for capital-intensive long-term investors.

APA

GreenCape (2014). Proposed Greentech Special Economic Zone at Atlantis Pre-feasibility Study Final Report. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Atlantis-SEZ-content/20140729-ASEZ-prefeasibility-report-final.pdf

Chicago

GreenCape. Proposed Greentech Special Economic Zone at Atlantis Pre-feasibility Study Final Report. 2014. https://greencape.co.za/assets/Atlantis-SEZ-content/20140729-ASEZ-prefeasibility-report-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=GreenCape |title=Proposed Greentech Special Economic Zone at Atlantis Pre-feasibility Study Final Report |date=1 August 2014 |url=https://greencape.co.za/assets/Atlantis-SEZ-content/20140729-ASEZ-prefeasibility-report-final.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{greencape2014proposed, author = {{GreenCape}}, title = {{Proposed Greentech Special Economic Zone at Atlantis Pre-feasibility Study Final Report}}, institution = {GreenCape}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://greencape.co.za/assets/Atlantis-SEZ-content/20140729-ASEZ-prefeasibility-report-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }