Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

15 January 2024 Media Release:  Garden Route District Municipality’s Roads Services improves diesel infrastructure to ensure operational continuity

Media Release:  Garden Route District Municipality’s Roads Services improves diesel infrastructure to ensure operational continuity

For Immediate Release
15 January 2024

Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Roads Services have successfully addressed decades of challenges related to diesel and infrastructure procurement. Last year, the GRDM embarked on a tender process for the procurement of diesel, however, complications arose as the existing diesel tanks and infrastructure were owned by the previous service provider, who declined access to the new appointee to use their storage facilities.

To overcome this obstacle, the Roads Services Department temporarily used diesel bowsers for fuel storage. Later, the municipality conducted a second tender process for the installation of above-ground diesel tanks at its four largest depots, in George, Oudtshoorn, Riversdale and Ladismith.

In George, above-ground diesel tanks are currently being installed at the depot on Mission Street.

The tender, valued at 5.9 million for the tanks, was approved by the Western Cape Department of Transport and was allocated from the Roads Services budget. The above-ground tanks, each with a capacity of 23,000 liters, are currently being installed and are expected to be commissioned by the end of January 2024.

Once operational, the George depot will receive two (2) tanks with a combined capacity of 46,000 liters, sufficient to fuel the different depots for three weeks. The other deport will each be equipped with one (1) 23,000 liters above-ground tanks.

This initiative is part of phase 1 of the GRDM’s plan to upgrade and install diesel storage infrastructure, with future rollouts planned for the smaller depots as well. The decision to replace the more than 30-year-old Total diesel tanks, which were decommissioned due to leaks, brings several advantages. The above-ground tanks are cost-effective, have a longer lifespan, are easy to monitor, versatile, safer, and environmentally friendly.

Feature image caption: George will have two above-ground diesel tanks, while the other three depots will have one each.

-END-