In May 2017, Water. Desalination + reuse (Faversham House), citing News24, reported that utility Eskom planned a desalination unit to supply its own Koeberg nuclear power station. A simple mobile unit was to come first, possibly followed by a larger integrated system. The step followed Cape Town's water shortage: level 3 restrictions had applied since 1 February 2017, and level 4, capping household use at 100 litres per head daily, was proposed from 1 June. Eskom also offered a site for a municipal unit of 2,500 to 5,000 m³/day.
The report showed how Cape Town's 2017 drought prompted quick desalination measures, first for large users such as power stations and as a precursor to a bigger municipal plant.