SOUTH AFRICA: Vestas wins 373 MW order for three wind farms
Danish company Vestas Wind Systems will install the wind turbines for the Brandvalley, Rietkloof and Wolf wind farms in South Africa. The order is placed by Cape Town, South Africa-based independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket.
Vestas Wind Systems wins a new order in South Africa. The Aarhus, Denmark-based wind turbine manufacturer will equip three wind farms of the independent power producer (IPP) Red Rocket. The Brandvalley, Rietkloof and Wolf wind farms, which are being built in the Eastern and Western Cape, will have a combined capacity of 373 MW.
As part of the contract, Vestas will supply and install 64 V150-4.5 MW turbines, 12 V163-4.5 MW turbines and five Enventus V162-6.2 MW turbines. The Henrik Andersen-led company will also maintain the three wind farms under a 15-year ‘Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000)’ contract.
Commissioning in 2024
“The projects will provide R740 million ($40.6 million) of community investment over 20 years through local social projects. The wind farms will be operational by 2024,” says Matteo Brambilla, Red Rocket’s managing director. The Cape Town, South Africa-based IPP was awarded the Brandvalley, Rietkloof and Wolf wind farms in the 5th round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).
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According to Red Rocket’s projections, once operational, the Brandvalley, Rietkloof and Wolf wind farms will be capable of producing 1,500 GWh of clean electricity per annum, which will contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions associated with electricity generation in South Africa. Vestas, which will be involved in the implementation of these projects, has a long history in South Africa.
For example, the Danish company built the Wesley-Ciskei wind farm (34.5 MW) in the Eastern Cape Province for EDF Renouvelables, the subsidiary of the Electricité de France (EDF) group. Vestas also delivered the Soetwater and Karusa wind farms with a combined capacity of 294 MW in the Western Cape, for Italian IPP Enel Green Power. In South Africa, Vestas has 1,300 MW of installed or under construction capacity.
Jean Marie Takouleu
