Construction work on the first 14 foundations of the Noupoort Wind Farm located in the Umsobomvu Municipal in the Northern Cape in South Africa has been completed. The remaining 21 foundations are expected to be complete by the end of the year.
Siemens Wind Power will supply the wind turbines with manufacturing of 99m turbine towers expected to be the first to take place in the New Gestamp wind turbine tower factory in located in the Western Cape.
Wind turbine blade hubs and nacelles will be brought in from the Port of Ngqura located in Coega in the Eastern Cape.
The wind farm project which has an estimated cost of US $0.14bn will have a total of 35 wind turbines with an output of 80MW each producing 2.3MW. A substation and A 10km long 132kV transmission line will also be constructed.
According to the Noupoort Wind Farm project Manager, Martina Flanagan, completion of the 35 foundations will enable the delivery of wind turbine components to the site by end of August with the whole project expected to be complete by mid 2016.
On full operation capacity, the wind farm in South Africa will supply enough green electricity to power up to 70 000 South African homes and prevent the emission of 300 000 of carbon annually.
Noupoort Wind Farm has been developed in a undeveloped site surrounded by a small community and is 11m from Eskom’s 132Kv overhead transmission line which the wind farm will feed into.
Flanagan noted that the site was chosen due to its location and upon completion, the local community in South Africa will benefit from enterprise developments and socio economic development initiatives which will be funded by part of the revenue from the project.
The local community owns 5 percent of the Noupoort Wind Farm in a trust fund and more than 200 locals were employed when work begun on the project.
