Gibson Bay wind farm starts commercial operation

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Enel Green Power announced through its subsidiary Enel Green Power RSA, that its 111MW Gibson Bay wind farm has started commercial operation.

Situated in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, the wind farm is capable of generating just about 420GWh per year, equal to the yearly consumption needs of approximately 131 thousand homes while steer clear of the emission of more than 383 thousand tones of CO2 into the environment every year.

Country Manager in South Africa, William Price, said: “Gibson Bay is the second wind farm we have brought to life in South Africa, our initial being Nojoli, further demonstrating our dedication to a low-carbon energy future.

“Taking the lead in renewable energy gives South Africa the chance to become a chief universal player in this rising industry, while investment in renewables offers fine job opportunities and has brought new skills into the nation. We are proud to present a strong renewable energy generation base.”

The wind farm is supported by a 20-year power supply contract with the publicly owned power utility, Eskom, as part of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) tender endorsed by the government.

Enel now has more than 520MW of wind and solar plants in operation in South Africa.
REIPPPP is a programme developed by the department of energy to egg on private investment to help advance develop the renewable energy sector within the nation.

This development follows after the company announced in February that it commissioned its two 82.5MW Adams and Pulida solar photovoltaic (PV) plants, situated in Northern Cape and Free State provinces in that order.

According to the Italian firm, Adams and Pulida will together be capable to produce 318 GWh per year, equivalent to the yearly consumption needs of approximately 100,000 South African homes.