The 103 MW Witberg Wind Farm is located near Matjiesfontein in South Africa’s Western Cape. It is being developed by Red Rocket. The project reached financial close in late 2023 and is currently advancing through construction. Commercial operations is targeted for late 2025. Once operational, Witberg will deliver clean electricity directly into the national grid under a wheeling arrangement. It will supply Sibanye’s mining operations and ease pressure on Eskom’s strained system. Additionally, the 103 MW Witberg Wind Farm will use Vestas turbines after the manufacturer won a supply tender in 2023.
Witberg Wind Farm Project Factsheet
Project Name: Witberg Wind Farm
Capacity: 103 MW
Location: Near Matjiesfontein, Western Cape, South Africa
Developer : Red Rocket South Africa
Offtaker: Sibanye-Stillwater (via Eskom wheeling agreement)
Technology: 24 V136-4.5 MW turbines
Status: Under construction
Commercial Operation Date: By end 2025
Grid Connection: Eskom transmission grid. Also to Sibanye’s mining operations
Witberg Wind Farm Project Timeline
2022–2023: Planning, permitting, and PPA negotiations concluded
Q4 2023: Financial close achieved
2024: EPC contracts awarded. Early works and site mobilisation also commenced
2025: Turbine installation and grid connection underway
Q4 2025: Targeted commercial operation date
Vestas Wins 108 MW Order in South Africa for Witberg Wind Farm
Reported December 22, 2023 – Red Rocket, an independent power producer in South Africa has already made a 108 MW order for the Witberg Wind Farm. The contract also covers orders for 24 V136-4.5 MW wind turbines, and a combination Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5K) agreement with an operation period of fifteen years.
More on the Witberg Wind Farm Project
Red Rocket also recently reaffirmed its position as one of Africa’s leading Independent Power Producers by reaching financial close on the Witberg Wind Farm in South Africa, a 108 MW facility located atop Table Mountain in the Western Cape.
It is the among largest private wind farm projects ever developed in South Africa, alongside Sibanye-Stillwater’s Castle Wind Farm in Northern Cape. Sibanye-Stillwater is also the private off-taker for the Witberg Wind Farm project, alongside the 140MW Umsinde Emoyeni Wind Farm also under development in South Africa. These wind farms continue to pool to the mining major’s 600 MW renewable pipeline target by 2027.
Matteo Brambilla, CEO of Humanway Energy Infrastructure Power & Generation Renaissance (Humanise), which is collaborating with Vestas on this historic project, highlighted renewable energy, including wind power, as being central to a sustainable and greener future for the region.
Vestas is a global partner of industry in sustainable energy. Around the world, they make onshore and offshore wind turbines from design through assembly to installation and service. Vestas has over 173 GW of installed capacity worldwide. Combining this with their expertise in smart data applications and over 151 GW of wind turbines already installed, they are able to employ the power of smarter data interpretation systems, forecasting models and exploitation techniques. Vestas also uses innovative green energy technologies.
Red Rocket has great confidence in Vestas’ 4MW platform. “We are pleased to see their trust and hope the portfolio’s versatility keeps supporting the country’s energy transition”, Novani Ganess-Johnson, managing director of Vestas South Africa, said. “We have great confidence that wind energy can make a pivotal contribution to establishing an even more stable and affordable sustainable supply structure.” Novani added.
Turbine Supply Commencement Date
Delivery of turbines is slated for second half of 2024, with commissioning due in 2025.
With more than 1.4 GW of installed and under-construction capacity, Vestas continues to led the way in South Africa’s wind power market.
Read also PPA signed, financial close achieved for Castle Wind Farm, South Africa’s largest private wind farm
