A financing deal for the development of Phezukomoya and San Kraal wind farms- in South Africa has been closed. The projects are located in the local Umsombomvu municipality, on the border of the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces.
They are being developed by EDF renewables, an Electricité de France (EDF) Group subsidiary, under the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPPP).
Development and expectations for the Phezukomoya and San Kraal wind farm projects
The Phezukomoya and San Kraal wind farm projects are currently in the construction phase. They are scheduled to be operational in 2024.
Also Read: Work on Scatecs’ Northern Cape solar project in South Africa commences
With an installed capacity of 140 MW, each wind farm will have 23 wind turbines upon completion. All turbines will measure 124 meters in height and 83 meters in length. As part of the project, the main transmission substation (MTS) is being constructed in Koruso.
This station will enable the electricity generated from the two facilities to be fed into the South African national electricity network. Eskom and EDF have already inked a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) for the projects.
EDF’s long-term goal
The independent power producer (IPP) aims to construct a total of three wind farms under the conditions of the fifth REIPPP. These farms are inclusive of the Phezukomoya and San Kraal wind farms. The third one is the 140 MW Coleskop wind farm. EDF expects to have completed funding for the Coleskop wind farm by the end of January 2023.
According to EDF, the three wind farms will be able to generate 420 MW of electricity once they are all operational. The electricity produced will be enough to power 193,000 South African households.
The projects are developed in partnership with the South African investment firm H1 Holdings, and the Johannesburg-based engineering, and consultancy firm GIBB-Crede. Additionally, the local community trust and the French company are involved in the wind farms project.
