Wind turbines for the construction of Cookhouse wind farm in South Africas Eastern Cape province have reached the Port of Ngqura, outside Port Elizabeth in South Africa
The first batch of the 16.44 metre-long wind turbine blades reached the port ealier this week. The 138.6MW Cookhouse wind farm was the biggest project selected in the first round of the South African government’s renewable energy procurement programme for independent producers.
Indian wind turbine manufacturer Suzlon Energy and its partner on the Cookhouse project, South African company African Clean Energy Developments, were one of 28 independent power producers that had signed contracts with the government in December 2012 for the first round of the programme, which will see an initial 1,400MW of renewable energy being added to South Africa’s energy mix.
Suzlon had announced in February 2013 that construction had begun on the wind farm. The company will provide 66 turbines with a combined installed capacity of 138.6MW for the project, which will cover more than 9,000 hectares and is located about 150km north-east of Port Elizabeth.
The farm will start supplying power to South Africa’s national electricity grid by the second quarter of 2014, providing enough energy to power about 145,000 low-income homes.
African Clean Energy Developments managing director Thomas Donnelly had said in a statement in February that the start of construction on the Cookhouse wind farm has marked a major milestone for independent power producers in South Africa.
