Name and Location
Sere wind power project, Western Cape, South Africa.

Client
Eskom.

Project Description
Sere, the Nama word for cool breeze, will involve the development of a wind farm, with an initial capacity of 100 MW, at Sere, near Vredendal, in the Western Cape. It will comprise 46 turbines of 2.3 MW each, which will be positioned over 16 km2. The area will accommodate a 200 MW facility in the future.

Each Siemens 2.3-108 turbine has a height of 115 m, a rotor diameter of 108 m and a power output of 2.3 MW. The project also includes construction of a new substation and 44 km of 132 kV distribution line linking the new Skaapvlei substation to the existing Juno substation.

Eskom modelling expects that the project will be able to produce 298 000 MWh/y, most of which will be fed into the national grid. The balance will be used in-house.

The project will be connected to the grid through the Skaapvlei substation at 132 kV and into the existing Juno–Koekenaap distribution line.

The project is being developed under Eskom’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme. It is hoped that similar projects will be undertaken by the utility and independent power producers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

Sere will save nearly six-million tons of carbon emissions over 20 years. The facility will produce enough energy to power about 68 000 standard homes. 

Value
R2.5-billion.

The project has been funded by a group of development finance institutions, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Clean Technology Fund (CIF) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Duration
Full commercial operation of the wind farm is scheduled for March 2015.

Latest Developments
Eskom reported at the end of January that its Sere wind farm was generating at its full capacity of 100 MW, two months ahead of the targeted date at the end of March 2015.

The first wind turbine at the farm was erected in December 2013 and all 46 wind turbines have now been erected and are fully operational. The construction of a new substation and a 43 km transmission line has been completed. On October 6, 2014, the project took another step to the goal of synchronising the wind turbines to the grid when the first string of seven turbines were energised.

The wind farm, one of the largest in Southern Africa, will help diversify Eskom’s energy mix and contribute to South Africa’s objective of meeting 42% of the country’s power demand with renewable energy sources by 2030.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
AfDB, World Bank, AFD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank and the CTF (loan finance); Siemens (46 wind turbines) and Powertech (substation).

On Budget and on Time?
The construction of the Sere wind farm is expected to be completed by the end of 2014, but Eskom aspires to have the project completed much earlier than indicated.

Contact Details for Project Information
AFD South Africa, tel +27 11 540 7100, fax +27 11 540 7117 or email AFDJohannesburg@afd.fr.
AfDB, Kurt Lonsway, tel +216 7 110 3313 or email k.lonsway@afdb.org.
Eskom media desk, tel +27 11 800 3304/3309/3343/3378, fax +27 86 664 7699 or email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.
Eskom investor relations manager Khanyi Makhaya, tel +27 11 800 2277, fax +27 11 800 2043 or email investor.relations@eskom.co.za.
KfW project coordinator Stefanie Peters, tel +27 12 423 6357, fax +27 12 42 423 6360 or email kfw.pretoria@kfw.de.
Siemens energy sector Meike Wulfers, tel +49 40 2889 8702 or email
meike.wulfers@siemens.com.
Powertech communications manager Regula Niehus, tel +27 11 706 7184.