Name and Location
Wind tower manufacturing facility, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Client
The project is joint initiative between the DCD Group, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Coega Development Corporation (CDC).

Project Description
The wind tower manufacturing facility is being established to support the localisation of the wind turbine industry in South Africa. It is located in Zone 3 of the Coega industrial development zone (IDZ) and will be the first of its kind for the Eastern Cape.

The project involves the construction of a 22 000 m² wind tower manufacturing facility and associated infrastructure on behalf of renewable-energy company, DCD Wind Energy, in the Coega  IDZ. The project will include bulk earthworks; a 600 m² office block; 400 m² of change rooms and ablution facilities; concreted, paved and gravel hardstand areas; site works, services, the paving of roads, a parking area and walkways; as well as a perimeter fence and gatehouse.

The tubular towers will be up to 120 m in height and the plant is expected to produce 110 to 120 towers a year, which could be increased to 180 towers a year, depending on the outcome of the third bidding round of government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and the number of other local wind tower manufacturers that will enter the market.

Value
R300-million.

Duration
The factory will come into operation in November and reach full production by February or March 2014.

Latest Developments
Six months after breaking ground, the construction of the Coega IDZ’s first wind turbine manufacturing facility is on track to be completed in record time, owing to innovative and advanced engineering techniques used to fast-track the process.

The wind turbine factory is more than 60% complete.

“The aim is to have the facility up and running in under 11 months after construction started in March, so that the DCD Group is able to supply its first two customers by February 2014,” says CDC infrastructure project manager Bruno Ponzo.

According to WorleyParsons’ Frans Namuhuya, the next few months “will be tight”, as the company reviews the timeline to gain ground on time lost, owing to the construction industry strike.

“We have had to revise our schedule and increase the man hours and labour force to achieve our targets. We faced some challenges, but we also realised some noteworthy engineering feats that allowed us to fast-track the project, such as the design, creation of shop drawings and manufacturing of steel, which was cardinal to the successful delivery of the factory,” says Namuhuya.

“The galvanised steel lattice column design used also allowed for a quick construction time considering the high-speed nature of the project.”

Once complete, the wind tower manufacturing facility will produce complete tubular steel towers, which entails manufacturing the welding flanges , the round steel tower sections from flat steel and assembling the inner parts of the towers. The wind turbine towers will vary in sizes ranging from 80 m to 120 m, with individual sections weighing from 40 t to 60 t.

To date, the materials used in the construction process amount to 236 t of reinforcement, 1 896 t of structural steel and 8 440 m3 of concrete. The project has also created 250 temporary jobs, with more than 90% of the workers coming from the Nelson Mandela Bay region.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

On Budget and on Time?
The project is on schedule, despite delays, owing to strikes in the construction sector.

Contact Details for Project Information
DCD Wind Energy, tel +27 21 447 7404, fax +27 86 639 4676 or email hschoeman@dcd.co.za.