Name and Location
Amakhala Emoyeni wind energy facility, Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Client
Cennergi, a joint venture (JV) between Exxaro and Tata Power, bought the rights to the project from Windlab in 2011. The JV owns 95% of the project, with the Cookhouse Community Trust owning 2.5% and the Bedford Community Trust the remaining 2.5%. Standard Bank has arranged the debt component.

Project Description
The 138 MW wind energy project is among the 19 renewable-energy and seven wind projects selected following the second bid window under the South African government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.

The wind farm will be located near the town of Bedford.

The project will comprise 56 Nordex turbines, each with an estimated 80-m-hub height and an estimated capacity of 2.5 MW. The project, which is based on a ‘Class 3’ wind resource, is expected to have a capacity factor of about 35%.

Additional infrastructure includes underground power cables linking the turbines, access roads on the farms and a substation.

South African State-owned power utility Eskom will construct a 19 km 132 kV transmission line from the project’s substation to its substation, which is located adjacent to the project facility.

Value
The project is estimated at R3.9-billion.

Duration
Construction of the project is expected be completed by mid-2016.

Latest Developments
ALE completed the delivery of 560 wind-turbine generator components, comprising an equal number of trips, at the end of January.

ALE was contracted to provide the handling of 560 wind-turbine generator components, each comprising four tower sections and three blades, as well as one nacelle, rotor hub and drivetrain.

ALE delivered all components on schedule and its responsibilities included receiving the components at the port, transporting them to temporary storage and then to site, as well as offloading the components on site, located 250 km away in Amakhala, Bedford.

Challenges included negotiating the cargo through the Olifantskop pass, as the lanes were too narrow for traffic in both directions.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
International Finance Corporation (loan finance), Hatch (owner’s engineer), Nordex (wind turbines) and ALE (delivery of wind turbine generator components).

On Budget and on Time?
The project is slightly behind schedule, mainly as a result of delays associated with finalising the project’s connection to the Eskom substation, which is about 18 km from the site.

Contact Details for Project Information
Cennergi, tel +27 12 675 6655 or email comms@cennergi.com.
IFC, tel +1 202 473 3800 or fax +1 202 974 4384.
Hatch, tel +27 21 949 7836.
Nordex corporate communications, Ralf Peters, tel +49 4 300 30 1522, fax +49 40 300 30 1333 or email rpeters@nordex-online.com.
ALE, tel +27 21 842 2762 or fax +27 21 842 0104.