Company Announcement - South Africa is seeing a massive leap in wind energy development. To add to the mix, EDF Energies Nouvelles has announced the commissioning of the Grassridge wind farm in South Africa by InnoWind, its local subsidiary. The construction in excess of R1 billion, Grassridge Wind Energy Facility, in Nelson Mandela Bay was established at PPC Cement’s Grassridge quarry, in Port Elizabeth. The wind farm is the first of the group to be developed, built and operated on the African continent.
The facility comprises 20 Vestas V-112 3 MW wind turbines, with a combined installed capacity of 61.5 MW, delivering electricity equivalent to the yearly consumption of about 40 000 households.Egmont Ottermann, Group Energy Manager at PPC Ltd said, “We would like to congratulate EDF EN on the commissioning of the wind farm. The wind farm forms part of PPC’s long-term rehabilitation plans for the mine. PPC is committed to becoming a more sustainable company. This project is the first step in procuring power from renewable sources.”
The Grassridge project was developed under the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme of South Africa which targets 3,725 MW of renewable energy capacity by 2016. It is the first of the three schemes EDF Energies Nouvelles won in a competitive tender in 2012.
Antoine Cahuzac, Chief Executive Officer of EDF Energies Nouvelles, commented: “The commissioning of EDF Energies Nouvelles' first wind farm in South Africa, a country that has been pursuing a major drive to promote renewable energies since 2011, represents an important milestone in the company's international expansion. Our South African affiliate's cooperation with local partners demonstrates our desire to build solid roots and champion local development.”