Directors and Shareholders of the Metrowind Van Stadens wind farm, announce that on the 2nd of February 2014 the Facility Completion milestone was achieved and the 27MW wind farm has commenced commercial operations. The facility has been supplying electrical power to the regional grid since late November 2013.
MWVS wind farm will sell renewable energy to ESKOM for the next twenty years in accordance with the terms of the Power Purchase Agreement concluded between the parties in November 2012. The 27MW wind farm is situated in the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape Province. Nelson Mandela Bay is renowned for its excellent wind resource and is home to South Africa’s “windy city”, Port Elizabeth. MWVS wind farm is 100% South African-owned, with 35% attributed to Black Economic Empowerment. A portion of the project is owned by the Metrowind Community Trust which was established by the project developers as a vehicle to deliver their Corporate Social Investment programme.
In addition to the dividends payable to the community trust, 2.1% of the facilities annual revenue is being channelled into socio-economic development and enterprise development within the community. MWVS wind farm has been under development since 2006. It was selected preferred bidder in terms of the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme . Construction of the R550 million project started in November 2012 and is the first commercial wind farm operating under REIPPPP.