The developers of the Perdekraal East Wind Farm, in the Western Cape, last week completed the project’s 48 wind turbine foundations – three weeks ahead of schedule and still within budget.
The first of the foundations was poured in November 2018.
The majority of the labour was employed from the local communities of Ceres, Nduli, Bella Vista and the Prince Alfred hamlet, in support of local employment and upliftment.
“Around 70% of the workforce responsible for building the foundations came from these beneficiary communities,” Perdekraal Wind Farm construction project manager Glenn Hobson said.
In a statement issued on Monday, the developers said the foundation design used a 70% replacement of cement, signalling a significant improvement in the concrete mix, having a 32.5% reduced carbon footprint.
Additionally, all material excavated from the foundations had been reused on the site, either as fill on roads or in preparation for the hard stands, situated adjacent to the foundations.
Each turbine base has a diameter of 19 m and comprises over 45 t of reinforced steel and 369 m3 of 30 MPa concrete; while the plinth requires 23 m3 of 60 MPa concrete. This is equivalent to a total of 65 full concrete trucks per foundation.
The 110 MW wind farm spans 3 055 ha.