The 140 MW Kangnas wind farm, in the Northern Cape, and the 110 MW Perdekraal East wind farm, in the Western Cape, have announced the completion of a 28-day strength test of their first foundations, with a significant improvement in the mix design and savings in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
The projects are two of the largest to have been selected under Bid Window 4 of government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
The first foundations at each of the two wind farms were poured in November 2018.
This was followed by a 28-day strength test to ensure the foundations achieved the required design strengths.
The foundations are designed using a 70% replacement of cement, which signals a significant improvement in the concrete mix design for turbine foundations.
“For a project the size of Perdekraal East wind farm, it means a saving of about 1 900 t of CO2, in relation to the previous concrete mix design,” Perdekraal East and Kangnas wind farm construction programme manager Christo Loots explains.
“We are very pleased with the achieved reduction in our carbon footprint,” he adds.
Meanwhile, the Kangnas wind farm’s construction team is led by construction project manager Manie Kotzé, who has confirmed that 12 foundations at the wind farm are already complete and that he expects all 61 foundations will be in place by early July.
To achieve this milestone on time, the project relies largely on a workforce comprising a whopping 77% of locals from the beneficiary community of Springbok.
“Local employment is an important aspect of our construction programme, alongside skills training,” explains Kotzé.
Similarly, the Perdekraal East wind farm is currently providing employment to local community members of Ceres, Nduli, Bella Vista and Prince Alfred Hamlet.
Nearly 70% of the workforce responsible for building the foundations come from the beneficiary communities.