Basil Read Energy, a subsidiary of Basil Read Holdings Limited

The JSE-listed construction, mining, development and engineering group – and shareholder in the MetroWind van Stadens Wind Farm project, today hosted a site visit for The Honourable Executive Mayor Mr Nkosinathi Benson Fihla of the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality as well as members of the investment community, journalists and other dignitaries.

The guests were given the opportunity to visit the MetroWind wind farm site to view three of the six turbines that have been installed.  A total of nine Sinovel SL3000 3MW turbines will deliver the project’s capacity of 27MW. The turbines are about 90m high (to hub height), with a blade diameter of 50m.

Commenting on the merits of the project Mr Marius Heyns, Chief Executive Officer of Basil Read said, “The MetroWind Van Staden Farm project brings strategic benefits not only for the region and local communities but also for the country as a whole because of the supply of clean sustainable energy.

The project will supply in the region of 5 000 to 6 000 households with electricity. We are proud that the communities of Shamrock and Witteklip have already benefited from this project through the installation of solar-powered area lighting.”          
          
The Sinovel wind turbine components were shipped from China and arrived in Port Ngqura near Port Elizabeth in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro in June 2013. They were transported by road to site and erection of the turbines began early in August 2013.

The project is eight months into construction with the first two sections of the remaining six turbines installed and all civil works on site completed. This includes roads, all nine turbine platforms, main control building and a store room.

Running concurrent with the civils is the rapid progress that has been made with the electrical works: the overhead line poles are in place; stringing of 8km line is in progress; electrical reticulation of farm is close to completion and the transformers are in the process of being delivered and installed. In addition, the main Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality switchgear was delivered to site and is currently being tested. 

Marius von Wielligh, Director of Energy at Basil Read Matomo, the lead EPC contractor of the wind farm said: “We are pleased with the excellent progress made with the project thus far to the extent that we will be in a position to begin cold commissioning early in October 2013.”
The site has remained compliant with all environmental specifications and met targeted job creation goals for the project simultaneously benefiting and uplifting the local community.