Name and Location
Sere wind power project, Western Cape, South Africa.

Client
Eskom.

Project Description
The project will involve the development of a wind farm, with an initial capacity of 100 MW, at Sere, near Koekenaap, in the Western Cape. It will comprise 46 turbines of 2.3 MW each, which will be positioned over a 16 km² area. The area will accommodate a 200 MW facility in the future.

Eskom modelling expects that the project will be able to produce 225 000 MWh/y from 2014, of which 202 500 MWh will be fed into the national grid. The balance will be used in house.

The project will be connected to the grid through the Skaapvlei substation at a voltage of 132 kV and into the existing Juno–Koekenaap distribution line.

The project is being developed under Eskom’s Renewable Energy Investment Project, through which it is hoped that similar projects will be undertaken by the utility and other independent power producers throughout sub-Saharan Africa.

The initial phase of the project is forecast to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 4.7-million tons over the projected 20-year life of the plant.

Value
R2.4-billion.

The project has been funded by a group of development finance institutions, including the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Clean Technology Fund and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Duration
The project is expected to deliver first power to the national grid in the first half of 2014, with full commercial operation scheduled for the end of the year.

Latest Developments
The first wind turbine was erected at the Sere project on December 2, 2013.

To date, 27 of the turbine foundations have been cast and 7 of the 46 turbines have been erected.

Work on the buildings and the 132 kV distribution line is also advancing and Eskom expected to start with the stringing of the line in early March.

The two 80 MVA transformers for the wind farm were delivered in February this year and an Eskom team also witnessed the SCADA system factory acceptance tests in Denmark.

The team remains committed to meeting the current target dates and are confident that power will flow into the grid before the end of 2014.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
AfDB, World Bank, AFD, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank and the CTF (loan finance), Siemens (46 wind turbines) and Powertech (substation).

On Budget and on Time?
The construction of the Sere wind farm is expected to be completed by the end of 2013, but Eskom aspires to have the project completed much earlier than indicated.

Contact Details for Project Information
AFD South Africa, tel +27 11 540 7100, fax +27 11 540 7117 or email AFDJohannesburg@afd.fr.
AfDB, Kurt Lonsway, tel +216 7 110 3313 or email k.lonsway@afdb.org.
Eskom media desk, tel +27 11 800 3304/3309/3343/3378, fax +27 86 664 7699 or email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.
Eskom investor relations manager Khanyi Makhaya, tel +27 11 800 2277, fax +27 11 800 2043 or email investor.relations@eskom.co.za.
KfW project coordinator Stefanie Peters, tel +27 12 423 6357, fax +27 12 42 423 6360 or email kfw.pretoria@kfw.de.
Siemens energy sector Meike Wulfers, tel +49 40 2889 8702 or email
meike.wulfers@siemens.com.
Powertech communications manager Regula Niehus, tel +27 11 706 7184.