Name and Location
Excelsior Wind Energy Facility.

Location
The project is located about 30 km south-west of Swellendam, in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Project Owner/s
BioTherm Energy, backed by emerging market investor Actis.

Project Description
The project has been selected as a preferred bidder in the fourth round of the Department of Energy’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP).

The project has a nameplate capacity of 32.5 MW and a contracted capacity of 31.9 MW. It comprises 13 turbines, each with a capacity of 2.5 MW and a hub height of 90 m.

Excelsior has a direct connection to the Vryheid substatio, through an on-site substation and a dedicated 132 kV power line, and will feed more than 132 GWh/y of renewable power into the national grid.

Potential Job Creation
The project provided jobs for about 380 workers, the majority of whom came from its surrounding beneficiary communities within the Overberg municipality.

These are the same communities that will benefit from economic development programmes through the 20-year operations period of the plant.

The focus of the economic development initiatives will include education, skills development and environmental stewardship. 

During the construction programme, a number of early spend programmes were implemented, focused on the provision of secondary school study guides across various subjects for Grades 8 to 12. 

Capital Expenditure
Not stated.

Planned Start/End Date
Construction started in 2018 and the project entered into operation in December 2020.

Latest Developments
Biotherm announced the official start of operations at its Excelsior Wind Energy Facility on December 23, 2020, marking the completion of its third independent power producer project in South Africa during 2020 as part of the REIPPPP.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
None stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
BioTherm, tel +27 11 367 4600.