Italy’s Enel, through its renewables subsidiary, Enel Green Power RSA (EGP RSA), has started the construction of its 140 MW Nxuba wind farm, in the Amatole district, making it the group’s third wind project in the Eastern Cape province.
The construction of Nxuba, which is expected to be completed by September 2020, will involve an overall investment of more than €200-million.
“The start of construction of the Nxuba wind farm, which is the first out of the five projects awarded to the company in South Africa’s 2015 renewables tender to begin construction, . . . confirms [Enel’s] commitment to grow and strengthen its presence in the country,” EGP head Antonio Cammisecra said in a statement in February.
Once fully up and running, Nxuba is expected to generate over 460 GWh/y, avoiding the emission of about 500 000 t/y of carbon dioxide.
The wind farm will be supported by a 20-year power supply agreement with Eskom, as part of the fourth bid window of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), which awarded a total of five wind projects for 700 MW to the Enel Group in April 2015.
EGP RSA will employ innovative tools and practices to build Nxuba, such as advanced digital platforms and software solutions to monitor and remotely support site activities and plant commissioning, and digital tools to perform quality controls on site and smart tracking of wind turbine components.
The other projects awarded to EGP RSA in Round 4 of the REIPPPP tender are the 140 MW Oyster Bay wind farm, also in the Eastern Cape, as well as the 140 MW Garob, the 140 MW Karusa and the 140 MW Soetwater wind plants, all in the Northern Cape province.