The 134 MW Amakhala Emoyeni wind farm
Photo by: Stefanie de Beer
Two Eastern Cape wind farms – the 134 MW Amakhala Emoyeni and the 95 MW Tsitsikamma Community wind facilities – were officially inaugurated this week. Both projects have been developed by Cennergi, the energy joint venture owned by Exxaro and Tata Power.
The Amakhala Emoyeni plant incorporates 56 Nordex wind turbines, while the Tsitsikamma Community wind farm comprises 31 Vestas turbines.
Both projects were selected during the second bid window of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, through which over 6 300 MW of capacity has been procured by the Department of Energy. The programme has also resulted in over R194-billion worth of investment into the South African electricity supply industry.
The Tsitsikamma Community wind farm is situated 30 km west of Humansdorp, next to the N2 motorway, with the Vestas turbines incorporating 58-m blades.
The Amakhala Emoyeni wind farm, meanwhile, incorporates N117/2400 turbines and is Nordex South Africa’s largest project in the country to date.