Construction works on the Perdekraal East Wind Farm, in the Western Cape South Africa has been completed ahead of schedule and within the budget.
The 110 MW wind farm will comprise of 48 wind turbines each 115 m high. Spanning 3 055 ha, the location of the Western Cape’s largest Bid Window 4 wind farm was chosen because of its excellent wind resource and its proximity to national roads for wind turbine transportation. The site also offers favorable construction conditions, municipality and local stakeholder support, a suitable connection to the national grid.
Perdekraal East wind farm
The plant was scheduled for completion in late 2020 and is expected to generate 68.8 GWh/y, this is estimated to power up to 95 000 houses. According to construction project manager Glenn Hobson, around 70% of the workforce responsible for building the foundations came from these beneficiary communities.
The foundation design used a 70% replacement of cement, signalling a significant improvement in the concrete mix, having a 32.5% reduced carbon footprint. Additionally, all material excavated from the foundations had been reused on the site, either as fill on roads or in preparation for the hard stands, situated adjacent to the foundations.
Each turbine base has a diameter of 19 m and comprises over 45 t of reinforced steel and 369 m3 of 30 MPa concrete; while the plinth requires 23 m3 of 60 MPa concrete. This is equivalent to a total of 65 full concrete trucks per foundation.
This mega project will have great impact not only on the national grid but also on the economies of surrounding communities in the Western Cape’s Witzenberg local municipality. Independent utility-scale wind and solar power plant developer Mainstream Asset Management South Africa will be responsible for managing its operation.