New wind turbine parks to add 373MW to SA’s national grid

South Africa will soon harness the wind. It will achieve this as local energy producer, Red Rocket, embarks on a mission to build three new wind turbine parks in the Western and Eastern Cape.

According to reports, the undertaking will be done in conjunction with renewables firm Vestas, which is based in the Netherlands.

Vestas reportedly said that the implementation of V163-4.5MW turbines at the wind farms in South Africa will be one of the initial occurrences on a global level.

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Red Rocket recently disclosed that it has made an order for three wind turbine parks, which will be constructed in the provinces of Western Cape and Eastern Cape. The parks are Brandvalley, Rietkloof, and Wolf. The new wind turbines are expected to be operational by 2024.

The independent energy supplier has said that the securing of the wind turbine parks will add approximately 373MW of energy to the country’s national grid.

Reduction of bureaucratic obstacles

The company explained that it was able to embark on such a mission now that the government has been working to reduce bureaucratic obstacles for independent power producers to participate in the national power grid.

Government recently introduced its Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme  (REIPPP) which is aimed at bringing additional megawatts onto the country’s electricity system through private sector investment in wind, biomass and small hydro, among others.

According to a government statement, the Eastern Cape’s renewable energy projects have collectively created 18 132 jobs since its inception. The province was awarded 16 wind farms and one solar energy farm, with a total investment value of R33.7 billion.

Meanwhile, the country is currently experiencing stage 3 and 4 loadshedding, but energy monitoring app, EskomsePush, has indicated that rapid changes to the schedule can be expected.

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Load shedding has been a significant inconvenience for the people of South Africa as the frequent and unannounced power cuts cause disruptions to daily life, such as interrupted work, school closures, and halted production in businesses.