Danish wind turbine company Vestas has received an order from a consortium led by French renewable energy corporation EDF EN’s subsidiary InnoWind for three wind power plants worth 105 megawatts in South Africa.
Under the agreement, Vestas will supply, install, and commission 35 wind turbines for the three wind projects. Additionally, the Danish company will provide their Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system, which monitors and controls a wind power plant, a full scope civil and electrical works, and a 10-year full-scope service agreement for all three wind projects.
The three wind projects, which will be installed in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa, are: Chaba with 21 MW, using 7 wind turbines; Waainek with 24 MW, using 8 wind turbines; and Grassridge with 60 MW, using a total of 20 wind turbines. The wind turbines for the projects are planned to be delivered at the start of mid-2014, while commissioning is expected to start in the third quarter of 2014.
“We have a very strong and long-term commitment to South Africa which has a great potential and framework for wind power development. Based on our long-standing relationship with Vestas we are extremely confident that the projects will be successfully commissioned,” said Vice President Industry of EDG EN Group Jean-Philippe Salome.
“InnoWind is one of the key players in the wind energy sector in South Africa and forms an elementary part of our continuous efforts to meet our customers’ needs with efficient wind energy solutions,” said Phylip Leferin, country manager/vice president of sales,Vestas Southern Africa.
The three wind projects are in line with South Africa current goal of reaching 1,800 MW of wind energy capacity by 2015. Combined, the three plants will produce more than 375 GWh annually, enough green energy to cover the demand for electricity of more than 240,000 South African households.
