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The milestone brings to a close a construction phase which, even with the disruption of the Covid lockdown earlier this year, took just 27 months to complete.
Developed and built by Mainstream for our Africa joint venture, Lekela Power, the 110 MW project will now be operated by Mainstream Asset Management South Africa for the next 20 years, under the government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme.
It will eventually be joined by 11 other BW4 wind farms – including its sister project, Kangnas – in adding total of 1.3 GW to the country’s clean energy generation capacity.
One notable achievement in Perdekraal East’s construction was the development of a domestic supply chain in line with Department of Energy requirements. In all, more than 48% of its content was manufactured in South Africa, including its 48 turbine towers, 500MVA mega transformer and other components previously only available as imports.
Perdekraal East Wind Farm will generate an estimate 368,800 MWh/year of clean electricity into the grid, enough to power more than 52,000 South African homes. Just as importantly, it will eliminate some 410,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions each year compared to traditional fossil fuel power plants, and consume almost no water in the generation process.
Local communities will also continue to benefit in terms from investment from the wind farm, with 2.8% of its revenue being committed to socio-economic development projects in the area, and 0.2% on enterprise development over the next 20 years.
Glenn Hobson, Construction Project Manager for Perdekraal Wind Farm, said “South Africa’s renewables story is truly inspirational. We are transitioning towards a renewable future, which facilitates multiple opportunities for growth and development, within areas and communities that for decades have lacked infrastructure, investment and sustainable employment opportunities.
“It’s also a chance to work towards solving one of the most pressing challenges of our time; reducing the use of fossil fuels and the associated reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.”
