Irish to build wind farm in SA

Johannesburg - A wind-energy project that can generate about 30MW of power is being planned for Jeffrey's Bay.

It is hoped that the R22.2m project will be in full operation by the end of 2011, said Torben Andersen, chief development officer of Mainstream Renewable Energy, at a media conference on Thursday in Melrose, Johannesburg.

The Irish wind-energy company is tackling this project in a joint venture with Genesis Eco-Energy of South Africa. This forms part of a broader cooperative agreement for the building of equipment to generate at least 500MW of wind power in South Africa by 2014, which was signed on Thursday.

This represents an investment of R11bn.

A list of 30 or more potentially suitable sites will be identified in the Northern, Eastern and Western Cape. Ten to 15 of these possible projects will ultimately be built, explained Andersen.

Among other sites already identified are St Helena Bay and Lambert's Bay on the West Coast.

Genesis Eco-Energy operations director Davin Chown said the National Energy Regulator's decision on tariffs for importing power into the national grid would determine how quickly a second project could follow that at Jeffrey's Bay.

According to a media statement the next wind farm will be established in the vicinity of Colesberg. Nersa's decision on import tariffs for renewable energy is expected by the end of this month.

Mainstream and Genesis Eco-Energy are planing to borrow about 80% of the capital for the Jeffrey's Bay project from South African banks, and Mainstream would provide 20% as equity capital.

- Sake24.com

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