RED Rocket, an independent power producer, received delivery of the first shipment of Vestas V150-4.5 MW turbine nacelles, hubs and blades in Saldanha. The company said it was a pivotal moment for the construction phase of its Brandvalley and Rietkloof wind farms.
In March this year, Vestas said that Red Rocket had placed a 373 MW order for the Brandvalley, Rietkloof and Wolf wind parks, to be located in Western Cape and Eastern Cape.
The company said that the contract includes the supply and installation of 64 V150-4.5 MW wind turbines, 12 V163-4.5 MW wind turbines and five V162-6.2 MW Enventus wind turbines. Vestas will service the wind parks through a 15-year Active Output Management 5000 (AOM 5000) agreement.
Vestas said that the order includes the first installations globally of the V163-4.5 MW wind turbine from Vestas’ 4 MW platform. Featuring an 18 percent increase in swept area, the V163-4.5 MW has a large rotor-size-to-rating ratio resulting in a higher capacity factor, enabling up to 10 percent higher Annual Energy Production at park level compared to the V150-4.5 MW depending on site-specific conditions. This increases power output at lower wind speeds significantly and improves predictability and stability in production, optimising the utilisation of the wind park as well as benefitting the energy grid.
Transnet Port Terminals, which received the enormous turbines at Saldanha, said that, with various wind farm installations expected in the Western Cape, the Saldanha Multi-Purpose Terminal (MPT) is proud to be playing a strategic role in discharging imported wind turbine components that will go towards constructing a total of 32 wind turbines.
In October, the terminal completed discharging the first consignment of wind turbine components as part of the REIPPP.
According to the managing executive at TPT’s Western Cape Terminals Andiswa Dlanga, “The strategic nature of the cargo not only brings new volumes and revenue to the Saldanha Multi-purpose Terminal but further highlights the business’ capability to handle an array of specialised commodities, facilitating diverse trade for South Africa. Transnet is also proud to be part of a project promoting the use of renewable energy source technologies by the public and private sectors that will ultimately contribute to a more sustainable South Africa”.
The next consignment is expected to arrive at Saldanha MPT in November 2023, with the anticipated project completion date being early next year.
