The Impofu Wind Power Farms Complex (IWPFC), is a cluster of three wind power plants under construction in South Africa. The power stations together with the associated high-voltage substations and 120 kilometres (75 mi) of 132 kV overhead power lines are expected to generate 330 MW of power. The power is then expected to be transmitted to Secunda in Mpumalanga, where the French industrial group Air Liquide, will use the power in the largest oxygen-production plant in the world, that is located there. The power will be transmitted from the wind farms to the off-taker by Eskom, the national electricity utility company under a long-term "wheeling agreement".[1][2]
| Impofu Wind Power Farms Complex | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Location | Impofu, Kouga Sarah Baartman District Eastern Cape Province |
| Coordinates | 34°06′04″S 24°31′48″E / 34.10111°S 24.53000°E |
| Status | Under construction |
| Construction began | March 2024 |
| Commission date | 2026 Expected |
| Construction cost | ZAR:9 billion (US$480 million) |
| Owner | Enel Green Power |
| Operator | Enel Green Power |
| Wind farm | |
| Type | Onshore |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 57 x 5.8 MW = 330.6 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 3 x 110 MW = 330 MW |
Location
editThe three power stations, "Impofu East Wind Power Station", "Impofu West Wind Power Station" and "Impofu North Wind Power Station" are located in Impofu, in Kouga Municipality, Sarah Baartman District, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.[1][2]
Humansdorp, the nearest large town is located approximately 90 kilometres (56 mi), by road, west of Gqeberha, the nearest large city.[3] This is about 664 kilometres (413 mi), by road, east of Cape Town, the second largest city in South Africa.[4]
Overview
editThe power stations complex is owned and is under development by Enel Green Power, the 100 percent subsidiary of the Italian energy conglomerate Enel. The design calls for three adjacent wind farms, with a total of 57 wind turbines. Each turbine is rated at 5.8 MW. A total of eight high-voltage substations and approximately 120 kilometres (75 mi) of 132kV high voltage overhead transmission line will deliver the 330 MW of power generated here, to a location where it will enter the Eskom grid. The power stations occupy 12 pieces of land and the power line sits on 87 separate pieces of real estate, all leased from local farmers. In Secunda, the power supplied is expected to power the 16 "air separation units" (ASUs) operated by the French industrial group Air Liquide, to produce oxygen.[1][2]
Development
editRed Cap Energy (Pty) Limited (RCEPL), a South African renewable energy development company based in Cape Town, has been working on this project for at least 10 years before construction began. In 2017, RACEPL hired Zutari, a South African consulting engineering firm to carry out environmental impact assessments (EIAs) for the three Impofu wind farms, and for a 120 km-long 132 kV overhead high-voltage power line to Port Elizabeth.[5][6]
Construction costs
editThe construction budget is estimated at ZAR:9 billion (approx. US$480 million).[7]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c Jean Marie Takouleu (15 March 2024). "Wind power: Enel launches work on its Impofu wind farms (330 MW) in South Africa". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ a b c "Impofu Wind Farms: SA's largest private renewable energy plant gets green light". News24 South Africa. Johannesburg, South Africa. 29 February 2024. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Road Distance Between Humansdorp, South Africa And Gqeberha, South Africa" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ "Road Distance Between Humansdorp, South Africa And Cape Town, South Africa" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Zutari (203). "Impofu Wind Farms, Eastern Cape, South Africa". Zutari.com. Pretoria, South Africa. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Dominic Naidoo (29 February 2024). "South Africa's largest private renewable energy plant set to begin construction in Eastern Cape". Independent Online. Cape Town, South Africa. Retrieved 18 March 2024.
- ^ Hanno Labuschagne (27 February 2024). "South Africa's biggest private power plant — R9-billion investment a decade in the making". MyBroadBand.co.za. Pretoria, South Africa. Retrieved 18 March 2024.