Khobab Wind Farm completes foundations on schedule

Khobab Wind Farm has announced that all 61 of its wind turbine foundations have been completed ahead of the schedule, on 5 December 2016.

The first foundation pour was finished on 30 June 2016 with employees from the local community. The foundations used extremely low quantities of Portland cement in the concrete formulation of its 19-m-diameter wind turbine foundations, making them the greenest in the country, alongside sister project, Loeriesfontein Wind Farm. 

These turbine foundations are utilising one of the world’s lowest quantities of Portland cement in the concrete formulation.  Slag, a by-product from the iron industry, is used to replace 89% of the cement, resulting in one of the world’s lowest carbon footprints for any wind farm foundation.

Situated in the Hantam Municipality, Northern Cape, Khobab Wind Farm employs the majority of its labour from the Loeriesfontein community, in support of local employment and upliftment.

The material excavated from the foundation bases was of a good quality and was subsequently re-used on site, specifically for the wind farm road construction and in the preparation of the turbine hard stands, situated adjacent to the foundations.

When operating at full capacity, the Khobab Wind Farm will generate approximately 563,500 MWh of clean renewable energy per year; this is expected to supply electricity to power up to 120 000 South African homes.

The majority of the 99m turbine towers are to be manufactured by GRI, in Atlantis, in the Western Cape. Civil and electrical works are to be completed by a consortium comprised of Murray and Roberts Construction and Consolidated Power Projects.

The Khobab Wind Farm is part of the South African Government’s Round 3 Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPP) is expected to be operational by December 2017.