Natural gas distribution company Enel, through its
renewable energy subsidiary Enel Green Power, has started construction on its
Karusa and Soetwater wind farms, in the Northern Cape.
The plants, each with an installed capacity of 140
MW, are expected to be completed by the end of 2021 at a cost of over
€200-million each.
Enel Green Power CEO Antonio Cammisecra says the company is building five wind
projects in South Africa, for a total installed capacity of around 700 MW,
which is “further evidence of [the company’s] ability to supply emission-free
energy to . . . support its transition towards renewables”.
He says the pipeline of projects under construction
is in addition to the portfolio of wind and solar assets that Enel Green Power
has already commissioned owing to the commitment with which it had worked in
South Africa since the start of development activities in 2011.
“We are showing the same determination when it
comes to innovation and sustainability, as all of our plants are being built
through state-of-the-art technology and sustainable construction practices,
while creating local employment and income opportunities,” Cammisecra comments.
Karusa and Soetwater are the fourth and fifth wind
projects Enel Green Power has started building in South Africa this year, in
line with its investment programme in the country.
The other projects, with an installed capacity of
140 MW each, are Nxuba and Oyster Bay, in the Northern Cape, and Garob, in the
Eastern Cape.
All five projects were awarded to Enel in Round 4
of the South African government’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer
Procurement Programme.
The wind farms will be supported by 20-year power
supply agreements with South African State-owned energy utility Eskom.
During the construction phase of Karusa and
Soetwater, the tools and practices Enel Green Power expects to use include
advanced digital platforms and software solutions to monitor and remotely
support all site activities and plant commissioning, digital tools to perform on-site
quality controls and smart tracking of wind turbine components.
These are aimed at enabling swifter, more accurate
and reliable data collection, improving the quality of construction and
facilitating communication between on-site and off-site teams.
Enel Green Power will also continue to employ local staff, as well as hire local contractors, in the construction process, with the aim to promote meaningful socioeconomic and enterprise development. http://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/enel-green-power-starts-construction-on-karusa-soetwater-wind-farms-2019-11-05/rep_id:4136
