Three new windfarms planned for the coast west of Thyspunt could help secure the rich biodiversity in the Kouga region.
Red Cap said on Monday the R6bn Impofu project could help build on the new private nature reserves initiative launched in St Francis last week.
Red Cap’s Kouga and Gibson Bay are two of five wind farms in the region – together with the Jeffreys Bay, Oyster Bay and Tsitsikamma Community wind farms – backing the initiative through the Greater Kromme Stewardship.
Via sponsorship from the wind farms, the stewardship has contracted Conservation Outcomes to facilitate declaration of the new Sand River and Kromensee nature reserves outside St Francis Bay.
The declaration emphasises the importance of formal protection of environmentally sensitive land and was done via a stewardship clause under the Protected Areas Act.
Red Cap CEO Mark Tanton said the intention was that Impofu would comprise three wind farms and involve 20 farmers. The project would link the existing Kouga Wind Farm at Thyspunt, between Cape St Francis and Oyster Bay, and Gibson Bay Wind Farm, which lies further west.
“The intention is that Impofu will generate 400MW generated by 100-120 turbines depending on the technology available by the time they go up,” Tanton said.
The hope was that the environmental assessment would be approved by the end of next year and if that happened and all other permits had been acquired, construction could begin at the end of 2019. Impofu would then be up and running by 2022.Red Cap was working again with Enel, the Rome-based green energy giant, he said.
“Red Cap owns and manages the development and Enel will ultimately own and operate the wind farms.
“The community involvement is subject to a current review by the department of energy. Ideally, we would like to maximise the community involvement.”
Asked if there was not a concern that another large wind farm in the area would damage local biodiversity, especially related to bird and bat populations, Tanton said a significant number of the turbines would be installed on transformed farmland.
The impact assessment would furthermore gauge these issues and possible mitigation measures, however.
“It will then weigh these up against the benefits of the wind farm.”
Benefits would include supply of renewable energy to the national grid with no financial risk to Eskom as it would be funded privately.
“There will be an economic boost to the area and nationally due to three roughly R2bn projects, and a related boost for downstream industries,” he said.
“There will also be a significant contribution to upliftment through funding of socioeconomic and enterprise development in the area.”
Tanton said one of the biggest benefits would be to the Greater Kromme Stewardship initiative, however.
“If Impofu were to go ahead, the increased funding it would bring to the stewardship group would ensure this great initiative would be able to achieve even greater results.”