The land has been cleared and the site prepped as a revolutionary new development begins to take shape in the Kouga municipality with the construction of a new wind turbine concrete tower factory.
Earlier in 2024, Nordex Energy SA announced plans to locally manufacture concrete wind turbine tower sections in Humansdorp, with the creation of about 200 jobs during construction and about 350 jobs once manufacturing begins.
Little more than four months later and the factory, spanning just under 10ha, is scheduled for completion by September 2024.
The installation of the first turbines is scheduled for the second half of 2024, with energy delivery to the grid expected in the second half of 2025.
The manufacturing facility will be situated in the town and be responsible for producing 120m-high towers for three wind farms with an installed capacity of 336MW.
Nordex Energy SA head of sales for Africa, David Moncasi Hortet, said the greenfield project solidified the region’s position as one of the country’s most prominent wind power zones on the renewable energy map — boasting a total of 13 wind farms.
“The construction of the plant is stimulating the local economy and fostering growth in the local supply chain through increased demand for raw materials and related goods and services, which is benefiting local businesses and suppliers,” Hortet said.
“We believe the new production hub may enhance our competitiveness in future bidding processes, while also demonstrating the versatility and proven technology of our in-house concrete towers.”
Nordex Energy SA boasts a total installed capacity of more than 1GW, making it the market leader with 32% market share on the total installed wind capacity in SA.
After its initial investment in the Eastern Cape in 2013, Nordex Energy SA now boasts a significant footprint in the province, including a warehouse in Gqeberha and 573MW of installed capacity across five wind power plants.
A constraint that was identified and has since been addressed is the transport of large components from the Port of Ngqura to wind farms in the Eastern Cape and other areas of the country.
The province is host to a pipeline of thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy projects at the environmental impact assessment phase or having already received environmental authorisation.
Nordex Energy SA has five of its nine wind farms in the region.
The Nordex Group focuses on development, manufacturing, project management and servicing of onshore wind turbines and this has been the core competence for the group and its more than 10,000 employees worldwide for 35 years.
HeraldLIVE
Wind turbine factory in Kouga nearing completion
Image: SUPPLIED
The land has been cleared and the site prepped as a revolutionary new development begins to take shape in the Kouga municipality with the construction of a new wind turbine concrete tower factory.
Earlier in 2024, Nordex Energy SA announced plans to locally manufacture concrete wind turbine tower sections in Humansdorp, with the creation of about 200 jobs during construction and about 350 jobs once manufacturing begins.
Little more than four months later and the factory, spanning just under 10ha, is scheduled for completion by September 2024.
The installation of the first turbines is scheduled for the second half of 2024, with energy delivery to the grid expected in the second half of 2025.
The manufacturing facility will be situated in the town and be responsible for producing 120m-high towers for three wind farms with an installed capacity of 336MW.
Nordex Energy SA head of sales for Africa, David Moncasi Hortet, said the greenfield project solidified the region’s position as one of the country’s most prominent wind power zones on the renewable energy map — boasting a total of 13 wind farms.
“The construction of the plant is stimulating the local economy and fostering growth in the local supply chain through increased demand for raw materials and related goods and services, which is benefiting local businesses and suppliers,” Hortet said.
“We believe the new production hub may enhance our competitiveness in future bidding processes, while also demonstrating the versatility and proven technology of our in-house concrete towers.”
Nordex Energy SA boasts a total installed capacity of more than 1GW, making it the market leader with 32% market share on the total installed wind capacity in SA.
After its initial investment in the Eastern Cape in 2013, Nordex Energy SA now boasts a significant footprint in the province, including a warehouse in Gqeberha and 573MW of installed capacity across five wind power plants.
A constraint that was identified and has since been addressed is the transport of large components from the Port of Ngqura to wind farms in the Eastern Cape and other areas of the country.
The province is host to a pipeline of thousands of megawatts of new renewable energy projects at the environmental impact assessment phase or having already received environmental authorisation.
Nordex Energy SA has five of its nine wind farms in the region.
The Nordex Group focuses on development, manufacturing, project management and servicing of onshore wind turbines and this has been the core competence for the group and its more than 10,000 employees worldwide for 35 years.
HeraldLIVE
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