Kangnas Wind Power Station

The Kangnas Wind Power Station is an operational 140 MW (190,000 hp) wind power plant in South Africa. The power station was developed and is owned by a consortium of international IPPs and financiers. Commercial operations started in November 2020. The energy generated at this wind farm is sold to the South African national electricity utility company Eskom, under a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA).^[1][2]

Location

The power station is located in Nama Khoi, in Namakwa District, in Northern Cape Province, approximately 52 kilometres (32 mi), east of the town of Springbok, the administrative capital of both Nama Khoi and Namakwa District.^[3] Springbok is located about 775 kilometres (482 mi), by road, west of Kimberley, the capital city of Northern Cape Province.^[4]

Overview

The power station was built, funded and is operated by a consortium referred to as the Lekela Power Consortium, as part of the South African government's Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Program (REIPPP). This wind farm, together with four other operational wind power stations in South Africa, comprise a source of 600 megawatts of clean renewable energy owned and operated by the Lekela Consortium.^[3]

The power station is made of 61 wind turbines of the Siemens SWT-2.3-108 variety, each rated at 2.3 megawatts for total capacity of 140.3 MW. Each turbine consists of three rotors, reach measuring 108 metres (354 ft), mounted on a metal pole measuring 115 metres (377 ft), in height.^[3]

All the turbines are connected centrally to an onsite electric substation, by an array of medium voltage wires. At the onsite substation, the energy is stepped up to "high voltage" and evacuated to enter the Eskom national grid. In addition to the electric infrastructure, a network of roads has been developed within the wind farm. Also, a series of "crane hardstands" have been constructed to facilitate future maintenance of the wind turbines and related equipment.^[3]

Developers

The table below illustrates the ownership of Lekela Power Consortium.^[1]

Construction and timeframe

The Spanish-German conglomerate, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy S.A., handled the engineering, procurement and construction contract for this wind farm. Construction began in 2018 and concluded in late 2020.^[1]

Other considerations

It is calculated that the wind farm adds 513.2GWh to the South African national grid every year. This power is sufficient to supply an estimated 154,625 South African homes. At the peak of construction an estimated 550 people were employed at the site. The Kangnas Renewable Energy Community Trust, was established at financial close, and was gifted 15 percent shareholding in the power station.^[1][2][3]

See also

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Jean Marie Takouleu (18 November 2020). "South Africa: Lekela adds 140 MW to the grid from Kangnas wind farm". Afrik21.africa. Paris, France. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Mainstream Renewable Power (November 2020). "Kangnas Wind Farm". Mainstreamrp.com. Republic of Ireland. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Lekela (December 2020). "South Africa, Kangnas". Lekela.com. London, United Kingdom. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
4. ^ Google (23 September 2021). "Road Distance Between Kimberly, South Arica And Springbok, South Africa" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved 23 September 2021.
5. ^ Absa Group Limited (6 August 2021). "African Rainbow And Absa Launch A Renewable Energy Investment Platform". Absa Group Limited. Johannesburg, South Africa. Retrieved 23 September 2021.

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