Blades on their way to catch a breeze

KAROO NEWS - EDF Renewables and its consortium partners developing the Koruson 1 wind farm projects, wish to notify the public of the transport of turbine blades and other components in March, from Coega Port on the R75 and N10 to the three Koruson 1 wind farm sites currently under construction outside Middelburg and Noupoort.

Most of the turbine transportation will involve abnormal loads.

The components that will be transported to site will supply 26 turbines on each of the three windfarms in the area, totalling 237 blades for 78 turbines.

Each blade is 81,35m long, 3,8m high at rotor end and 5m at the widest point, with a weight of 28 tons.

Turbine blades being off-loaded at Coega Port

The blades will be transported in a convoy of three sets at a time. Each abnormal load convoy will be escorted by the traffic department in each town and in addition, there will be two escort vehicles travelling in front and two at the back to regulate traffic around the convoy.

The route to be followed is from Coega Port on the N10 to Cradock, past Middelburg, then on to the sites.

Other components (generator, nacelles and hubs) will be transported on the R75 past Motherwell, with a rest stop at Jansenville, then through Graaff-Reinet, and past Middelburg to the sites.

The Koruson 1 renewable energy project outside Middelburg on the border of the Eastern and Northern Cape provinces, comprises three wind farms, Phezukomoya, San Kraal and Coleskop, each with installed capacities of 140MW, totalling 420MW.

It is being developed by a consortium led by EDF Renewables, together with local BEE partners, H1 Holdings, GIBB-Crede and a local community trust, and is part of Round 5 of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Programme.

The low-carbon renewable electricity produced each year by the three wind farms will help to meet the electricity needs of approximately 193 000 South African households.

Advertiser correspondent Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren took this photo as she was driving behind a turbine blade in transit on the N9 on 7 March. Photo: Chriszanne Janse van Vuuren