FIRST TURBINE AT PERDEKRAAL EAST WIND FARM ERECTED

Perdekraal East Wind Farm this month celebrated the
erection of its first wind turbine – a pivotal point in the construction of the
project.

The milestone was also achieved by a predominantly
South African team.

“We are very proud that both specialist crane
operators are South Africans, an indication that our industry is maturing and
that skills are being effectively transferred,” says Perdekraal East Wind Farm
construction programme manager Christo
Loots.

“The first 100% local South African turbine lifting
team featured during the latter part of Khobab Wind Farm’s construction in
2017, whereas prior to that, we [had] to import this expert skill,” he
explained.

Local employment accounts for the majority of the
workforce at Perdekraal, with about 150 employees hailing from the local
communities of Ceres, Nduli, Bella Vista and Prince Alfred.

The turbine assembly takes about a day to complete,
assuming that the weather is favourable, with the front-runner crane installing
the first two tower sections, as well as the rotor assembly, which is referred
to as the pre-erection phase.

The construction of this Western Cape wind farm
project is on schedule and on budget.

The wind turbine stands 115 m tall to allow for
optimum energy production; however, when one of the blades stand vertically,
the turbine’s tip height is 168 m high.

The three 53.2 m blades, made from fibreglass
reinforced epoxy, are connected to the rotor at ground level before being
lifted to the top of the turbine tower.

The heaviest component is the nacelle, which
contains the generator and gearbox; and weighs 86 t.

The next major construction milestone will be the
arrival of the main transformer and the energisation of the substation.

The 110 MW Perdekraal wind farm spans 3 055 ha. https://www.engineeringnews.co.za/article/first-turbine-at-perdekraal-east-wind-farm-erected-2019-09-11