Nordex Energy South Africa, the local subsidiary of German wind turbine manufacturer Nordex, is to add 830MW of wind energy generation capacity to its South African operations, it said on Tuesday.

The additional capacity represents a 75% increase to the company’s already installed 1GW of operational capacity and is expected to go online by mid-2025.

“We’re focused on adding valuable energy resources to the grid and supporting the broader shift towards sustainable energy,” said David Hortet, head of sales for Africa at Nordex Energy South Africa, in a statement. “Our increased commitment in South Africa demonstrates our confidence in the renewable energy sector.”

The additional capacity Nordex is developing is intended for private offtake via government’s independent power procurement programme. The programme encourages the signing of power-purchase agreements between private entities. The national transmission operator, currently Eskom, facilitates the delivery of the energy from source to destination under a wheeling framework regulated by local municipalities.

Nordex is the manufacturer with the largest installed wind energy capacity in South Africa. The EDF Renewables Korusun cluster of wind projects, which includes the Umsobomvu and Hartebeesthoek facilities, recently reached financial close. The projects, which have a total capacity of 295MW, make use of 50 Nordex 5.9MW turbines.

According to the company website, Nordex has about 50GW of installed wind capacity in 40 markets around the world, with its production network comprising plant for turbine assembly and rotor blade production in Germany, Spain, Brazil, India, Mexico and the US.

Local manufacturing

Hortet said the company anticipates growth in South Africa’s wind generation industry and has mobilised resources to localise parts of its manufacturing pipeline in the country. Concrete tower sections for its wind turbines will be built at a newly established manufacturing plant in Humansdorp, starting in June, with the facility to specialise in the construction of 120m-high towers.

According to Nordex South Africa head of people Zelrese Brair, the growth of South Africa’s wind energy sector has exposed a glaring skills gap in the industry, forcing the company to lean on its international counterparts in the Nordex stable to plug gaps.

Read: 10 biggest wind energy projects in South Africa

“To address the skills gap and meet market demands, we’ve introduced new generation technology that enhances unitary power and initiated an internship programme to build a pipeline of future technicians,” said Brair. – © 2024 NewsCentral Media