Private wind farm to reduce emissions
WEIGHTY ENDEAVOUR With a combined weight of over 391 t divided into 216 loads, the transportation of the 24 wind turbines required 18 transport combinations, including the use of an 8x8 truck to pull components
Photo by Sarens
As the largest private facility of its kind built to date in South Africa, the Witberg Wind Farm – located between the Touws River and Laingsburg, in the Western Cape – will prevent the emission of about 420 792 t of CO2 a year, supplying renewable energy to over 122 500 homes in the region.
Heavy lifting engineered transport and crane rental services Sarens has contributed directly to the development of this strategic project for the South African energy sector.
On behalf of logistics provider Kuehne+Nagel, Sarens has been involved in the transport of components for the 24 wind turbines that will form part of the wind farm with a combined weight of over 391 t divided into 216 loads.
To achieve this, 18 transport combinations were used, as well as 36 private escort vehicles to transport the main components from the Saldanha Laydown Area, as well as the tower sections from tower and flange manufacturers GRI Renewable Industries’ tower factory in Atlantis.
As a result of the steep incline when entering the site, the Sarens engineering team had to consider the weight of the loads, making use of an 8x8 truck as an 8×6 truck with a ballast was insufficient.
Additionally, to facilitate the movement of the blades – which were each over 66 m long – the use of a Gyro Table, provided by the component manufacturer, was required.
The new wind farm, which will begin operations in the first quarter of 2026, will have 24 V 136-4.5 MW turbines manufactured by energy solutions provider Vestas, a nominal power of 108 MW and a contracted power of 103 MW.
Developed by mining and metals processing group Sibanye-Stillwater and operated by independent power producer Red Rocket Energy, this facility will have a significant impact on both direct and indirect job creation in the region, as well as on the reliability of the energy grid.
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