Unanswered Questions regarding Coega Wind Farm - over 2 years ago

I READ with interest and some circumspection the recent reports on the proposed investment of R1,2-billion by Electrawinds (Belgium) for a wind farm to be established in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) (“Coega investment takes off on wind farm hopes”, The Herald, September 14).

A 57,5MW wind farm (25 turbines x 2,3MWs) at a height of 150m (to clarify, the mast height is 99m and the rotor blade diameter 101m) with the first turbine to be commissioned before the soccer World Cup 2010 in June next year – that’s just eight months away for a project so complex (even if it is just one turbine to start with!).

Some points to ponder and that possibly need answering:
As wind is the major contributing factor, not withstanding the many other factors in assessing the financial viability related to a wind farm, it is obviously essential these winds are recorded, usually for not less than a year and at heights between 50 and 100m. This essential task is done to establish the average meters per second readings. As I understand it Electrawinds’ process for wind measuring was begun last month, in August, and at what height?

The investor refers to previous environmental impact studies (EIAs) having been completed (for what?). They have only begun theirs recently and expect no problems – rather presumptuous for a study of this magnitude, that is public debate, visual impact, flight paths of migratory birds etc.

The turbines and masts are imported so local jobs and content is restricted to civil works and connecting turbines to the national electricity grid.
Who is the other signatory to the purchase power agreement (PPA) spanning 15 to 20 years – Eskom, NMBM or the CDC? As Eskom owns our national grid, the wheeling and first evacuation agreements (as wind energy cannot be stored) would obviously be with Eskom.

I am of the opinion this will be a very protracted process.
Most importantly South Africa has no legal framework for renewable energy and neither has it a fixed price (and until such time there is legislated policy, it will never be entirely feasible and attractive to the world’s major wind energy players). So it begs the question: who picks up the difference in the generated price, between the cost of our coal generated power and that of wind generated power which is substantially more (three to four times even with the new Eskom increases)?

Implementation of the clean development mechanism through carbon credit reductions could help reducing the cost per kilowatt hour (KWh), as would soft loans and grant funding, but there are conditions.

Between 2001 and 2004 Aciona Wind Power (Spain), the world’s largest renewable energy company, presented a 50MW wind farm pilot project and an industrial plan for the implementation of 1000MWs of wind energy to Eskom TSI, the Central Energy Fund, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Department of Mineral and Energy Affairs and the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (amongst others), but nothing came of it. They also installed wind measuring equipment at an acceptable height on the outskirts of Port Elizabeth and recorded these measurements for a year.

I am a great and enthusiastic proponent of renewable energy and wind energy in particular, and I certainly do not wish to be a prophet of doom, but we must be realistic and not accept everything at face value. – Steve de Beer, Port Elizabeth

Source – The Herald, 2009/09/23

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