State power utility Eskom could start building a 100-MW wind power plant, on the West Coast of South Africa, as early as mid-2008, to be operational by
the beginning of 2010, a company spokesperson said on Wednesday.
Eskom communications project manager for new build Annamarie Murray said that the firm was expecting a record of decision from the Department of
Environmental Affairs and Tourism by the middle of next year, after which
construction on the plant, to be built opposite Koekenaap, would start.
The 100-MW plant would have the scope to be enlarged, but she said that Eskom was more likely to first investigate other sites. Resources and strategy GM Greg Tosen said that Eskom believed South Africa had a resource base of 1 000 MW for wind-power generation along the country’s coastal regions.
It is already operating a much smaller plant than the planned 100-MW
operation, but Tosen said that the new one would serve as a pilot project for
future projects on the same scale. Eskom had already built three wind turbines at an experimental wind energy farm at Klipheuwel, on the West Coast near Cape Town. In July, Eskom called for expressions of interest from wind turbine makers with experience in the design, construction, commissioning and maintenance support of mainstream turbines.