West Coast One
West Coast One is a 94MW operating wind farm located 130 km north of Cape Town, in the Western Cape of South Africa. The site was approved in 2012 as part of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) programme.
Conceived in 2007 in financial partnership with Investec, the project was sold to Investec Bank along with a portfolio of 14 projects in South Africa, later to be taken up by ENGIE (formerly GDF SUEZ, France), Investec Bank Limited and Tiso Resources Pty. Ltd.
Along with identifying the site using industry-leading technology, Seriti Green was responsible for implementing the wind monitoring strategy and undertaking modelling of the wind resource at the site.
Project construction began in 2013 with commercial operations starting in June 2015. The project is operated by Aurora Wind Power, a venture of ENGIE.
The construction of the West Coast One project created 600 jobs, 450 of them local. Equity is divided between ENGIE, Investec, and KTH, with 2.5% held by a Community Trust for the support and development of the local community.
Amakhala Emoyeni
Amakhala Emoyeni is a 134 MW operating wind farm located near the town of Bedford, in the Eastern Cape. The project is the first phase of the larger concept which includes Msenge Emoyeni and Iziduli Emoyeni.
The region was identified by Seriti Green in 2009 as an excellent area for wind development due to the high wind speeds and the proximity to high capacity transmission. Seriti Green then secured the land and began the development process.
The environmental authorisation was granted in 2011 for the greater region (including the Msenge Emoyeni and Iziduli phases Emoyeni). In the same year, Seriti Green partnered with Cennergi (a joint venture between Exxaro and Tata Power) and successfully bid the project into South Africa’s renewable energy program.
The project began commercial operations in 2016 and will have significant benefits for the local community. In addition to employing dozens of local contractors, part of the project is owned by two local community trusts that contribute to local economic development.
