A 150-turbine wind farm capable of generating 300MW of electricity is planned for near Caledon, in the Western Cape.

The Caledon Wind Farm would span 15 farms covering an area of 3500 hectares within the Theewaterskloof Muncipality approximately 16km west of Caledon and 7km east of Botrivier.

Each turbine will be able to generate between 2 and 3.6 MW, stand 80 metres tall to the hub and have a 40m blade. Additional infrastructure required will include powerlines, access roads and a new electricity substation...

The project is being developed by Caledon Wind, a joint venture between Swiss wind energy development firm, Genesys Wind, and Thuthuka Group Limited, a multi-disciplinary engineering firm involved in projects across Africa.

Arcus Gibb have been appointed as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) consultants and public meetings about the project were held earlier this week. According to the documentation supplied by the consultants there would be many benefits associated with establishing a wind farm in the area.

Wind energy is renewable, clean and non-polluting as it does not produce any atmospheric contaminants or thermal pollution that could be harmful to the environment. Energy can be generated during the day and at night and is well suited to rural areas where it has the potential to create jobs. It has a reduced impact on agriculture compared with other electricity generating options.

Wind energy does not require additional “input” materials such as coal and water. Fossil-fuel based electricity production uses 1.19 litres per kilowatt-hour generated.

Localised production of energy reduces transmission line losses associated with transmitting electricity over long distances. Approximately 70% of the Western Cape’s electricity is imported from Mpumalanga via transmission lines. Energy losses on long distance power transmission adds around 6 to 8% to the cost of electricity and some 25% to the delivery costs of electricity.

Wind farms improve energy security for South Africa and the Western Cape, reducing dependency on imported fossil fuels.

There are also potential negative impacts of wind power generation and the EIA will determine the extent, if any, of these.

Wind farms are highly visible and may also reflect light. The rotating blades create a "whooshing" sound. Birds or bats may be injured or die if they collide with the rotor blades. Habitats may be impacted by the increase in hard, unnatural surfaces and wind farms can be an obstacle to air traffic if sited near airports or on flight routes.

The consultants will conduct a baseline geotechnical study, fauna, flora, avifauna, heritage, noise, agricultural and social impact assessments, amongst others, to gauge potential impacts.

If the project is approved, the first phase of 50MW will take about a year to build, and the remaining 250MW a further three years. The wind farm’s lifespan will be at least 20 years.

As part of the environmental studies, all "Interested and Affected Parties" (IAP's) are invited to become actively involved through a public participation process.

Phone 021 469 9100 or e-mail jdejager@gibb.co.za for further details.

This article first appeared on www.capetowngreenmap.co.za