Construction process |
To facilitate the delivery of the turbines, access roads were constructed to each turbine location. In total 33,9 kilometres of road was constructed.
Each wind turbine foundation is 19m in diameter and made of concrete and steel and placed below ground level. Each base used over 60 truck loads of concrete.
The cables that bring the power from each wind turbine to the substation are buried underground.
All the cables meet at the substation where the electricity is transmitted onto transmission line.
The wind turbine towers for Noupoort Wind Farm travelled along the N1 from Atlantis near Cape Town, where they were manufactured, to the site.
The blades and nacelles came from overseas through the Port of Saldanha Bay and were then transported by road via the N7.
On delivery, the turbine parts were laid down alongside the respective foundations ready for lifting by crane.
It takes two cranes working together to build each turbine.
Once the turbine was built it was commissioned and tested and then put into operation.
Construction is now complete and the project will operate for 20 years.