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BioTherm Energy has started commercial operation of the Golden Valley wind farm in the Eastern Cape.
- The facility comprises 48 turbines supplied by Chinese OEM Goldwind.
- The facility is capable of generating about 477 GWh annually, enough to supply electricity to 120,000 households.
BioTherm Energy has commenced operation of the Golden Valley wind farm in the Eastern Cape. The wind farm started commercial operation on the 1st of May 2021. The wind farm occupies 9,000 hectares of agricultural land in the Sarah Baartman District of the Eastern Cape Province.
The facility comprises 48 turbines supplied by Chinese OEM Goldwind. ESKOM has signed a 20-year power purchase agreement (PPA) with the project developer for the energy generated by the farm. The energy generated is being evacuated through the on-site substation and a 132 kV power line connected to Eskom’s Kopleegte substation. BioTherm Energy, which is majority-owned by UK investment company Actis, developed the project in partnership with Thebe Investment Corporation (TIC). TIC owns 37.5% of the Golden Valley wind farm. The facility can generate about 477 GWh annually, enough to supply electricity to 120,000 households.
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Together with its partner TIC, BioThern Energy has also commissioned a 33 MW wind project – the Excelsior wind farm in the Western Cape. BioTherm Energy also owns two solar PV plants in the Northern Cape – 46 MW Aggeneys plant and the 86 MW Konkoonsies II plant. These four plants supply about 284 MW into the country’s power grid.