January 2019.

Perdekraal East Wind Farm announced the successful completion of its first foundation, which boasts a massive carbon footprint saving.

Perdekraal East Wind Farm poured the first of its foundations on 22 November 2018, followed by a 28-day strength test to ensure that the foundations achieved the required design strengths. The foundations are designed using a 70% replacement of cement, which signals a significant improvement in the concrete mix design for its turbine foundations.

“The carbon footprint of the concrete mix design has been reduced by 32.5% in CO2, which means a saving of approximately 1900tons of CO2,” explained Christo Loots, Construction Programme Manager for Perdekraal East Wind Farm.

A carbon footprint is defined by the total amount of greenhouse gases produced to directly and indirectly support human activities, expressed in equivalent tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

Perdekraal East Wind Farm is currently providing local employment to community members of Ceres, Nduli, Bella Vista and Prince Alfred Hamlet.

“Almost 70% of the workforce responsible for building the foundations come from these beneficiary communities,” said Glenn Hobson, Construction Project Manager for Perdekraal Wind Farm, who has confirmed that 8 of the 48 foundations are already complete.

This 110MW wind farm spans 3 055 hectares and will generate enough clean electricity to power up to 95 000 South African homes. In addition to zero carbon emissions and reduced use of fossil fuels, the country will benefit from almost zero water consumption that is required during the generation process of Perdekraal East Wind Farm.