EDF Energies Nouvelles commissions its first wind power plant in South Africa with Vestas wind turbines

EDF Energies Nouvelles is announcing the commissioning of the Grassridge wind farm in South Africa by InnoWind, its local subsidiary.

This wind farm, which has an installed capacity of over 60 MW, is the first of the group to be developed, built and operated on the African continent.

Located in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province, the 61.5 MW Grassridge wind farm consists of 20 Vestas V112 wind turbines, each with a unit capacity of 3.075 MW. The Grassridge wind farm is the first of the three projects awarded to EDF Energies Nouvelles in 2012 under the competitive tender for renewable energies projects held by the South African government. The electricity generated at the Grassridge facility is bought by the grid operator under a 20-year power purchase agreement. In line with the tender specifications, a portion of the revenue from the sale of electricity is to be used to promote enterprise and the local economy. The Grassridge wind farm is thus 40%-owned by local partners and 60%-owned by InnoWind (an 80%-held subsidiary of EDF Energies Nouvelles).

Antoine Cahuzac, Chief Executive Officer of EDF Energies Nouvelles, commented: “The commissioning of EDF Energies Nouvelles’ first wind farm in South Africa, a country that has been pursuing a major drive to promote renewable energies since 2011, represents an important milestone in the company’s international expansion. Our South African affiliate’s cooperation with local partners demonstrates our desire to build solid roots and champion local development.”

EDF Energies Nouvelles is a market leader in green electricity production, with a portfolio of 7,190 MW of gross installed capacity focused for the most part on wind (onshore and offshore) and solar photovoltaic energy. Mostly operating in Europe and North America, EDF Energies Nouvelles continues its development in promising emerging areas taking position in new countries (Israel, Morocco, South Africa and India). The Company is also present in other segments of the renewable energy market: marine energy, biogas, biomass and distributed energies. EDF Energies Nouvelles manages renewable energy projects’ development and construction as well as operation and maintenance for its own account and for third parties. EDF Energies Nouvelles is a subsidiary of the EDF Group dedicated to renewable energy.

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