Proposed Merino Wind Farm which forms part of the Great Karoo Wind Energy Facility development near Richmond in the Northern Cape

Great Karoo Renewable Energy (Pty) Ltd is proposing the development of a commercial wind farm and associated infrastructure on a site located approximately 35km south-west of Richmond and 80km south-east of Victoria West, within the Ubuntu Local Municipality and the Pixley Ka Seme District Municipality in the Northern Cape Province.
A preferred project site with an extent of ~29 909ha and a development area of ~5 516ha within the project site has been identified by Great Karoo Renewable Energy (Pty) Ltd as a technically suitable area for the development of the Merino Wind Farm with a contracted capacity of up to 140MW that can accommodate up to 45 turbines. The development area consists of the three (3) affected properties, which include:
Portion 1 of Farm Rondavel 85
Portion 0 of Farm Rondavel 85
Portion 9 of Farm Bult & Rietfontein 96
Portion 0 of Farm Vogelstruisfontein 84
The Merino Wind Farm project site is proposed to accommodate the following infrastructure, which will enable the wind farm to supply a contracted capacity of up to 140MW:
Up to 45 wind turbines with a maximum hub height of up to 170m. The tip height of the turbines will be up to 250m.
Concrete turbine foundations to support the turbine hardstands.
Inverters and transformers.
Temporary laydown areas which will accommodate storage and assembly areas.
Cabling between the turbines, to be laid underground where practical.
A temporary concrete batching plant.
33/132kV onsite facility substation.
Underground cabling from the onsite substation to the 132kV collector substation.
Electrical and auxiliary equipment required at the collector substation that serves that wind energy facility, including switchyard/bay, control building, fences, etc.
Battery Energy Storage System (BESS).
Access roads and internal distribution roads.
Site offices and maintenance buildings, including workshop areas for maintenance and storage.
The wind farm is proposed in response to the identified objectives of the national and provincial government and local and district municipalities to develop renewable energy facilities for power generation purposes. It is the developer’s intention to bid the Merino Wind Farm under the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy’s (DMRE’s) Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement (REIPPP) Programme, with the aim of evacuating the generated power into the national grid. This will aid in the diversification and stabilisation of the country’s electricity supply, in line with the objectives of the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) with the Merino Wind Farm set to inject up to 140MW into the national grid.