Proposed Development of the ABO Ujekamanzi Main Transmission Substation and Loop-In-Loop-Out Powerline 1 near Amersfoort in the Mpumalanga Province

ABO Wind renewable energies (Pty) Ltd (The Applicant) is proposing to construct the ABO Ujekamanzi
Main Transmission Substation (MTS) and Loop-In-Loop-Out (LILO) Powerline 1 and associated
infrastructure approximately 20 km north-east of Amersfoort in the Dr Pixley Ka Isaka Seme Local
Municipality, in Mpumalanga (Figure 1) (DARDLEA Reference Number: 1/3/1/16/1G-292). The overall
objective of the proposed development is to feed electricity generated by the ABO Ujekamanzi Wind
Energy Facilities (WEFs) (separate EIA applications) into the national grid. The MTS and LILO will be
located within the WEF site boundary.
SiVEST Environmental Division has subsequently been appointed as the independent Environmental
Assessment Practitioner (EAP) to undertake the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for
the proposed construction and operation of the ABO Ujekamanzi MTS and LILO 1. The proposed
development requires an Environmental Authorisation (EA) from the Provincial Department of
Agriculture, Rural Development and Environmental Affairs (DARDLEA). The EIA for the proposed
development will be conducted in terms of the EIA Regulations, 2014 (as amended) promulgated in
terms of Chapter 5 of the NEMA. In terms of these regulations, a full EIA process is required for the
proposed development. All relevant legislation and guidelines will be consulted during the EIA process
and will be complied with at all times.
One additional MTS and LILO is concurrently being considered on the adjacent properties and are
assessed by way of a separate impact assessment process in terms of the 2014 Environmental Impact
Assessment Regulations (GN No. R982, as amended) for listed activities contained within Listing
Notices 1, 2 and 3 (GN R983, R984 and R985, as amended). This project is known as the ABO
Ujekamanzi MTS AND LILO 2 (DARDLEA Reference Number: 1/3/1/16/1G-293).
The WEF developments are also being proposed by the developer, namely ABO Ujekamanzi Wind
Energy Facility 1 (Pty) Ltd and ABO Ujekamanzi Wind Energy Facility 2 (Pty) Ltd and includes the
proposed construction of a Wind Energy Facility with a total generation capacity of 650MWac per WEF,
which will be assessed in separate EIA’s to be submitted to the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and
Environment (DFFE) (DFFE Reference Numbers: 14-12-16-3-3-2-2356/14-12-16-3-3-2-2357).
The overall objective of the proposed ABO Ujekamanzi WEF projects (which includes the 2 WEFs, Main
Transmission Substation, LILO Power Line and associated infrastructure) is to generate electricity by
means of renewable energy technologies, capturing wind energy to feed into the national grid, which
will be procured under either the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement
Province(s): Mpumalanga