Namibia moves toward wind energy

Erongo RED announced this week it has received four reconditioned wind turbines with a combined output of 2, 5 megawatt, to be installed in the desert east of Walvis Bay.

At peak capacity these wind tubines will produce 5% of the bulk electricity Erongo RED needs to buy from power utility Nampower.

The announcement was made on Monday by the newly appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors of Erongo RED, Coenraad Botha.

Botha represents the Walvis Bay Municipality which is the majority shareholder in Erongo RED. Each of the wind turbines has a capacity of 600 kilowatt and is currently still operational on Mount Crosin in the Swiss Alps.

Europe is steadily moving towards winter but in the spring of 2013 the four wind turbines earmarked for Erongo RED will be dismantled and reconditioned by Vestas, a leader in the design and manufacturing of wind turbines.

Once the reconditioning work is completed, the wind turbines will be shipped to Walvis Bay in the second half of next year. Up to this point the wind generators would not have cost Erongo RED any money, but once on Namibian soil all further cost is for the electricity distributor’s account. That includes transport and to set up the wind generators.

Erongo RED is already operating a wind generator at a site near the Mile 7 reservoir east of Walvis Bay. An environmental impact assessment has been conducted when this wind generator was established there some years ago. These four wind generators are most likely to be installed in the same area.

http://www.informante.web.na/