French power utility EDF Group’s international renewables unit, EDF Power Solutions, has started commercial operation at the Koruson 1 wind project, supported by a privately constructed main transmission substation connecting the new capacity to South Africa’s national grid.
The project, between Noupoort and Middelburg on the border of Northern Cape and Eastern Cape, comprises three wind farms with 78 turbines. It was awarded under the fifth round of the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP) in 2021 and operates under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
The Koruson 1 cluster has a total installed capacity of 420MW, enough to supply the equivalent electricity needs of about 579,000 households annually.
Construction in the remote, high-altitude area required more than 100km of access roads and long-distance transport of turbine components. At peak construction, more than 4,000 workers were on site. The company said local manufacturing contributed about 40% of the project’s value, including concrete turbine towers produced near the construction location.
The main transmission substation, part of the project, is built to accommodate up to 1.5GW of generation capacity, allowing future renewable projects in the region to connect to the grid.
EDF is among the seven consortiums prequalified by the government under the first phase of South Africa’s independent transmission projects programme, giving it the opportunity to develop private high-voltage lines to support additional renewable capacity.
Koruson 1 follows several utility-scale renewable projects that have reached commercial operation under the REIPPPP, including the 273MW Grootfontein solar plant in the Western Cape, developed by Norwegian company Scatec ASA with local partners. Other Round 5 projects in the Northern Cape and Western Cape have also started supplying power to the grid.
Looking ahead, the department of electricity and energy has awarded more than 1.2GW of solar capacity under Bid Window 7. These projects are still in development and are expected to come online in the coming years. South Africa’s renewable procurement programme has delivered more than 9GW of capacity since inception.
It has added a significant amount of utility-scale wind and solar capacity. A key challenge for the country’s renewable sector is that much of the wind and solar resource is located far from existing transmission lines, requiring additional infrastructure to bring new projects online.
The government is advancing plans under the independent transmission projects programme to expand high-voltage lines, though detailed procurement outcomes have not yet been announced.
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