Facility , located near Noupoort on the boundary of the Eastern Cape and Northern Cape provinces , encountered these challenges during the initial stages of construction , but Concor ’ s experience in wind farm construction mitigated any risks .

Constructing wind energy facilities on mountains presents unique challenges , particularly in terms of accessing the construction sites . Concor , in partnership with Murray & Roberts OptiPower , forms part of the consortium responsible for the Phezukomoya Wind Energy Facility . The consortium was awarded contracts to construct the Koruson Main Transmission Station , as well as two of the three wind farms within the Koruson One development . EDF Renewables ( South Africa ) and its partners H1 Capital and Gibb Crede is developing Koruson One which was awarded in the Renewable Independent Power Producer Programme ( REIPPP ) Bid Window 5 .

The primary challenge encountered by Concor , who are responsible for the civil balance of plant on this project ,

The construction of access roads through difficult terrain formed an integral

A major differentiator is the use of hollow foundations .

was establishing access routes to the mountaintops where the wind turbine foundations and hardstands are being constructed .

Marritus Bezuidenhout , Project Manager at Concor , says establishing access was not straightforward , as the rocky and difficult terrain required extensive blasting and clearing work before access routes could be constructed to reach the foundation positions .

To date , Concor has successfully delivered the civil balance of plant on more than ten wind farms in the Western , Eastern and Northern Cape regions , and Bezuidenhout says this experience played a significant role in optimising the construction activities on the Phezukomoya project facilitating preliminary access to some foundation positions while the construction of access

part of the project . temperatures often falling below 5 ° C , the casting of readymix concrete needs to be carefully managed . To mitigate this issue , heat pumps are used at the batch plant while strict scheduling and control of concrete casting is implemented . Thermal blankets are also used during the curing process .

In addition to addressing construction challenges , Concor prioritised community engagement and skills development . A significant portion of the project ' s staff is comprised of local community members who receive training and onsite experiential work . The company collaborates with local SMMEs ( Small , Medium and Micro Enterprises ), subcontracting services such as steel fixing , temporary ablution facilities , security and transportation to the local taxi association .

roadways continues .

One notable aspect of the Phezukomoya Wind Energy project is the use of hollow foundations , a first for a wind farm in South Africa . Hollow foundations offer several advantages , including a reduced carbon footprint due to the use of less readymix concrete . The hollow design also allows for the inclusion of ducts and facilitates post-tensioning of cables for the tower , and installation of the power cables to the electrical reticulation network .

“ However ,” Bezuidenhout says , “ constructing hollow foundations is more labour intensive , requiring additional formwork as well as more steel reinforcing . It also requires precision work by the steel fixing teams to ensure the stringent tolerances are met .”

Winter temperatures pose another

Supplied by Concor

CLA

Final cleaning underway on a foundation .

challenge for the construction team . With

Ready for blinding to be done .

Installation of the foundation template .