The Zen and Berg River wind farms in the Western Cape have entered construction phase with commissioning scheduled for mid-2027. The farms are expected to generate approximately 580 GWh of renewable electricity annually once operational, supporting corporate and industrial (C&I) customers through an energy trading platform.
Nordex Energy South Africa (NESA) confirmed that Zen (100 MW) and Berg River (94 MW), located between Gouda and Saron, have a combined capacity of 194 MW and will be owned by ACCIONA Energía. ACCIONA holds 51% of the projects while the remaining 49% is held by a joint venture between renewable energy development companies H1 Capital and Chariot Limited.
NESA will be supplying 33 wind turbines for the projects and assume operations and maintenance after commissioning while ACCIONA Energía will lead the build-out.
“This milestone highlights the growing role of private renewable energy procurement in South Africa’s evolving energy landscape and the importance of decarbonised power solutions across the economy,” said Robert Timmers, MD of NESA.
Trading partner Etana Energy will offtake all electricity generated by the Zen and Berg River wind farms under a 20-year power purchase agreement. Renewable power will be supplied to a range of C&I customers including Growthpoint, the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, Tharisa Minerals, Petra Diamonds and Autocast.
Once operational, electricity generated by both wind farms is expected to displace approximately 600 000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.
Energize
www.energize.co.za
