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South Africa’s 600 MW Kangnas wind farm, operated by renewable power generation company Lekela Power, has started commercial operations.
Construction of the Kangnas wind farm began in 2018 and comprises five wind farms. The most recent part of the project to be completed adds 140 MW of capacity and brings the complex to completion. The project is expected to provide 485,000 South African homes with affordable and clean power for the next 20 years.
“Just five years after Lekela was created, this is a significant milestone for us all. Kangnas completes what only existed as ideas on a piece of paper just a few years ago. We now have over 600 MW of wind power in operation, which will supply clean electricity to hundreds of thousands of South Africans, at an affordable price for the next two decades. Our completed portfolio places Lekela firmly as one of the leading providers of clean, renewable energy in the country, and across the African continent more broadly,” commented Chris Antonopoulos, Chief Executive Officer of Lekela Power.
The wind farm will also drive local job creation by creating over 550 jobs at the peak of the project’s construction. This includes long-term operations and maintenance jobs for the next 20 years.
“Kangnas’ success supporting local manufacturing and jobs is an indicator of how low-carbon technologies can drive renewed economic growth in the wake of COVID. No other source of energy has the pace of development, nor the backing of governments, communities and companies that wind and solar do. We have to capitalize on this appetite to ensure the number of Africans without access to electricity continues to fall, not rise, in the next decade.” said Antonopoulos.
