As South Africa’s private renewable energy market accelerates, Nordex Energy South Africa (NESA) is reinforcing its presence in the Western Cape with the supply of 33 Delta 4000 turbines to the 194 Megawatt (MW) Zen and Bergriver wind projects.

Located between Gouda and Saron, the projects, Zen (100 MW) and Bergriver (94 MW) , have entered construction and are scheduled for commissioning in mid-2027. Once operational, they are expected to generate approximately 580 Gigawatt hours (GWh) of renewable electricity annually and displace an estimated 600 000 tonnes of CO₂ each year.

For Robert Timmers, Managing Director of Nordex Energy South Africa, the projects represent more than additional installed capacity.

“We are delighted to strengthen Nordex’s footprint in South Africa with the supply and maintenance of 33 Delta 4000 turbines for the Zen and Bergriver wind farms,” says Timmers.

“These projects are strategically important to our continued growth in the Western Cape, significantly expanding the Nordex installed base and reinforcing our commitment to the country’s renewable energy transition.”

With the addition of Zen and Bergriver, NESA’s total installed capacity now reaches 1921 MW, including projects under construction, with 525 turbines installed locally to date.

Engineering for Western Cape wind

The projects will deploy Nordex Delta 4000 N163/5X turbines, a configuration selected after detailed site modelling.

“The Delta 4000 is the platform, the 163 is the rotor diameter, and 5X refers to the generator size, up to 5.9 MW maximum output,” explains Timmers.

He notes that turbine selection is far from simply placing equipment in a windy location.

“What is also important in the modeling process is the consistency of the wind rather than just the strength,” he says. “In very windy conditions you need reinforced components and often shorter blades are preferable to longer ones due to longevity and because you’ll hit maximum generation earlier. Longer blades however become critical in lower, more consistent wind speeds.”

At Zen and Bergriver, average wind speeds of approximately 7.5 metres per second, combined with site-specific modelling of shear, air density and Weibull factors, made the N163/5X configuration the most economically viable option.

“It had the best levelised cost of energy when we modelled it,” says Timmers. “So we went with that on 118-metre steel towers.”
Expected capacity factors are in the mid-30% range, “about 35%, which is bang on what we see as the average for similar sites in the Western Cape.”

Grid stability and smart operations

Beyond generation, the turbines are designed to support grid resilience. “Our turbines are capable of providing reactive power even when active output power is zero,” Timmers explains. “That means when there’s low wind, the wind farm can still contribute to grid voltage stability.”

In addition, on-load tap changers in transformers and a central wind farm controller operate using predefined grid set points to ensure compliance with voltage and reactive power requirements.

“These systems automatically adjust in real time to maintain stable operation in line with grid rules,” he adds.

Long-term performance is supported by digital monitoring and predictive maintenance systems. Nordex operates all its installed plants locally, supported by global data analytics.

“We have 24/7 SCADA monitoring through our global remote control centres, which gives us real-time visibility of operating parameters, alarms and grid conditions,” says Timmers. “We also use a condition monitoring system that tracks the health of major components and identifies early signs of wear.”

With approximately 26 GW installed globally on the Delta 4000 platform alone, fleet-wide analytics inform ongoing maintenance strategies.

“That large dataset allows us to update maintenance approaches continuously over the life of the wind farm.”

Designing for longevity and circularity

Life-extension and repowering are built into Nordex’s long-term strategy.

“We take a structured, two-step approach,” Timmers explains, “First, we inspect critical components like blades and gearboxes. Then we conduct analytical calculations based on actual historical site loading compared to what we originally designed and certified for.”

If conditions have been less severe than anticipated, operational life can potentially be extended beyond the original certification period.
Beyond extending lifespan, Nordex is investing heavily in recyclability and lifecycle sustainability.

“Currently, around 85% to 97% of a turbine is recyclable,” says Timmers. “The steel and concrete are well-established recycling streams. The real challenge is the composite materials in the blades.”

The company has set a goal of delivering fully recyclable blades by 2032 and is involved in EU-funded research into innovative composite solutions. An industrial plant focused on recycling composite materials is expected to become operational in 2026.

“We really have to work on innovative solutions to close that gap from 97% to 100%,” he says.

Lifecycle carbon performance is also under scrutiny. Nordex now offers a low-emission steel option for towers, which can reduce associated carbon emissions by approximately 75% compared to traditional steel, albeit at a higher cost.

“Additionally the concrete tower technology, which we’ve used in South Africa, actually has a lower carbon footprint than steel equivalents,” Timmers notes.

Local value chains and skills

In a market sensitive to localisation, Nordex positions itself as both global and proudly South African.

“Nordex Energy South Africa is a South African company with 20% South African shareholding,” says Timmers. “We have a local team of 170 people, and all local services ,logistics, installation, construction and site management ,are done locally.”

Concrete towers have previously been produced locally, while steel towers are sourced locally where feasible and economically viable. Minor components and consumables are procured locally wherever possible in line with enterprise development and BBBEE commitments.

However, Timmers is candid about the economic balancing act.

“We are trying to solve for three objectives: decarbonising energy, delivering affordable and reliable electricity, and creating local jobs,” he says. “If we focus solely on local value chains without scale and certainty, the price of energy will increase. So we maximise local content where it makes sense and where it delivers value for money.”

Zen and Bergriver are owned by ACCIONA Energía (51%), with the remaining 49% held by a joint venture between H1 Capital and Chariot Limited. Electricity will be traded by Etana Energy under a 20-year power purchase agreement, supplying commercial and industrial customers including Growthpoint, the V&A Waterfront, Tharisa Minerals, Petra Diamonds and Autocast.

For Timmers, the significance lies in the financing model.

“It’s a purely private offtake model, trader-led and completely privately funded,” he says. “That successful financial close is a great step forward for the market.”

He believes the growth of energy traders supports long-term price stability and investment certainty.

“When you have a willing buyer, willing seller market that shows a real price for energy, that can only mean greater stability going forward,” he argues. “Long-term agreements provide certainty of supply and reliability, and allow corporates to achieve their decarbonisation goals directly.”

Lessons from the Western Cape

Having constructed nearly 1.7 GW in South Africa, Nordex has refined its approach to local project delivery.

“In South Africa it’s about understanding logistics, permitting and having alternative routes if something goes wrong,” Timmers says. “We build contingencies into the plan because South Africa always throws some curveballs.”

Community engagement is equally critical.

“Smooth passage through local towns and good engagement with communities can really help a project succeed. If it’s the opposite, it can cause costly delays.”

As South Africa’s energy landscape continues to liberalise, projects like Zen and Bergriver illustrate how private renewable procurement, advanced turbine technology and lifecycle sustainability are converging.

For Nordex, the message is clear: “Evolving private demand for renewable power is transforming South Africa’s energy landscape,” Timmers concludes. “And decarbonised power solutions are becoming central across the economy.”