Pictured: Electrawinds’ first wind turbine in the Coega Industrial Development Zone is the first of many that will come online at Coega over the next two to four years

Recent investments in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) are bringing to reality long-held organisational objectives around developing Coega as the Eastern Cape’s renewable energy hub, the Coega Development Corporation (CDC) said today.

This after the DCD Wind Towers broke ground on their wind turbine manufacturing plantin Zone 3 of the Coega IDZ.

“The Coega IDZ – including the Port of Ngqura – is set to become the nexus through which renewable energy parts and sector logistics are coordinated and managed for the entire province,” said Sandisiwe Ncemane, CDC business development manager in the energy sector.

“We have worked long and hard to create an environment in which renewable energy – from end to end – could both flourish at and be facilitated by Coega. This is becoming a hard-won reality as investment in this sector grows not only within the boundaries of the Coega IDZ, but throughout the province.”

The Eastern Cape has significant resource potential in terms of renewable energy generation, with exceptional wind conditions by international standards, good solar conditions, as well as substantial potential for energy from the biomass and biofuels sectors. These locational assets have positioned the province as a major site for sustainable energy investment and implementation.

The socio-economic impacts also make the sector a point of focus in government strategies:

“At Coega alone the estimated value of the pipeline investments amounts to approximately R3-billion, with these wind and solar investments set to create thousands of jobs, about 6000 direct and 5000 indirect over the course of construction and operation,” said Ncemane.

Currently Coega has 20 operational investors, with five investors currently under construction and an additional two – including DCD Wind Towers – about to commence. An additional three investors –AfriSam (SA), AMG (China), Casa Steel (SA) – are underway with environmental impact assessments.

The basket of renewable energy investors include Electrawinds, Universal Wind, Innowind, EAB Astrum, and biofuels (PhytoEnergy).

The Coega IDZ Renewable Energy business sector is uniquely geared to offer the best solutions for renewable energy and abundant opportunities in Wind Energy, Photovoltaic, Biomass-to-Energy development.

Its positioning features include abundant land, connection to the Eskom grid via over 30 substations within the IDZ, proximity to logistics solutions like the port, a lay down area within the IDZ designated for wind turbine components, custom built warehouses to manufacture the green technologies components, green technology incentives and other IDZ specific incentives provided by the Department of Trade and Industry.

“By next year the landscape of Coega IDZ will have morphed completely and will be home to a minimum of 30 operating investors,” added Ncemane.

“Coupled with sustained investment attraction underway, the future looks bright and green.”