Major Order: Vestas Scores in South Africa And Installs First V163-4.5 MW Turbines
Madrid, Spain - Vestas has received a major 373-MW order from South African independent power producer Red Rocket.
The order includes the first installations globally of the V163-4.5 MW wind turbine from Vestas’ 4 MW platform. Featuring an 18 percent increase in swept area, the V163-4.5 MW has a large rotor-size-to-rating ratio resulting in a higher capacity factor, enabling up to 10 percent higher Annual Energy Production at park level compared to the V150-4.5 MW depending on site-specific conditions. This increases power output at lower wind speeds significantly and improves predictability and stability in production, optimising the utilisation of the wind park as well as benefitting the energy grid, according to the RENIXX Group
"With three different wind turbine variants across platforms this order showcases that we are able to enhance the customer business case through optimising the layout on each wind project site with Vestas’ flexible and diverse product portfolio. We firmly believe that our partnership can make a significant contribution to a more reliable, affordable and sustainable energy mix in South Africa," said Vestas Senior Director Sales & Business Development Malte Meyer.
The government of South Africa aims to expand wind energy to a capacity of 17,700 MW (17.7 GW) by 2030 and increase the share of renewable energy in the country's energy mix from the current 11 percent to around 41 percent. Vestas says it is currently the leader in the South African wind energy market, with more than 1,300 MW (1.3 GW) of capacity installed or under construction.
Vestas shares are up 2.6 percent to 27.66 euros by midday (11:39 a.m., April 14, 2023 Stuttgart Stock Exchange).
Source: IWR Online, Mar 03 2023