AS the only port with a green status in the Southern African port system, Transnet National Ports Authority’s (TNPA’s) Port of Ngqura in Nelson Mandela Bay has now established itself as the ideal partner in bringing green energy to the nation.
It has provided a safe gateway, temporary storage and an accessible distribution point for wind turbine components imported from Spain since 2012.
These components – consisting of wind turbine tower parts and blades, among others – are destined for various wind farm projects throughout the country. They include the Golden Valley Wind Farm, Nxuba Wind Farm between Bedford and Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape and the Roggeveld Wind Farm in the Karoo, spanning both the Northern Cape and Western Cape.
The majority of wind farms are located across the Eastern Cape.
The port has been a major player since the Department of Energy approved these projects as part of the independent power producer (IPP) process in 2012.
Port of Ngqura new business development manager, Nozipho Booi, said that the port was uniquely positioned to accommodate these special projects cargo or abnormal cargo, classified as general cargo, at its “finger jetty”.
It also has a dedicated lay-down area of 80 000m² to store these massive components. “The port’s ideal location and accessibility to the national freeway, makes road haulage of the components to its destination easier, compared to a city-locked port. The surrounding infrastructure linking the port to the hinterland is also ideal.
“There are no restrictive bridges and the road can handle the abnormal cargo size and weight,” Booi added.
The almost 50 000 million tons of wind turbine cargo that was imported in the 2019/20 financial year, fits perfectly into the port’s revenue diversification strategy of avoiding overreliance on a single revenue stream,” added port manager at the Port of Ngqura, Tandi Lebakeng.
