In the coming months trucks carrying enormous loads from Saldanha to the Overberg Wind Farm near Swellendam will be a regular sight in the Breede Valley and Langeberg.
The wind farm is being developed by Red Rocket Energy and Superload Consultants is handling the transport of the gigantic parts of the wind turbines.
The wind farm will have a total capacity of around 380 MW, making it the largest single commercial wind farm in SA.
The Standard & Breederivier Gazette reached out to Red Rocket Energy and Superload Consultants to find out what such a Great Turbine Trek involves.
Before the project can begin, extensive logistical studies are carried out to ensure the feasibility of transporting and installing every component safely and efficiently.
The first step was selecting the most suitable port of entry. Cape Town Harbour lacks sufficient space and Saldanha Port was chosen as the preferred entry point.
Several vessels are chartered and sail directly from China to Saldanha. Off-loading must take place as quickly as possible – as fees charged for failure to offload within the agreed time are very high.
The components are off-loaded directly onto trailers and moved to an area within the port, where they are stored before being transported to site.
Detailed transport studies are undertaken. Each turbine consists of 12 major components that includes three blades, one drive train, one hub, one nacelle and six tower stations. Each of these poses unique challenges for road transportation.
Every aspect is assessed such as overhead power lines and bridges, vertical and horizontal road alignment, turning radii, and width restrictions. Structural analyses are performed on all bridges and simulations are conducted at intersections to ensure vehicles are able to make turns.
The tower sections are especially challenging and can have a diameter of up to 5,4 m. The laden height would reach approximately 6,6 m, which would cause major conflicts with overhead power lines.
The turbine blades are 91 m long – the longest blades to currently move in South Africa (only two other wind farms in South Africa have 91m blades).
Temporary measures such as intersection widening, removal of Telkom poles, and relocation of street furniture are planned along the route to ensure safe passage.
All blade movements will take place under traffic-police escorts to safeguard the public and manage traffic.
The components will be transported in separate convoys to ensure that movements are controlled and safe for both transport crews and the public, Red Rocket Energy stated.
The transportation is scheduled for completion by end-September to early October 2026.
The route:
The trek begins from Saldanha via the R45 through Hopefield. The R311 is followed through Moorreesburg and Riebeek West and Riebeek Kasteel, then the R46 through Hermon. The trucks will follow the R46 past Tulbagh and along Wolseley’s Voortrekker Street (R43) and once in Worcester the load will travel via the R101 through Rawsonville along Van Riebeeck Street towards the Nekkies Holiday Resort and past Avian Park towards Aan de Doorns Cellar.
From here it turns off towards the R60 and will travel through Robertson, Ashton and Zolani. In Swellendam the trucks will turn off on the N2, after which it will follow the R319 until it reaches its destination at the wind farm.
The municipalities through which the turbines will travel have warned residents of temporary traffic interruptions once a week. According to the Langeberg Municipality this will exclude the period 15 December to 13 January.
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