South Africa - Wind farm to generate clean energy by 2006

South Africans will use the first commercially generated wind energy by April next year - after a six-year battle with the authorities to get the greenhouse gas-free project off the ground. This comes after Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk turned down the only appeal on Wednesday against the approval of the proposed wind energy farm to be built 12km north-west of Darling. The power will feed into the national energy grid. Wind farm developer Herman Oelsner welcomed the move, adding that the only remaining hurdle was to get approval from the Swartland municipality for the change in land use for the farm, Windhoek, where the turbines are to be built.

Oelsner's wind farm proposal has been in the pipeline for six years and has been involved in legal wrangles with the authorities, which were eventually settled out of court earlier this year. "The Swartland municipality will consider the application to change the land use at their next monthly meeting. If they approve it, we can have the first hole dug for the foundations by September. The first wind energy generation will be about six months after that," Oelsner said. The first phase of the project will consist of four 50m turbines, each with three 28m blades. "The farmer will continue with his sheep and cattle, so the land will still be run as a farm," Oelsner said. Van Schalkwyk said in a statement on Wednesday that although the Darling wind farm was small, it was an important first step in South Africa's endeavours towards cleaner energy generation. Our climate change response strategy requires us to examine all practical alternatives to limit and reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases.

"The Darling wind farm will be of special significance, given our commitments to expand the use of renewable energy as a key measure to combat climate change. It is an extremely important pilot project to demonstrate the economic sustainability of powering our rapidly growing economy with clean energy," Van Schalkwyk said. South Africa was actively targeting the greater use of renewable and zero or low-carbon sources of energy generation. Demonstrating the feasibility of small, decentralised, clean power generation facilities was important to create jobs and eradicate poverty through the creation of small, medium and micro-enterprise opportunities, he said. Van Schalkwyk turned down the single appeal against the department of environment affairs' approval of the wind farm in February this year. He acknowledged, "with appreciation", the financial and technical assistance provided by the Danish government for the wind farm development, which is a national demonstration project for future public-private partnerships in the energy sector.