FairWind Undertakes Major Project in South Africa
FairWind has begun the installation of 109 wind turbines in South Africa for Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (SGRE).
Installation is taking place at two project sites, with 61 SWT 2.3 VS wind turbines going up at Kangnas starting in July and 48 at Perdakraal in August, conducted in parallel at both sites.
These projects will deliver a total of 932,3GWh/year of clean energy once completed.
”We are grateful to be returning to South Africa to take on another major project from Siemens Gamesa,” said Katarzyna Pawłowska, Key Account Manager.
“With over six years of experience working in South Africa, training and utilizing local South African technicians on complex projects such as these, with huge demand on organization and resource planning to complete simultaneously, FairWind was again the natural choice for wind turbine installation in South Africa.”
The projects will be conducted in remote areas, with Perdekraal being 90 km away from the nearest town – by gravel road. Additional challenges include environmental variables like excessive dust and even venomous snakes and scorpions.
As part of the agreement, FairWind has pledged to train local South Africans as wind turbine technicians and personnel. A large number of such local technicians have already been trained and cooperated with us in the past.
“The process of training local technicians is quite difficult and requires a lot of time, but I see huge potential in these guys and a willingness to expand their knowledge. The wind industry is a niche branch, and therefore the recruitment process also requites a lot of time and patience,” said Mariusz Mierzejewski, Senior Installation Manager.
Johnson Crane Hire (JCH) has been selected to provide crane services.
FairWind previously completed installation of 61 Siemens wind turbines at Khobab in 2018 and another 61 at Leoreisfontein in 2017.
The wind turbine solutions provider has been involved in South Africa from early in its history, establishing a legal entity and office there in 2013.
FairWind is a leading provider of wind turbine installation and service solutions throughout the world. Founded in 2008, we have worked in over 40 countries and cooperate with more than 1000 technicians to manage our customers’ projects globally.
