Loeriesfontein Wind Farm and Khobab Wind Farm commenced with the transportation of the wind turbine tower components on 20 June 2016. The wind turbine tower sections are being routed from Atlantis, in the Western Cape, to Loeriesfontein, in the Northern Cape.

“Over 300 tower sections will commence travel to Loeriesfontein on the N1 via Worcester, Laingsburg, Beaufort West, Calvinia and on to the wind farm sites in Loeriesfontein, a five day journey totalling 1 396 km,” explained Kevin Foster, Project Manager for Khobab Wind Farm

Commuters may be affected by the oversized loads and drivers have been advised to be cautious and adhere to traffic regulations. To assist, transport schedules are available to the public via the wind farms websites. Furthermore, transportation is prohibited at night, during the school holiday period, on public holidays, during festivals or other special events. In addition to this, abnormal loads will be avoided during peak hour traffic through Beaufort West as far as possible.

Foster continued, “Whilst every effort is made to minimise traffic disruptions, we urge road users to exercise extra caution when close to the abnormal loads and obey all traffic management instructions; extra care should be taken if passing the vehicles.”

Khobab and Loeriesfontein Wind Farms, which together span 6 653 hectares, will produce an impressive combined output of 280MW generated by their 122 wind turbines. This is equivalent of 240 000 average households being powered each year, providing a massive boost to energy provision in the country. The site was chosen because of its excellent wind resource, its proximity to national roads for wind turbine transportation and the favourable construction conditions.

Transport schedules can be viewed on the wind farm’s website, www.loeriesfonteinwind.co.za and www.khobabwind.co.za . Advertisements in local newspapers will also assist commuters and travellers in their planning.