Coega gains traction as hub for wind farm industry

Coega is set to become the logistics hub for the Eastern Cape’s wind farm sector, which is starting to pick up speed. In addition to the Ngqura harbour serving as the port of entry for components, DCD Wind Towers is establishing a R300-m plant in the Coega Industrial Development Zone to assemble wind towers. “The Coega IDZ – including the Port of Ngqura – is set to become the nexus through which renewable energy parts and sector logistics are coordinated and managed for the entire province,” says Sandisiwe Ncemane, CDC business development manager in the energy sector. The DCD facility, which is the result of a partnership between the DCD Group, the Coega Development Corporation and the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), is expected to produce between 110 and 120 wind towers a year. Around R3-bn worth of equipment for the province’s wind farm sector is expected to be handled through the port and IDZ over the next few years, according to Ncemane. INSERT ‘Around R3-bn worth of equipment expected to be handled through the port.’