All the project cargo
for Namibia’s first
commercial wind
farm, which is nearing
completion outside Lüderitz Bay,
was successfully handled by the port
itself.
The first consignment of the
Innosun wind turbine project
arrived in the Port of Lüderitz
on the Beautriumph on January
24, according to Taná Pesat,
Namport manager of corporate
communications.
The cargo operations started the
next morning, with the vessel being
unloaded by noon on the following
day.
During the 12-hour operation
700 tons of equipment was
offloaded. This consisted of four
nacelles (the cover housing of the
wind turbine), nine blades and four
generators weighing 70 tons each.
Namport equipment included a
64-ton mobile harbour crane, two
reach stackers, one 25-ton forklift
and a seven-ton forklift.
The second vessel carrying the
remainder of the cargo for the
project was the Constellation, which
berthed in Lüderitz on May 23.
The 80-metre-high towers,
45-metre (9-ton) blades and 90-ton
turbines were offloaded using
tandem lifting to ensure safety,
according to Pesat.
The wind farm is positioned on
the mountains outside Lüderitz and
has changed the skyline and face
of Lüderitz, according to InnoSun
project manager Jan-Barend
Scheepers.
InnoSun is a Namibian-registered
company owned by Namibian and
French shareholders. Ombepo Wind
Park – the new wind farm – is also
partly owned by the Lüderitz Town
Council with a 5% stake.
The turbines will be able to meet
the current power needs of Lüderitz
Bay.
The completion of the project and
assembling the towers on site will
take place within the next 30 days,
according to Scheepers.
InnoSun has further projects
scheduled for another wind farm at
Elizabeth Bay Mine south of Lüderitz
Bay for Namdeb later this year.
“InnoSun looks forward to opening
a bigger wind farm in the Lüderitz
area as the environmental impact
study is being finalised and will be
opened towards the end of 2017,” he
says.
The 80-metre-high towers, 45-metre (9-ton) blades and 90-ton turbines were
offloaded using tandem lifting to ensure safety.
