11-11-2013, 04:40 PM
Construction of the wind turbine manufacturing facility is well on its way to being completed at the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ).
The Wind Tower Factory project, which is more than 60% complete, is a joint initiative between the DCD Group, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Coega Development Corporation (CDC).
Construction of the facility, located in Zone 3 of the Coega IDZ, started in March, and it is expected to be completed before the end of February 2014. It will be a first of its kind for the Eastern Cape.
Once completed, the DCD Wind Tower manufacturing facility will produce complete tubular steel towers, which entails the manufacture of the round steel tower sections from flat steel, welding flanges and assembling the inner parts of the towers. The wind turbine towers will vary in sizes, ranging between 80 and 120 meters, with individual sections weighing between 40 to 60 tons.
According to Coega (which is wholly-owned by government), the project has created 250 temporary jobs, with more than 90% of the workers coming from the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
“Investors are given a choice whether or not to use Coega’s infrastructure and construction services when they decide to set up shop in the Coega IDZ. In addition, we are able to ensure that on projects such as these that small construction firms also gain a share of the work. The aim is for SMMEs to benefit from 35% of CDC’s procurement,†said CDC head of marketing and communications, Ayanda Vilakazi, on Monday.
Sandisiwe Ncemane, CDC business development manager in the energy sector, said the Coega IDZ, was set to become the link through which renewable energy parts and sector logistics were coordinated and managed for the entire Eastern Cape province. - SAnews.gov.za
The Wind Tower Factory project, which is more than 60% complete, is a joint initiative between the DCD Group, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and the Coega Development Corporation (CDC).
Construction of the facility, located in Zone 3 of the Coega IDZ, started in March, and it is expected to be completed before the end of February 2014. It will be a first of its kind for the Eastern Cape.
Once completed, the DCD Wind Tower manufacturing facility will produce complete tubular steel towers, which entails the manufacture of the round steel tower sections from flat steel, welding flanges and assembling the inner parts of the towers. The wind turbine towers will vary in sizes, ranging between 80 and 120 meters, with individual sections weighing between 40 to 60 tons.
According to Coega (which is wholly-owned by government), the project has created 250 temporary jobs, with more than 90% of the workers coming from the Nelson Mandela Bay region.
“Investors are given a choice whether or not to use Coega’s infrastructure and construction services when they decide to set up shop in the Coega IDZ. In addition, we are able to ensure that on projects such as these that small construction firms also gain a share of the work. The aim is for SMMEs to benefit from 35% of CDC’s procurement,†said CDC head of marketing and communications, Ayanda Vilakazi, on Monday.
Sandisiwe Ncemane, CDC business development manager in the energy sector, said the Coega IDZ, was set to become the link through which renewable energy parts and sector logistics were coordinated and managed for the entire Eastern Cape province. - SAnews.gov.za