- Genesis Hexicon (Pty) Ltd (GH) is seeking to develop an offshore floating wind farm of approximately 810 MW off the coast of Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal.
- The proposed project is called the Gagasi Offshore Floating Wind Farm.
- The site of the facility is 140 km2, approximately 5 km offshore the coastline at its closest point in the north, and approximately 17 km offshore the coastline at its closest point in the south.
The proposed wind farm will include offshore sub-stations, which collect the electrical power from the WTGs and convert it to a voltage suitable for transmission.
The construction of the proposed wind farm is likely to be phased over 10 years. The construction of floating foundations takes longer than fixed wind foundations, and it may be necessary to build the project in phases to match supply chain logistics and/or local grid constraints.ย
The proposed project will consist of up to 54 wind turbines depending on their individual capacity. The wind turbines would be installed on up to 54 floating foundations. Wind turbine technology is rapidly evolving and depending on the final technology selected, the capacity per WTG could range from 15 to 25 MW, requiring up to 54 WTGs. The tallest type of WTG is 370 m in height (at blade tip when pointing up) above sea level.
Genesis Hexagon has submitted an environmental impact assessment (EIA)ย for public comment.ย
Link to the EIA document HERE: Annexure 1 (Gagasi BID 2024)
Author: Bryan Groenendaal