R30 billion wind farm approved for Karoo: 'It's a stage of load shedding removed from the grid' - Matthew Cruise, energy analyst

Cape Talk's John Maytham chats to Energy Analyst Matthew Cruise.

Listen to their conversation in the audio clip below:

A landmark R30 billion wind energy project set for the Karoo has received environmental authorisation, setting the stage for South Africa’s largest wind farm yet. 

"This is much bigger than the previous wind farms that have been deployed in South Africa to date... It's roughly one stage of load shedding..."

- Matthew Cruise, Energy Analyst

Backed by Spanish firm AMDA Energía, Cruise says this marks a major vote of confidence in South Africa's renewable energy potential. 

"This is an example of foreign direct investments, which is encouraging, and is flowing into the renewable energy sector. It's basically other nations of the world and private companies coming to the party, seeing opportunities that are here because we've got amazing wind and solar resources at our disposal in South Africa."

- Matthew Cruise, Energy Analyst

Cruise explains that what sets this project apart is its scale and innovation, where energy will be stored overnight using both wind power and cheaper grid electricity from Eskom, then released during peak demand to produce green ammonia - a key step toward industrial decarbonisation. 

"What's really exciting about this farm, apart from the capacity of the wind, is they are putting down 10,000 megawatt hours of batteries... this is now actually going to help the whole nation reduce our demand on the grid, as these batteries will be helping all the nation's demand come down. "

- Matthew Cruise, Energy Analyst

The project aims to boost investment, create jobs, and support industrial growth in a remote area. 

However, it reportedly also faces challenges like environmental issues, complex logistics, and the need for better infrastructure to reach its full potential.

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