Gale force A South African mining company has announced plans to build a ZAR4 billion wind farm in Mpumalanga. It is set to be the largest of its kind in the province. Seriti Green – a subsidiary of Seriti Resources – will construct the 155 MW facility and, through a power purchase agreement, the generated power will be wheeled through the national grid to Seriti Resources’ coal mining operations. According to Mike Teke, CEO of Seriti, ‘the agreement is the first step in Seriti Resources’ journey towards carbon neutrality. We are very mindful of the need for a just energy transition, where the needs of and responsibilities to those most immediately affected – employees, communities and beyond – are considered and planned for’. He adds that 155 MW has the potential to power 165 000 average South African households per year. The company says that this project forms part of Seriti Green’s larger renewable energy project ambitions, to develop the capacity for 3 000 MW of renewable energy (both wind and solar) over the coming decade. The facility is scheduled to go online by 2025. 14 February 2023 Image: Unsplash