Construction begins on the Khangela Emoyeni wind power station in the central Karoo

Construction is underway on the Khangela Emoyeni Wind Power Station, a 144 MW wind farm near Murraysburg in the Beaufort West district.

The facility is positioned in the heart of the Central Karoo, bordered by the Great Karoo plains to the north and the Swartberg Mountains to the south, around 619 km by road from Cape Town.

Project overview
The site comprises 32 sleek Vestas turbines, each rated at 4.5 MW, designed to generate around 460 GWh of renewable electricity annually. The engineering, procurement and construction contract was awarded to Vestas, along with a ten‑year maintenance agreement, and delivery of turbines is expected by mid‑2025, with full commissioning scheduled for the first half of 2026.

Strategic partnerships
The initiative is led by a consortium under Khangela Emoyeni Wind Farm (Pty) Ltd, owned by African Clean Energy Developments (ACED), EIMS Africa, and Reatile Renewables, all subsidiaries of AIIM, managed from Cape Town.

Financing was secured through Rand Merchant Bank and the IDEAS Fund to provide reliable backing.

The generated power will feed into the national grid via Eskom and is earmarked for Richards Bay Minerals (RBM) under a 20‑year power purchase agreement. RBM’s partnership is set to replace roughly 26-20% of its fossil energy use, cutting annual carbon emissions by one-fifth.

Local context and benefits
The wind farm sits just east of Murraysburg, adjacent to the R63 route connecting Beaufort West and Graaff‑Reinet. Notable nearby features include the Towerkop nature reserve and the Tankwa Karoo National Park, framing the turbines against the Karoo’s grand vistas.

Local agricultural and industrial communities stand to gain from more dependable power provisioning thanks to grid extensions facilitated by Eskom’s wheeling system.

ACED’s general manager emphasised that the project will not just decarbonise RBM’s supply but also alleviate local load-shedding pressures. Opportunities for job creation and skills transfer are expected during both the construction and operational phases.

The regional energy context
The Khangela Emoyeni project adds to a growing cluster of wind developments in the Central Karoo and Northern Cape.

Nearby is the Umsinde Emoyeni Wind Power Station, a 140 MW wind farm also under construction near Murraysburg, jointly developed by the same consortium for Sibanye‑Stillwater.

Other big players in the region include the operational 147 MW Roggeveld farm near Matjiesfontein and the 145 MW Garob project northwest of De Aar.

These projects are transforming the Karoo into a vital hub of clean energy production, complementing South Africa’s broader renewable ambitions.

What’s the outlook?
The Khangela Emoyeni Wind Power Station is on track to begin operation by mid‑2026. It is expected to supply about 144 MW of clean electricity, supporting RBM and strengthening local infrastructure.

The farm underscores the Central Karoo’s growing role as a vital renewables corridor while delivering tangible economic and environmental benefits to the region.