Nordex Wins Order for 80 Wind Turbines to South African Projects

JOHANNESBURG (Capital Markets in Africa) – Nordex SE was awarded contracts to supply 80 turbines with a total capacity of 252 megawatts to the Garob and Copperton onshore wind projects in South Africa.

The turbine manufacturer will build 46 AW125/3150 units for the Garob project ordered by Enel Green Power and 34 for Copperton ordered by developer Elawan, Hamburg-based Nordex said in a statement.

“Such announcements bode well for the beleaguered projects that had to wait nearly three years for their power-purchase agreements,” said Victoria Cuming, head of Bloomberg NEF’s policy team for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The South African government still needs to address uncertainty about its renewables policy, Cuming said. Investors remain cautious after the energy ministry said in June that a future auction round will be held in the fourth quarter, then two months later indicated there will be no more renewables procurement until the early 2020s, she said.

BNEF’s most recent Wind Turbine Price Index puts the global average price for turbine contracts signed in the first half of 2018 at $0.85 million per megawatt, putting the total value of Nordex’s two deals at $214.2 million, according to BNEF analyst Oliver Metcalfe.

A Nordex spokesman declined to disclose the value of the order.

The projects, in the Northern Cape province, include provision for delivery and installation and service contracts as well as building the 100-meter (328-foot) concrete towers locally, Nordex said, without providing any more details.

Source: Bloomberg Business News