Mabele Emoyeni (Pty) Ltd (Mabele Emoyeni) intend to develop the Mabele Emoyeni Wind Energy Facility (WEF) and Grid Connection (the Grid) near Ventersburg on a site in the Lejweleputswa and Fezile Dabi District Municipalities in the Free State Province.
The WEF will comprise turbines, cabling or overhead lines of up to 66 kV, Independent Power Producer (IPP) substations and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), an Operational and Maintenance (O&M) area, as well as access and internal roads. The Grid will comprise distribution substations (also known as switching stations), up to 132 kV powerlines, a Main Transmission Substation (MTS), 400 kV Loop-in Loop-out (LILO) powerline connection, as well as access and internal roads. Once constructed, the WEF will be owned and operated by the IPP, while the Grid will be ceded to Eskom and form part of the national grid.
The National Environmental Management Act 107 of 1998 (NEMA), and the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations, 2014 (promulgated in terms of NEMA) warrant that listed activities require Environmental Authorisation (EA) from the National Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). A Scoping and Environmental Impact Reporting (S&EIR, also referred to as an EIA) process is required to support an application for EA. SRK Consulting (South Africa) Pty Ltd (SRK) has been appointed by Mabele Emoyeni to undertake the S&EIR process required in terms of the NEMA and the EIA Regulations, 2014, for this project.
