EDF power solutions has reached commercial operation at its 140 MW San Kraal wind farm near Noupoort on the Northern Cape-Eastern Cape border, marking the first project to come online under the developer’s three wind-farm Koruson 1 cluster.
San Kraal forms part of the 420 MW Koruson 1 wind project, comprising three 140 MW facilities, developed under Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer (IPP) Procurement Programme Bid Window 5. The commissioning represents a further addition of utility-scale renewable generation capacity to the national grid as South Africa continues to expand its wind portfolio under the Integrated Resource Plan.
The project consists of 26 wind turbines, each with a nominal capacity of 5,4 MW, and is equipped with synchronous generator technology designed to support grid stability and reliable operation at transmission scale. Achievement of commercial operation follows the completion and energisation of associated grid infrastructure required to evacuate power from the site.
According to EDF, the Koruson 1 cluster includes a 400/132 kV main transmission substation constructed by the independent power producer. The substation was designed to support the integration of up to 1,5 GW of renewable energy from the adjoining Koruson 1 and Koruson 2 projects, underscoring the growing role of IPP-led transmission infrastructure in enabling new generation capacity.
San Kraal is the first of the three Koruson 1 projects to reach commercial operation. The remaining two wind farms, Phezukomoya and Coleskop, are in the final stages of completion. The full cluster is expected to reach commercial operation in early 2026, delivering a combined 420 MW of wind capacity procured through the national renewables programme.
According to Tristan de Drouas, EDF Power Solutions Southern Africa Vice-President, the Koruson projects align with South Africa’s longer-term electricity planning objectives, which envisage a growing role for wind generation in the country’s future energy mix.
