The giant 420 MW Northern Cluster, comprising three large wind farms under construction in the Karoo, is still anticipated to enter into commercial operation before the end of 2026, despite unprecedented recent rainfall in the region that affected site activity.
The three 140-MW-apiece projects, known as Khangela, Umsinde and Ishwati Emoyeni, are being built by South African independent power producer Anthem and co-shareholder Reatile Renewables.
Located across several farms near the Karoo towns of Murraysburg and Richmond on the border between the Western and Northern Cape provinces, the wind farms involve a combined investment of almost R15-billion. This includes a shared main transmission substation (MTS) and some 70 km of self-build 132 kV powerlines to facilitate wheeling through the national grid.
The project has created over 1 400 jobs in construction and will create over 50 jobs in operations. It will invest many millions into local area development projects over the next 20 years.
All three projects are anchored by commercial and industrial (C&I) power purchase agreements (PPAs) of between 20 and 25 years that were concluded with private offtakers in 2024.
