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Rabat – Installation work for Africa’s tallest wind turbine concluded yesterday. The 144-meter tall structure, part of the InnoVent’s Oualidia wind farm, provides a milestone thanks to high production capacity and cost-efficiency.
Construction work for the turbine began in 2019 following a deal between Morocco’s government and Spanish renewable energy company Nabrawind Technologies.
The installation is the first “self-erecting turbine” for Nabrawind Technologies.
Aside from breaking the continental height record for turbines, the Nabralift tower is special on grounds of the innovative construction method. The company used an innovative self-erecting system to construct the tower, without the need for conventional large-size cranes, according to the company’s statement.
Built in collaboration with French developer InnoVent, the turbine additionally breaks the record for the tallest turbine constructed with a self-erecting system.
The innovative construction model was also cost-optimal as the tower only needed 80 square-cubic meters of concrete for its foundation, down from 500 square-cubic meters necessary for structures of such height, lowering cost by 60%, the company reports.
Adding to the significant reduction in cost, the state-of-the-art turbine has a minimal environmental footprint and reduced steel consumption.
With the extra height, the turbine is projected to produce 2.500 MW/h (Mega Watt per hour), covering the average annual energy needs of 2000 people in Morocco. It adds momentum to Morocco’s transition away from coal and efforts to reduce annual CO2 emissions by 2,500 tons, according to Spanish energy-focused news outlet Revista Energia.
The Oualida wind turbine overtook South Africa’s 115-meter tower as the tallest wind turbine on the African continent, and has become one of the tallest worldwide. The world record still belongs to Germany’s 178-meter tall wind turbine.
Read Also: Morocco Commits to 80% Renewable Energy Use by 2050
