Construction |
Hydro rockets towards a better energy future
Red Rocket’s Kruisvallei hydro project in South Africa’s Free State marks an important milestone in local energy development and underpins the value of its integrated approach
Above: Red Rocket’s vehicle on the Kruisvallei Hydro site
SOUTH AFRICA’S LARGEST HYDROPOWER site is located in the Drakensberg and produces 1000MW of electricity. Such large scale projects take a considerably long time to develop and become operational. Hydro at a smaller scale provides many opportunities through which South Africa can bolster its power supply. For example, the US Department of Energy has identified between 6-8000 sites, reports Brand South Africa, where smaller hydro projects (below 100MW) could be established. February 2021 Red Rocket inaugurated its Kruisvallei Hydro facility, located on the Ash River in the Free State province of South Africa. It’s a significant development for three reasons: the time to deliver the project, the site’s design, and the business model that makes it feasible for its developer and operator. The Kruisvallei region is located between Bethlehem
Bottom: Middle Kruisvallei from upstream vantage point
and Clarens in the Free State, relatively close to Lesotho’s northern border. Sprouting just above Bethlehem, the Ash River travels almost directly
south towards Clarens, feeding the Sol Plaatje Dam. A discharge point for the Lesotho Highlands Water Project, the Ash River has a constant water flow and was earmarked about a decade ago for smaller hydro sites. After several false starts, one of the projects attracted
the attention of Red Rocket which started construction on 26 March 2019 and launched the site by 25 February 2021. Today, the site generates 4MW from two run-of-river hydropower plants - a unique design - that combine to supply 4MW and will generate around 24GWh per annum across a 20-year lifespan. Using the Ash river’s flow of 15m3 to 40m3 of water, the site provides power to 1916 households, including the Kgubetswana settlement.
Red Rocket Energy Red Rocket may be a new name to some but is fast
becoming a recognised trailblazer as an independent power producer (IPP). It originated out of another
32 | August 2021 |
www.waterpowermagazine.com
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