EDF’s local subsidiary InnoWind holds a 60% stake in the wind farm, which is located in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province.
The remaining 40% interest of the wind farm is held by local partners. The facility features 20 Vestas V112 turbines, each with a unit capacity of 3.075 MW.
EDF said the scheme is the first of the three projects awarded to it in 2012 under the competitive tender for renewable energies projects held by the South African Government.
The grid operator will buy the electricity generated by the Grassridge project under a 20-year power purchase agreement.
EDF Energies Nouvelles chief executive officer Antoine Cahuzac said: "The commissioning of EDF Energies Nouvelles’ first wind farm in South Africa, a country that has been pursuing a major drive to promote renewable energies since 2011, represents an important milestone in the company’s international expansion."
EDF has recently commissioned the 12MW Barmoor wind farm in the UK.
Located in the county of Northumberland, in North East England, the wind farm features six Vestas 2MW turbines that will generate enough energy for about 6,500 homes in the UK.
EDF Energies Nouvelles has a portfolio of 7,190 MW of installed capacity focused for the most part on wind (onshore and offshore) and solar photovoltaic energy.
Image: The 61.5MW Grassridge wind farm features 20 Vestas V112 turbines. Photo: Courtesy of EDF Energies Nouvelles.
