Construction is roaring ahead on what will soon be South Africa’s largest wind power station — the Overberg Wind Farm, just 12km outside Swellendam in the Western Cape.
Independent Power Producer Red Rocket has kicked off phase 2, adding 158MW to the project’s already massive ambitions. Once complete, the two-phase development will deliver 400MW of clean energy, more than doubling the peak output of any existing wind farm in the country.
Phase 1 (242MW) began construction in March 2025, set to power Richards Bay Minerals with 750GWh annually.
Phase 2 (158MW) will generate 489GWh per year, wheeled to corporate buyers including Discovery Green, Impala Platinum, Foress Real Estate Investments, and Balwin Properties.
When fully operational in early 2027, Overberg will churn out 1,239GWh annually — the highest output of any privately contracted wind farm in the world.
The site will boast 54 Goldwind GWH182/6.2MW turbines and nine Goldwind GWH182/7.2MW units — the latter matching the largest onshore turbines anywhere on the planet.
A Continental Heavyweight
Overberg will be Africa’s second-largest wind farm, behind only Egypt’s 545MW Zafarana facility. Globally, only nine countries operate onshore wind farms with capacities of 400MW or more — and South Africa is about to join that elite club.
Funding comes from Absa Bank, Standard Bank, and the Development Bank of Southern Africa, underscoring the project’s strategic significance.
Red Rocket already commands a 4GW project portfolio across wind, solar, and hybrid renewables. It operates some of South Africa’s largest wind farms, including the 147MW Roggeveld facility, and pioneered automated bird protection systems that detect and shut down turbines to safeguard vulnerable species.
The company’s track record includes the 275MW Virginia Solar Park and the upcoming Wolf Wind Farm in the Eastern Cape, featuring advanced turbines optimised for lower wind speeds. It also recently secured 590MW under South Africa’s latest renewable procurement round.
If timelines hold, Overberg won’t just be South Africa’s largest wind farm — it will be a symbol of the country’s clean energy ambition, capable of supplying reliable, large-scale renewable power to both industry and the grid.
Main Image: Red Rocket Energy
