June 2013
CONSTRUCTION WORLD
31
projects & contracts
THIS AFTER THE
DCD Wind Towers broke
ground on their wind turbinemanufacturing
plant in Zone 3 of the Coega IDZ.
“The Coega IDZ – including the Port of
Ngqura – is set to become the nexus through
which renewable energy parts and sector
logistics are coordinated and managed for
the entire province,”says SandisiweNcemane,
CDC business development manager in the
energy sector.
“We have worked long and hard to create
an environment inwhich renewable energy –
from end to end – could both flourish at and
be facilitated by Coega. This is becoming a
hard-won reality as investment in this sector
grows not only within the boundaries of the
Coega IDZ, but throughout the province.”
The Eastern Cape has significant resource
potential in terms of renewable energy
generation, with exceptional wind condi-
tions by international standards, good solar
conditions, as well as substantial potential
for energy fromthe biomass and biofuels sec-
tors. These locational assets have positioned
the province as a major site for sustainable
energy investment and implementation.
The socio-economic impacts also make
the sector a point of focus in government
strategies: “At Coega alone the estimated
value of the pipeline investments amounts
to approximately R3-billion, with these wind
and solar investments set to create thousands
of jobs, about 6 000 direct and 5 000 indirect
over the course of construction and opera-
tion,”says Ncemane.
Currently Coega has 20 operational
investors, with five investors currently under
construction and an additional two – includ-
ing DCDWind Towers – about to commence.
An additional three investors – AfriSam (SA),
AMG (China), Casa Steel (SA) – are underway
with environmental impact assessments.
The basket of renewable energy investors
include Electrawinds, UniversalWind, Innow-
ind, EAB Astrum, and biofuels (Phyto Energy).
The Coega IDZ Renewable Energy busi-
ness sector is uniquely geared to offer the
best solutions for renewable energy and
abundant opportunities inWind Energy, Pho-
tovoltaic, Biomass-to-Energy development.
ATLANTICALUMINIUMWAS
contracted to install HulaBond panels
in order to lend the building a modern, aesthetically appealing ap-
pearance. It was specified that this project should be cost-effective,
thus twoof Sika’s long-lasting, highly resistant productswere chosen
to bond and seal all the aluminium panels.
Sika Cleaner-205 was used to clean the HulaBond panels
and channels. This cleaner is a solvent-based adhesion promoter
Coming into its own as
renewable energy hub
Recent investments in the Coega Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) are
bringing to reality long-held organisational objectives around developing
Coega as the Eastern Cape’s renewable energy hub, the Coega Development
Corporation (CDC) said recently.
Winds of change: Electrawinds’ first wind
turbine in the Coega Industrial Development
Zone (IDZ) is the first of many that will come
online at Coega over the next two to four years.
Its positioning features include abundant
land, connection to the Eskom grid via over
30 substations within the IDZ, proximity to
logistics solutions like the port, a lay down
area within the IDZ designated for wind tur-
bine components, custom built warehouses
to manufacture the green technologies
components, green technology incentives
and other IDZ specific incentives provided
by the Department of Trade and Industry.
“By next year the landscape of Coega IDZ
will have morphed completely and will be
home to a minimum of 30 operating inves-
tors,”adds Ncemane.“Coupledwith sustained
investment attraction underway, the future
looks bright and green.”
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Improving aesthetic appeal
Formerly known as Louis la Grange Square, theMount
Road Police Station in Port Elizabeth was originally
constructed in 1925. By 2010, the ageing façade of
the building was in dire need of a facelift.
designed for the activation of surfaces prior to bonding and sealing
with products from the Sikaflex range. Sika Cleaner-205 can be used
to activate various non-porous substrates such as metals, plastics,
ceramics and painted surfaces, and its application temperature
ranges from 5 to 40 °C.
For bonding the HulaBond cladding to the aluminium channels
and for sealing between the HulaBond panels, Sikaflex-221 (8 000
x 600 ml, light grey) was applied. This high quality, multi-purpose,
non-sag, 1-Cpolyurethane sealant cures on exposure to atmospheric
humidity to form a durable elastomer. It has low odour, is non-
corrosive, can be sanded and over-painted, and bonds well to a wide
variety of substrates. It is resistant to freshwater, seawater, limewater,
sewage effluent, diluted acids and caustic solutions. Sika Cleaner-205
and Sikaflex-221 are both manufactured by Sika in accordance with
ISO 9001/14001 quality assurance system.
To assist applicatorswith the installation of the aluminiumpanels,
scaffolding to a height of 30 metres was erected around the entire
building. For safety reasons, work was suspended when the notori-
ous Port Elizabeth winds blew and was only resumed once the wind
speeds decreased to less than ten knots.
Despite the weather delays, this Sika project was completed in
December 2011, within the 15-month time frame. The city of Port
Elizabeth and its police force can feel proud of the new-look Mount
Road Police Station.
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