Mainstream has completed the first of 61 foundations at the 140MW Khobab wind farm in South Africa.
The company said the foundation work at the Northern Cape project is scheduled to be complete by mid-December.
It is using an 89% cement replacement mix for the project’s foundations made up of ground granulated corex slag, a by-product from the iron industry.
The mix reduces the amount of high-grade Portland cement used per cubic metre to 35kg, Mainstream said.
This allows for one of the world’s lowest carbon footprints for wind farm foundations, it added.
Mainstream, which has already used that formulation at the neighbouring 140MW Loeriesfontein wind farm, said it’s now testing an even higher one.
“This revolutionary formula has been tested in the adjacent wind farm and we are confident to continue to use it in our foundations,” Khobab project manager Kevin Foster said. “The insights gained have allowed us to continue to test lower levels of Portland cement.”
Image: Mainstream
