Vanguard completes delivery of 25 wind turbines to Ummbila project

Vanguard has delivered 25 wind turbines from the Port of Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal to the Ummbila wind farm near Bethal in Mpumalanga, covering 550 kilometres over an eight-month period. The project involved transporting components across 10 jurisdictions with coordination from provincial and district authorities.

Each turbine required 13 abnormal loads, 10 of which needed traffic police escorts due to their size. The components included 90-metre blades, the longest ever transported in South Africa and, according to Vanguard, the longest known to be moved across the African continent.

This marks the first time wind turbines have been discharged at the Port of Richards Bay and transported within KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. Vanguard deployed its specialised trailers for transporting wind blades for the first time in a wind farm project, enabling direct offloading from the vessel and reducing handling within the port.

The project was carried out by a team of more than 50 Vanguard staff, including drivers, trailer operators, crane operators and rigging crews. The operation involved significant investment in route studies and close engagement with authorities.

“This project demonstrates what is possible when technical innovation is combined with deep operational experience,” said Ryan Hoskings, Director at Vanguard. “Transporting the largest wind blades in South Africa is a great achievement for the team and, to the best of our knowledge, the longest to be transported across the African continent. We are proud to have set new benchmarks for wind turbine logistics in South Africa and to have played a part in advancing the country’s renewable energy capacity.”