-32&$0'! RAYMOND TAKUBA DISSERTATION PRESENTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTERS IN ENERGY AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE,UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN 18 MARCH 2014 University of Cape Town SUPERVISOR: DR BRITTA RENNKAMP The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town Declaration I hereby declare this dissertation is my own work. I understand what plagiarism is, and where I have used the ideas of others, I have referenced these correctly. Signed: _______________________ Raymond Takuba ii Acknowledgements I would firstly like to thank all of the interviewees who took part in this project. Without their participation, this project would not have been possible. Secondly, I would like to thank my supervisor Dr Rennkamp for advising and encouraging me along the way. Your assistance and feedback is greatly appreciated. Thirdly, I am grateful to the Dutkiewicz Family Trust who assisting with funding during the final year of study. Fourthly, to my family and friends, thank you for all the support and encouragement over the past two years, from the time I left employment to return to full time study, right up to the very end, this project would not have been possible without your support. Lastly, I would like to thank God for giving me the opportunity to complete my studies. iii Abstract This thesis investigates the transportation of wind turbines in an emerging wind energy market with a focus on South Africa. The research goal is to understand how the transport and the wind energy sectors interact; as well as how turbine transportation can unfold as a barrier to wind farm development in South Africa. Turbine transportation was found to be a key part of the wind farm development process which has been hampered in South Africa by poor planning, the design of the renewable energy procurement program and low cooperation amongst industry participants. Barriers to wind farm development include a shortage of logistics equipment such as cranes and trailers, a shortage of skilled drivers and crane operators and several embedded bottlenecks in the abnormal load transportation process. These factors combined have resulted in a cost premium of 5 – 10% for the turbine transportation process in South Africa as compared to the cost in larger established wind energy markets. The study additionally finds that the wind energy industry could benefit from better coordination of transport projects through industry bodies such as SAWEA, as the transport system is unlikely to be altered in order to accommodate the needs of the wind energy industry. iv Acronyms & Abbreviations DoE South African Department of Energy DPE South African Department of Public Enterprise DTI Department of Trade and Industry EC Eastern Cape EPC Engineering, Procurement & Construction EU European Union FDI Foreign Direct Investment FPH Factor Proportions Hypothesis IPP Independent Power Producer OEM Original Equipment Manufacturer PCH Production Concentration Hypothesis PPA Power Purchase Agreement REIPPPP Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme SAWEA South African Wind Energy Association SANRAL South African National Roads Agency T&L Transport and Logistics USA United States of America WC Western Cape WT Wind Turbine v Table of Contents Declaration ............................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................. iii Abstract ................................................................................................................................................. iv Acronyms & Abbreviations .................................................................................................................. v Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ vi 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Research questions ................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Rationale for study ..................................................................................................................... 4 1.3 Structure of thesis ...................................................................................................................... 5 2. Literature review ............................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7 2.2 The relationship between manufacturing location and turbine transportation .................. 8 2.2.1 The Production Concentration Hypothesis ..................................................................... 8 2.2.2 The Factor Proportions Hypothesis ............................................................................... 11 2.2.3 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 15 2.3 The effect of transport and logistics on the wind energy industry’s structure ................ 15 2.4 Transporting wind turbines in established markets ............................................................ 18 2.4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 18 2.4.2 Turbine transportation in established vs emerging markets ...................................... 18 2.4.3 Reasons for the growth in turbine size .......................................................................... 19 2.5 Transporting wind turbines in South Africa .......................................................................... 20 2.5.1 The infrastructure needed to support wind turbine transportation ............................ 20 2.5.2 The Support and equipment used in turbine transportation ...................................... 25 2.5.3 Transportation during operation and maintenance ..................................................... 26 2.6 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 27 3. Theoretical framework ................................................................................................................... 29 3.1 Project framework .................................................................................................................... 29 3.2 Components and attributes of research approach ............................................................. 31 3.3 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................ 34 4. Methodology ................................................................................................................................... 35 4.1 Methods of data collection ..................................................................................................... 35 4.2 Participant selection and interview process ........................................................................ 36 4.3 Limitations to research approach .......................................................................................... 38 vi 5. Analysis: Transporting wind turbines in South Africa ............................................................... 39 5.1 Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 39 5.2 The costs of turbine transportation ....................................................................................... 42 5.2.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 42 5.2.2 Insurance for the transportation process ...................................................................... 43 5.2.3 Turbine transport cost in South Africa ........................................................................... 44 5.2.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 46 5.3 The role of planning ................................................................................................................. 47 5.3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 47 5.3.2 The provincial and municipal transport approval process .......................................... 47 5.3.3 The routes used to transport abnormal wind equipment ............................................ 48 5.3.4 Turbine transport plans and industry confidentiality ................................................... 50 5.3.5 Conclusion