Loeriesfontein
Loeriesfontein is a small town in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It falls within what is known as the Hantam region.
Image:WindmillMuseumLoeriesfontein01.jpg|thumb|right|500px|The 27 water-pumping windmills on display in Loeriesfontein – see the figure at the left for a sense of scale.
The town
Location
The town of Loeriesfontein is within a basin surrounded by mountains and sandy Bushveld.Local government
Loeriesfontein became a municipality in 1958, but it has since lost that status in a re-organization of municipal responsibilities that incorporated it into Hantam Local Municipality.History and context
The Black Africans of Loeriesfontein who represent 86% of the population predates 1894. Little is said about their existence in this town but shops normally grow when one has buyers who already lived in the town. Records revealed people born as early as 1833, living in Loeriesfontein. The Farm Loeriesfontein was given to a number of families from the brown community by the Queen of England. Today 19000 Ha of farming land, belong to the brown community of Loeriesfontein.The town allegedly grew around a general store established in 1894 by a travelling Bible salesman, named Fredrick Turner, the son of the sister of Charles Spurgeon. He came from Norwich, England. The store still exists. It is currently owned by Victor Haupt, the grandson of Fredrick Turner. The shop is currently called Turner & Haupt SPAR, and is 130 years in the family.
Southwestern Loeriesfontein forms part of the wider region known as Namaqualand, an area well known for its spring flowers and its great variety of different plants - some 4,000 varieties are said to be evident in this region. The flowers attract visitors to the region, but at other times agriculture and mining are the main commercial activities.
Loeriesfontein Renewable Energy
The Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms are part of the South African Government’s Round 3 Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme and are managed both in terms of construction and operations by Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa. The Loeriesfontein and Khobab Wind Farms, are expected to be operational by December 2017.Situated in the Northern Cape, which has the highest volume of renewable energy utility power plants in the country, these sister wind farms comprise a total of 122 wind turbine generators, spanning 6,653 hectares. Collectively the wind farms will power circa 240,000 South African households, positively impacting the country’s economy and its people.