- South Africa completes Medupi plant
- Unit 1 ready for operations
- Project attains commercial status
The state-owned electric utility, Eskom, has announced the completion of the Medupi power plant. The 4764MW plant began construction in May 2007 and is expected to have an operational lifespan of 50 years.
The Medupi Power Station located at Limpopo is the fourth-largest coal-fired plant globally. It will deploy direct dry-cooling systems due to the water scarcity in the Lephalale area. The capital cost so far for the Medupi project is R122 billion.
Group Executive Eskom Bheki Nxumalo said, ”What remains for the Medupi project is the last part of implementing the agreed technical solutions related to the boiler design defects on the balance of plant. Once these repairs are completed during the next 24 months, Medupi will reliably deliver power to the national grid at full capacity, helping increase energy security for the country.”
”This is an investment that will serve generations of the people of South Africa and power the economy for at least the next half-century.”, he added.
The plant has attained a commercial status which means compliance with statutory, safety and legal requirements. Unit 1, which was synchronised to the national grid, reached a full load of 764MW during testing.