- Portfolio Committee visits the project site
- Delays in project construction contribute to load shedding
- Committee to visit Kusile power plant site
South Africa’s Portfolio Committee on Public Enterprises has heard that the delays in the construction of the Medupi have contributed to the rising load schedules in the country. In a statement issued by the Committee, the observation was made during an oversight visit to the Medupi Power Station construction site in Lephalale, Limpopo.
”The committee heard from the power station management that the delays in completion of Medupi and Kusile power stations have contributed to the problem of load-shedding in the country”, the statement read.
The management of the power plants noted that the delays in the completion of the Medupi plant and the Kusile plant, ageing power stations, and inadequate maintenance had exacerbated the problem of unreliable electricity supply in the country.
The Chairman of the Committee, Mr Khaya Magaxa, has said, “As a country, we are worried about the problem of load-shedding, we hope these two plants will assist in changing the situation. We cannot grow the economy without efficient energy supply”. Mr Magaxa lamented the increase in the load shedding in the country with the state-owned power company Eskom recently implementing stage 4 load shedding.
The construction of the coal-fired Medupi power plant began in 2007, and a total of R123 billion has been spent so far. The Committee is scheduled to visit the Kusile power station in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga today.