Eskom completes delayed Medupi project
Eskom has announced that Unit 1, the last of six generation units at Medupi Power Station Project in Lephalale, Limpopo, is finally complete.
The power utility says Unit 1 has attained commercial operation status and was handed over to the Generation division.
Spokesperson Sikonathi Mantshantsha says the completion of Unit 1 marks the completion of all building activities on the 4 764MW project, which commenced in May 2007.
“The commercial operation status means technical compliance to statutory; safety and legal requirements have all been met. The unit was officially declared commercial after the completion of the unit optimisation, control demonstration, as well as the 72-hour and 30-day reliability run, which have put all performance guarantees into effect. Unit 1 was first
synchronised to the national grid on 27 August 2019 and reached the full load of 794MW on 05 December 2019,” says Mantshantsha.
Mantshantsha says the project's capital cost is R122 billion and Eskom expects to spend in total under R135 billion on completion of the balance of the plant.
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“As part of the Medupi legacy project, Eskom invested more than R2.9 billion on socio-economic development initiatives to address some of the immediate social needs of the local communities. Since its inception, over R145 million was spent on corporate social investment benefitting over 80 000 people with a special focus on rural development, education and health infrastructure.”
What now remains is the last part of implementing the agreed technical solutions related to the boiler design defects on the balance of the plant.
Eskom says 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.
