Kusile Unit 4 enters commercial operation
Power utility Eskom says that Unit 4 of the Kusile Power Station Project has been handed over to the group’s generation division to formally be part of its commercial fleet.
“This handover marks another milestone in Eskom’s efforts to stabilise the power system in that it has formally added a much-needed 800MW to the country’s power system, it said in a statement.
The unit was initially connected to the national grid for the first time on 23 December 2021.
“This milestone means the construction of four out of the six-generation units have now been completed at the Kusile Power Station project. The Kusile project team and Eskom are working tirelessly to complete the rest of the project without any further delays as the country needs every megawatt of power it can get,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom executive for capital projects.
The unit has undergone a series of tests while intermittently supplying electricity over the past five months. Since synchronization in December 2021, the unit has performed to expectation, intermittently sending up to 720MW and contributing to reducing the implementation of load shedding, Eskom said.
At completion, the station will consist of six units, and will produce a maximum 4,800MW. Construction and commissioning activities on the remaining Kusile Units 5 and 6 continue to progress according to plan. Situated near eMalahleni in Mpumalanga, Kusile is South Africa’s largest construction project and will be the world’s fourth largest coal plant at completion.
Eskom said it is fitting wet flue gas desulphurisation (WFGD) to the Kusile plant as an atmospheric emission abatement technology, in line with current international practice, to ensure compliance with air quality standards, making it more environmentally friendly
The power company said in a note earlier this week that it has 1,976MW on planned maintenance, while another 15,398MW of capacity is unavailable due to breakdowns.
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