Is Medupi Power Station fully operational?
Medupi is a dry-cooled coal-fired power station under construction in Lephalale, South Africa. The plant will be the world’s biggest dry-cooled, coal-fired power station, as well as the world’s fourth biggest coal-fired power plant, when fully-operational.
How long did it take to build Medupi?
20 years
Medupi is the first base-load station to be built in 20 years by Eskom after Majuba Power Station This base-load power station was formerly known as Project Alpha and has since been named Medupi which means “rain that soaks parched lands, giving economic relief”.
How much did Medupi cost?
The initial expected cost of R80 billion (2007 Rands), was revised to R154 billion (2013 Rands). By 2019, the cost of Medupi was independently estimated at R234 billion (2019 Rands).
How many units are running at Medupi Power Station?
In late June, Eskom assured parliament that all six units at Medupi Power Station are working and contributing to the national grid. Parliament’s Portfolio Committee Chairperson Khaya Magaxa said that construction of the power station is complete and all six units are operational.
Is the Medupi Power Station still under construction?
In February 2019, Eskom reported R8 billion would be needed to fix design defects at Medupi and Kusile. As of July 2019, unit 2 was still undergoing commissioning and unit 1 was under construction. In August 2019, Unit 1 was synchronized to the grid. In November 2019, Eskom said unit 2 had attained commercial operation status.
How big is the Medupi coal fired power plant?
The Medupi Power Station Project in Lephalale is a green-fields coal-fired power plant comprising of six units rated in total at 4 800MW installed capacity. The uniqueness of this project lies therein that Medupi is being constructed in reverse sequence, the opposite of the traditional Eskom practice of starting with Unit 1 and ending with Unit 6.
What was the original cost of the Medupi project?
When the project was first given the go ahead, it was estimated by then Eskom CEO Jacob Maroga that the project would cost R69 billion. The latest estimates show that costs have risen massively to R154 billion.
How big is the power station in Lephalale?
The undated satellite photo below shows the power station under construction in Lephalale. Your browser is not compatible with Google Maps v3. The project comprises six 800 megawatt (MW) units to be provide a total installed capacity of 4,800 MW installed capacity.
