The Station:
Matla consists of
six 600MW units at an installed capacity of 3 600MW, the first of the giant
3600MW coal-fired power station to be commissioned in the 1980’s. There's
approximately 700 employees (excluding students and contractors) at this
station. Matla is one of a few power stations in the world with a concrete
boiler house superstructure, giving it an outward appearance very different from
other power stations in South Africa. The use of concrete reduced the
construction lead time and capital costs at a time when there was a worldwide
shortage of steel. The planning and design of Matla Power station commenced in
the early 1970s. It was designed for an operating life of 30 years, but its
lifespan has since been extended to 60 years. Construction started late 1974,
and the first of the 600MW sets started feeding power into the national grid
towards the end of 1979. Matla reached full operational capacity in early July,
1983.
Technical detail:
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Six 600MW units
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Installed capacity: 3 600MW
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2001 capacity: 3 450MW
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Design efficiency at rated turbine MCR (%): 37.60%
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Ramp rate: 25.00% per hour
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Average availability over last 3 years:
93.84%
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Average production over last 3 years: 25
199GWh
Contact details:
Tel: (017)
612-9111
Where is Matla:
Approximately 30km from
Secunda in Mpumalanga