Coal fired power stations

At the heart of an electricity utility such as Eskom is the responsibility for supplying the electricity on which modern society depends.

Eskom’s power stations operate 365 days a year

Arnot power station

Camden power station

General:

Camden was the starting point of the national power grid consisting of a series of 400kV lines which today interconnect the entire country.

RTS Project:
Due to a sharp increase in the demand for electricity, the Eskom Board of Directors took a final decision in 2003 for the Return to Service (RTS) of the three power stations, Camden, Grootvlei and Komati, that were mothballed in the late 1980’s and early 1990’s.

The initial Execution Release Approval (ERA) document was valued at R4, 029 billion and the entire return to service of the station was done for less than R5, 866 billion.

The return to service project of the station ended on 31 March 2010 with the entire station fully commercial.

Contact details:

Tel: +27 17 827 8000

Where is Camden:

Camden is approximately 15km’s from Ermelo

Duvha power station

General

In 1993 Duvha became the first power station in the world to be retrofitted with pulse jet fabric filter plants on three of its six units. These plants contribute largely to the reduction of air pollution by removing 99.99% of the fly ash which otherwise would be released into the air through the station’s chimneys.

Technical details:

Six 600MW units Installed capacity: 3 600MW
2001 capacity: 3 450MW
Design efficiency at rated turbine MCR (%): 37.6%
Ramp rate: 40% per hour
Average availability over last 3 years: 89.85%
Average production over last 3 years: 22 798GWh

Safety

Duvha’s excellent safety record is proven by the fact that it has been awarded NOSCAR status twice already by the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA). The last award was made in March 2001.

Contact details:

Tel: (013) 690-0111

Where is Duvha:

Approximately 15km east of Witbank in Mpumalanga.

Grootvlei power station

Hendrina power station

Kendal power station

Komati power station

History:

Construction of Komati Power Station started in 1957 and the last unit came into operation in 1961 and the last unit in 1966. It is one of Eskom’s oldest power stations in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

General:

In 1988 three units at Komati were mothballed. In 1990, the station was completely mothballed, and its coal contract terminated. In November 2004, a decision was taken to reinstate Komati Power Station as one of the “Return to Service” sites. After 19 years of mothballing, all nine units were returned to Commercial Operation between January 2009 and Oct 2013. In 2017, a decision was made to place Komati in extended Cold Reserve based on a ramp down strategy (surplus energy and financial constraints).

A transition to Just Energy birthed the repowering and repurposing concept for Komati offering the plant a second life. This saw the last unit of the station, unit 9, being shut down in October 2022 and an opportunity to plan for the implementation of Renewable Energy Power Generation Technologies, create a more sustainable and better shared future, make a difference in people’s lives, communities, and our planet by being innovative, renovating, reusing and recycling.

Komati intends on deepening the understanding of Just Energy Transition and skills through training, workshops, and individual mentoring sessions on leadership, business, and green transformation. The skills development opportunity will also be offered to the Komati community through our Komati Training Facility.

Technical details:

Transition from coal to renewable energy, that is solar energy, battery storage and wind.
Coal power generation plant was shutdown in October 2022.
Phase one of the repowering aims to cover the following:
100MW Solar PV Plant
150MW (600MWh Capacity) Battery Energy Storage System (BESS)
1x125MW Generator Conversion to Synchronous Condenser (SCO)
70MW Wind Farm

Safety:

Komati’s boots an excellent safety record; the station has been awarded NOSCAR status by the National Occupational Safety Association (NOSA). Awards were from received between March 2000 and August 2022, as follows:

NOSA: Excellent Award NOSA Mpumalanga Region: Top companies award (2014, 2016 and 2021)
Implemented and Maintained OHSAS 18001:2001
Implemented and Maintained ISO 14001and ISO 9001
Injury free power station for seven consecutive years

Komati Power Station Statement of Purpose

The drive to repower and repurpose Komati is to create a Green Environment that is self-sufficient in terms of electricity supply to buildings and workshops. At full production, technology will be derived with the first phase being Containerized Microgrids, aiming to be an economic hub and a place of hope for employees and the community.

“Komati strive for excellent performance by achieving 80:10:10 with Zero Harm.”

Contact details:

Tel: (013) 693-3111

Fax: (013) 693-3114

Where is Komati:

Komati is situated approximately 37km from Middleburg, 43km from Bethal and 40km from Witbank via Vandyksdrift in Mpumalanga Province, South Africa.

Kriel power station

Kusile power station

The Kusile power station project, which is located near the existing Kendal power station, in the Nkangala district of Mpumalanga, will comprise six units, each rated at an 800 MW installed capacity for a total capacity of 4 800 MW. Once completed, Kusile will be the fourth-largest coal-fired power station in the world.

The Kusile project will include a power station precinct, power station buildings, administrative buildings (control buildings and buildings for medical and security purposes), roads and a high-voltage yard.

Lethabo power station

General:

Construction of Lethabo started in 1980. Extensive environmental studies were conducted in accordance with Eskom’s Environmental policy.

It was established that the rehabilitation programmes implemented as part of Eskom’s normal operations would contribute considerably to the restoration and revaluation of the whole area.

Interesting facts:

Lethabo Power Station is termed a ZLED-station (Zero-Liquid-Effluent-Discharge). This means that the whole station is a closed system and no water from our processes are allowed to leave the power station premises. An extensive water recycling and cleaning desalination is in place
Lethabo is unique: it burns coal with a calorific value of 15 – 16 million Joules per kilogram and an ash content of 42%. The only power station in the world running on such low-grade coal. The station plays a vital role in ensuring reliable supply of electricity into the national power grid.

Lethabo Visitors Centre

Guided tours are conducted from the Visitors Centre during weekdays. Presentations can also be given off-site. Booking in advance is essential.

Contact:

Communication and Stakeholder

Tel. 016 4575650/ 5037

[email protected]

Majuba power station

Facts about Majuba Power Station:

Majuba is the latest of Eskom’s “6 pack” power plants
Majuba is Eskom’s second largest power plant with an installed capacity of 4 110MW
Units 1-3 capacity: 657 MW per unit (612 MW sent out)
Units 4-6 capacity: 712 MW per unit (669 MW sent out)
Majuba has no dedicated mine and currently purchases coal through short/medium term supply contracts (15 suppliers)
Majuba has 2 shifting capabilities

What makes Majuba Power Station unique?

Different sources of coal
Only Eskom plant operating a train tippler plant
Coal delivered per month by rail 0.42 MT, by road 0.74 MT, approximately 700 trucks per day
Majuba utilizes two different cooling technologies: Indirect dry cooling and Wet cooling
Only coal fired power station in the country that has predominantly 2-shifted
Only station in RSA that has axial FD and ID fans

Where is Majuba?
Between Volksrust and Amersfoort in Mpumalanga

Contact details:
Tel: (017) 799-3111

Matimba power station

Matla power station

Technical detail:

Six 600MW units
Installed capacity: 3 600MW
2001 capacity: 3 450MW
Design efficiency at rated turbine MCR (%): 37.60%
Ramp rate: 25.00% per hour
Average availability over last 3 years: 93.84%
Average production over last 3 years: 25 199GWh

Contact details:
Tel: (017) 612-9111

Where is Matla:
Approximately 30km from Secunda in Mpumalanga

Medupi power station

The Medupi Power Station Project is a green-fields coal-fired power plant located west of Lephalale, Limpopo Province, South Africa.

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”.

Tutuka power station

History:

The construction of Tutuka began in October 1980. The first unit was commissioned in March 1985 and the power station was fully commercial by June 1991. Tutuka was completed on 3 June 1996. The station as the first power station to feed energy into Eskom’s 765 kV extra high voltage system and is an important link with the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal.

General:

As part of Eskom’s emission reduction plan and for compliance purposes, Tutuka will install appropriate technology in each of its six units to meet the new plant standard levels for PM and NOx emissions. The installation of the technology will be done in phases (i.e. per unit), which will bring the station into full compliance with the new plant standards from 2024 for PM and 2025 for NOx. According to the current Generation 2035 plan, Tutuka is scheduled for closure by 2030, with all six units being decommissioned in 2030.

Technical details:

Six 609MW units with 585MW sent out
Installed capacity: 3 654MW
2001 capacity: 3 510MW
Design efficiency at rated turbine MCR (%): 38.00%
Ramp rate: 33.33% per hour (15 MW per minute)

Interesting facts:

The local township of Thuthukani benefits from an historical anomaly. Thuthukani was initially formed as a home to Tutuka workers. The Thuthukani community has grown over the years and now includes inhabitants other than Eskom workers. Tutuka currently subsidises the provision of water and electricity to this township, playing an important role in service provision to this community.

Tutuka Power Station Statement of Purpose

To be a high performing, stable and sustainable Business Unit that promotes a culture of disciplined execution whilst safeguarding our assets and people.

Contact details:

Communication and Stakeholder

Tel: (+27) 749 5701

Where is Tutuka:

Tutuka is one of 15 coal-fired Eskom power stations in South Africa, located approximately 26km outside the Standerton CBD, within the Lekwa municipal jurisdiction, between the R38 and R39 roads.