Eskom boosts national grid with successful return of Medupi Unit 4

Eskom has achieved a significant milestone in its ongoing efforts to stabilise South Africa's electricity supply, as the utility proudly announced that Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station has been successfully returned to service.

The Medupi Power Station, located in Lephalale in South Africa’s Limpopo province, holds thedistinction of being one of the world’s largest dry-cooled, coal-fired power plant

The unit, which is now operational, adds an impressive 800MW to the national grid, further reinforcing the country’s energy security.

The return of Unit 4 follows extensive repairs and a strategic approach that allowed it to come back online a remarkable eight months ahead of the original schedule.

This expedited process was made possible through the innovative use of a refurbished Generator Stator, which served as an alternative to waiting for a brand-new component, thereby avoiding costly delays.

Unit 4 had been out of service since 8 August 2021, after suffering substantial damage from the explosion of its original Generator Stator.

This critical failure prompted Eskom’s engineering teams to formulate a Generation Operational Recovery Plan that focused on cost-effective and timely solutions.

By sourcing a used stator from the Netherlands and implementing strategic measures, Eskom overcame the long delivery times associated with new parts and successfully fast-tracked the unit’s return to operational capacity.

With the reinstatement of Unit 4, all six units at the Medupi Power Station are now fully operational, poised to deliver a combined capacity of 4 800MW to the national grid as each unit reaches its full output in the coming weeks.

According to Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane, this corrective measure is integral to their overarching goal of achieving operational stability and adding a total of 2 500MW to the grid.

“Today’s developments once again reflect the progress of our Generation Operational Recovery Plan, which is central to ensuring the long-term sustainability of the broader economy. This achievement moves us closer to consistently overcoming loadshedding, which is now largely behind us due to structural improvements in the generation fleet,” he said. 

Eskom also extended its appreciation to the Medupi team, support staff, and all execution partners for their professionalism and commitment throughout this endeavour.

In particular, the successful and safe transportation of the 400-tonne Generator Stator, spanning approximately 1 000km by road from Richards Bay to the power station, was a notable highlight, achieved through the dedicated efforts of Eskom Rotek Industries.

Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom Group Executive for Generation, noted that the successful return of Unit 4 serves as a motivational achievement for their teams, reinforcing confidence in the reliability of Eskom’s power supply moving forward.

IOL