S. Africa puts first new power station on line in 20 years
March 3, 2015
A power company by South African state-owned Eskom, in Witbank, South Africa, on February 5, 2015 (AFP Photo/M[/caption]
Johannesburg (AFP) – South Africa put its first new power station in 20 years on line Monday as the country grapples with rolling electricity cuts that have hobbled growth in the continent’s second-largest economy.
The state-owned Eskom power company said electricity from the first unit at the coal-fired Medupi power station will pump 794 megawatts into the strained national grid when it gets up to full power in three months time.
Chief executive Tshediso Matona said the process marked “an exciting milestone towards full commercial power”.
The station is expected to have a total output of 4,764 megawatts once all six units are finished in 2017, but the project has been repeatedly delayed since construction began in 2007.
South Africa’s aging coal-fired plants struggle to provide the 30,000 megawatts of electricity consumed each day.
Power cuts have been blamed for hampering growth, which slowed to 1.5 percent last year, as manufacturing was hit by the outages.
“This will contribute significantly to South Africa’s and the region’s economy in the long run,” Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown said in a statement.
South Africa’s Eskom, which accounts for 95 percent of electricity production, is looking at building 8 nuclear reactors worth up to $50 billion (45 billion euros) to add 9,600 megawatts of generating capacity.
*Source AFP
]]>Nkemnji Global Tech
Featured

PIASA :Nomination Of Olivia Anani & Charlotte Lidon Co-Directors Of The Department For Contemporary African Art
Pan African Visions | January 21, 2021 1:56 am

CAJ Congratulates Moalimmuu on Appointment as Somali Government Spokesperson.
Pan African Visions | January 20, 2021 7:58 am

The rights of disabled Youths still a pipe dream in Sierra Leone
Pan African Visions | January 20, 2021 5:40 am

Sierra Leone: Memories of civil war still fresh in minds of victims on anniversary
Pan African Visions | January 20, 2021 5:17 am
Recent News
-
PIASA :Nomination Of Olivia Anani & Charlotte Lidon Co-Directors Of The Department For Contemporary African Art
January 21, 2021 1:56 am
-
US Government Imposes Visa Restrictions on Tanzanian Officials Over Elections
January 21, 2021 1:27 am
-
Kenya power rolls out smart meters
January 21, 2021 1:10 am
-
Kenya, Rwanda sign deal to foster tourism
January 21, 2021 1:04 am
-
The role of technology in unlocking trade value in East Africa
January 20, 2021 4:24 pm
Leave a Reply