Unit 6 at Kusile Power Station has officially entered commercial operation, completing South Africa’s two supercritical coal-fired power stations, Medupi and Kusile, Eskom reported on September 29. Together, they can deliver 9 600 MW of baseload capacity – a key element of Eskom’s Generation Recovery Plan.
Unit 6 has been supplying power since March 23 but only now counts towards Eskom’s official performance metrics, including the energy availability factor.
“The successful commissioning of Unit 6 adds 800 MW to the grid and completes our 12-unit megaprojects fleet,” said Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation.
According to Eskom’s Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, Medupi and Kusile will remain central to South Africa’s electricity supply for many years to come with both stations designed for operational lifespans of approximately 50 years.
Kusile is the first plant in South Africa, and on the African continent, to use wet flue gas desulphurisation technology to cut sulphur dioxide emissions, Eskom said.
However, the project comes at more than double its original cost. Parliamentary oversight reports earlier this year put total costs at R161 billion – up from an initial budget of R80 billion.
In March, energy policy expert Anton Eberhard noted that Kusile’s final unit is coming online 17 years after the 2008 investment decision, calling it “a site of major corruption” that contributed to R500 billion in bailouts between 2008 and 2026.
