The Kusile Power Station is set to be operational by 2023, the Deputy President David Mabuza has confirmed. Mabuza was accompanied by a ministerial task team, including Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe, acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshaveni and State Security Minister, Ayanda Dlodlo while conducting oversight of the now 50% operational Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga.
According to DP Mabuza plans are afoot to make sure that there is enough electricity in the country. “According to the timeline that we have set ourselves as government, Eskom has set for itself, we have tried to push them hard. The deadline for Kusile is 2023,” he said.
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Kusile Power Station
Kusile is a coal-fired power station close to the existing Kendal power station in the Delmas municipal area of the Mpumalanga province South Africa. It is the second most advanced coal-fired power plant project in Eskom after Medupi power station in Lephalale. As a rule, a coal-fired power station takes about eight years to build.
The over US $7bn station will consist of six units each rated at approximately 800MW installed capacity giving a total of 4800MW. As such it will be one of the largest coal-fired power stations in the world, once finished. The power station will be coal fired, with the coal supplied by a new colliery near the power station.
In late March, Eskom announced that Unit 3 of the Power Station achieved commercial operation status. This brought to three the number of generation units that have achieved commercial status at the project, generating a maximum of 2400MW to support the South African power grid. Bringing the 800MW unit to commercial status means construction activity has come to an end on half of the project.
