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Medupi power station project, South Africa

22nd November 2013

By: Creamer Media Reporter

  

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Name and Location
Medupi power station project, Limpopo, South Africa.

Client
Eskom.

Project Description
Medupi is located on an 883 ha site in Lephalale, Limpopo.

It will be a dry-cooled coal-fired, baseload power-generating plant, comprising six 794 MW units, with a 4 764 MW installed capacity – the biggest of its kind with dry cooling in the world.

The planned operational life of the station is 50 years.

The power station will use high-tech supercritical boilers, which will operate at higher temperatures and pressures than the older boilers, thereby providing greater efficiency.

It is the first baseload coal-fired station to be built in South Africa in more than 20 years and its delivery on schedule is viewed as critical.

The project will form part of the utility's integrated strategic electricity plan and is designed to be flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) ready.

Value
The cost of the project has increased from R91.2-billion to R105-billion.

Duration
The first unit, Unit 6, will be synchronised to the grid in the second half of 2014.

Latest Developments

Engineering group Hitachi Power Africa (HPA) reports that 98% of its scope of work on boiler Unit 6 at the Medupi power station has been completed. It has also confirmed that it is in a position to meet Eskom’s revised commissioning programme, despite having to replace up to four separators.

Earlier this year, State-owned utility Eskom announced a further delay to the commissioning of the first Medupi unit to the second half of 2014, having already moved the schedule to the end of 2013 from an initial plan to synchronise the plant to the grid in 2011.

The budget for the 4 764 MW coal-fired power station was also revised upwards from R91.2-billion to R105-billion, excluding interest during construction.

The delay announcement followed an independent assessment of boiler-weld problems and software failures relating to the control and instrumentation contract.

HPA COO Tom Brown reports that the programme to rectify weld defects is “nearly finished” and that the next milestone for Unit 6 will be the execution of the hydro test, which is scheduled for March 2014.

The company used a team of about 50 workers and supervisors for a period of six months to check and rectify the welds in line with Weld Procedure Qualification Record protocols.

Brown says there is sufficient time in the revised schedule to allow it to modify the reheater elements, which will be realigned at the request of the client.

In addition, it is in discussions with a subcontractor to replace up to four separators – a work package that is described as “manageable” and which Brown insists will not increase the overall cost of the project.

The separators separate the water from the steam.

HPA is also increasingly confident that it should be able to commission boiler Unit 5 at Medupi straight after Unit 6 and that the first boiler at Kusile, which is being built in Mpumalanga, should be next.

Eskom told Engineering News Online that it was not prepared to comment on any of the other elements of the project that could threaten the revised schedule.

The company will give an update on the progress of the build programme at its next interim results announcement scheduled for December.

In an oral reply to a Parliamentary question posed on October 24, Public Enterprises Minister Malusi Gigaba said the Medupi management team had adopted a 24-hour, seven-day presence to oversee the performance of contractors.

“Contractors are working extended hours on a multiple-shift basis. Daily meetings are held between the Medupi site management and contractors’ site managers to resolve concerns, interface issues, integrate work areas and so on. Weekly meetings are held with the contractors’ managing directors to give immediate authorisation for construction decisions,” he said.

Gigaba added that no conditional relaxations are being offered to contractors and that all contractual remedies were being explored to ensure timeous delivery.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Parsons Brinckerhoff (contracts manager); Exxaro Resources (coal agreement); Roshcon (enabling civils); BKS Group (audit and design of concrete steel structures); HPA and Hitachi Power Europe, or HPE (engineering, supply, manufacturing, construction and commissioning of utility steam generators, as well as related components, such as regenerative steam air heaters, coal mills and feeders, sootblowers, fans, de-ashers and high- and low-pressure pipework); Murray & Roberts, or M&R (structural steel fabrication and erection, mechanical installation works, boiler construction and civil works contract); Genrec Engineering (awarded several projects by M&R, which is contracted to HPA –connection design, as well as detail, fabricate and supply the structural steel for the boiler island, auxiliary bay structures, ash transverse conveyors, coal incline conveyors and the primary and secondary coal conveyors); DSE Structural Engineers & Contractors, subcontracted by Genrec Engineering (air preheater structure); Clyde Bergemann Power Group, subcontracted by HPA (supplier of sootblowers for boilers); Clyde Bergemann Africa (fly-ash handling and conditioning systems); Energy Fabrication (supply of 30 000 t of fabrication platework for the boiler ducting and coal bunkers); Alstom (turbine-generator protection equipment); SPX Corporation (pulse-jet fabric filters and air preheaters, as well as the manufacture of pressure parts); GEA (design, manufacture, supply and erection of the air-cooled condensers); Hansen Transmissions South Africa (condenser gearboxes); Afrimat, in partnership with local suppliers Chobe Crushers (supply of aggregate); BroKrew Industrial (fabrication, corrosion protection and delivery of ducting for six air-cooled condenser sections); Royal HaskoningDHV (engineering services); Kwikspace (modular accommodation units); Sarens (mobile crane hire); Voith Turbo (Vorecon drives); Concrete Finishing Equipment (dust filters and silo and environmental safety); Areva's transmission and distribution, or T&D, division (switchgear cubicles); Mikropul (axial-flow fans and auxiliary equipment for the turbine halls' ventilation); General Electric, or GE (low-voltage switchgear system); Siemens (generator transformers); Steel Services Direct, or SSD (steel, pipes and wax plants); GB Bearings (supply of HSR horizontal bearing assemblies and profile bore bearings); Sulzer Pumps South Africa, subcontracted by Actom (fabrication of 48 pumps for boiler feed, booster and condensate extraction duties); Steloy Castings, subcontracted by Sulzer Pumps South Africa (supply of chrome steel components for the pumps); ThyssenKrupp Materials Handling, or TKMH (coal stockyard equipment); a.b.e. Construction Chemicals (supply of waterproofing, flooring and sealant products, as well as other general construction products); LP Services consortium (engineering, procurement and construction contract for the low-pressure services); Lighting Structures (design, manufacture, supply and installation of Hi Masts); Basil Read (ash-dump infrastructure); ELB Engineering Services (terrace coal and ash); Actom (electrical power installation, chimney and silos); Aqua Engineering (water treatment); Konecranes (heavy-duty cranes) and Wade Walker (electrical and instrumentation subcontract).

On Budget and on Time?
The project will not meet the revised end-of-year deadline for the flow of first power and will cost R105-billion, excluding indirect costs, instead of R91.2-billion, as was initially announced.

Contact Details for Project Information
a.b.e. Construction Chemicals, tel +27 11 306 9000.
Actom, tel +27 11 820 5111or fax +27 11 820 5100.
Afrimat investor and corporate relations, tel +27 11 325 5944 or fax +27 11 325 5942.
Areva T&D, tel +27 11 820 5037.
BKS Group, tel +27 12 421 3500, fax +27 12 421 3501 or email group@bks.co.za.
BroKrew, tel +27 11 668 6300 or fax +27 11 955 1958.
Chobe Crushers, tel +27 14 763 5130.
Clyde Bergemann Africa, tel +2 7 11 704 0580, fax +27 11 704 0597 or email enquiry@cbz.co.za.
Clyde Bergemann Power Group, tel +49 281 815 101, fax +49 281 815 184 or email info@clydebergemannpowergroup.com.
DSE Structural Engineers & Contractors, tel +27 11 871 4111, fax +27 11 871 4141 or email dse@grinaker-lta.co.za.
Energy Fabrication, tel +27 11 456 1000, fax +27 86 637 1756 or email info@energyfabrication.co.za.
Eskom media desk, tel +27 800 3304/3309/3343/3378, fax +27 11 800 3805 or email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.
Eskom national call centre, tel 0860 037 566.
Exxaro Resources, tel +27 12 307 4189.
GB Bearings, tel +27 11 974 1291 or fax +27 11 974 1468.
GEA Aircooled Systems, tel +27 11 861 1521.
GE corporate investor communications, tel +1 203 373 2460.
Genrec Engineering, tel +27 11 876 2300, fax +27 11 827 1733 or email sales@genreceng.co.za.
Hansen Transmissions, tel +27 11 571 9611.
HPA, tel +27 11 260 4300, fax +27 11 656 3609 or email info@hitachi-power.co.za; or media liaison Pamella Radebe, tel +27 11 260 4300 or email p_radebe@hitachi-power.co.za.
HPE, tel +49 203 80 38 0 or fax +49 203 80 38 1809.
Kwikspace, tel +27 11 903 8993 or email barney@kwikspace.co.za.
IWC, tel +27 11 466 0699, fax +27 11 466 8180 or email mail@iwc.co.za.
Lesedi Nuclear Services marketing manager Shane Pereira, tel +27 21 525 1300, fax +27 21 525 1333 or email shane.pereira@lesedins.co.za.
Mikropul, tel +27 478 0456, fax +27 478 0371 or email sales@mikropul.co.za.
M&R, tel +27 11 723 2080; or group communications executive Ed Jardim, tel +27 11 456 6200, fax +27 11 455 1322, cell +27 83 357 6282 or email eduard.jardim@murrob.com.
Parsons Brinckerhoff, tel +27 11 787 4141, fax +27 11 886 0359 or email project@pbworld.com.
Roshcon, tel +27 11 629 8000 or fax +27 11 626 3460.
Royal HaskoningDHV, tel +27 11 798 6000, fax +27 11 798 6005 or email corporate@rhdhv.com.
Sarens, tel +27 11 861 3800, fax +27 11 861 3899 or email info@sarenssa.co.za.
SSD, tel +27 11 828 0439 or fax +27 11 828 2810.
Steloy Castings, tel +27 13 933 3331, fax +27 13 933 3653 or email info@steloy.com.
Sulzer Pumps South Africa, tel +27 11 820 6252 or fax +27 11 820 6205; or Gavin Doran, email gavin.doran@sulzer.com.
TKMH, tel +27 11 236 1000 or fax +27 11 236 1235.
Voith Turbo, tel +27 11 418 4076 or fax +27 11 418 4059.
Wetback Contracts, tel +27 11 392 8000, fax +27 11 392 5856 or email info@wetback.co.za.
Lighting Structures, tel +27 87 310 1000, fax +27 86 699 6999.
Konecranes, tel +27 11 864 2800.
Wade Walker, tel +27 11 466 0377.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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