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Medupi power station project, South Africa

28th July 2017

By: Sheila Barradas

Creamer Media Research Coordinator & Senior Deputy Editor

     

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Name of the Project
Medupi power station project.

Location
Medupi is located on an 883 ha site in Lephalale, Limpopo, in South Africa.

Client
State-owned power utility Eskom.

Project Description
Medupi will be a dry-cooled, coal-fired, baseload power-generating plant comprising six 794 MW units, with a 4 764 MW installed capacity. It will be the fourth-largest coal-fired power plant in the southern hemisphere, and the largest of its kind with direct 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 older boilers, thereby providing greater efficiency. Supercritical technology will result in better use of natural resources, such as water and coal, and will have improved environmental performance.

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

The project is somewhat unique because Medupi is being built in reverse order – traditionally Eskom has always started building Unit 1 and ended with Unit 6. This new approach is the result of the rock agglomeration on the southern side of the site, which was excavated and reused for engineering fill on the northern side.

The project forms part of the utility’s integrated strategic electricity plan and is designed to be flue-gas desulphurisation ready.

Jobs to be Created
About 18 000 construction contractor employees and 2 000 supporting staff were employed at the peak of construction.

Value
In July 2016, Eskom officially updated its cost-to-completion estimates for Medupi. The State-owned utility reported that Medupi was now expected to cost R145-billion, rather than the earlier revised estimate of R105-billion.

The cumulative cost incurred on the project for the year ended March 31, 2017, is R101.3-billion (March 2016: R93.9-billion) against the revised budget of R145-billion. All amounts exclude capitalised borrowing costs.

Duration
The entire six-unit Medupi project is expected to be completed in 2020.

Construction activities started in May 2007.

The first unit, Unit 6, was first synchronised to the grid in the first quarter, beginning March, of 2015. In August 2015, Unit 6 of Medupi became commercially operational.

Unit 5 was successfully synchronised to the national grid on September 8, 2016, ahead of schedule, and reached full load on December 17, 2016. After
completing performance, reliability and compliance tests, the unit attained commercial operation on April 3, 2017, also ahead of schedule.

Latest Developments
With Units 6 and 5 successfully handed over for commercial operation, attention is now focused on maintaining momentum of construction progress on Units 4 to 1.

Construction on Unit 4 is progressing satisfactorily. The unit achieved the boiler hydrotest in June 2016, turbine-on-barring was successfully performed in October 2016, boiler chemical clean was completed in December 2016, and the draught group test in February 2017. First oil and coal fires were achieved in March 2017, after which boiler blow-through started. The unit was
synchronised on May 31, 2017, and remains on track for commercial operation within six to nine months.

The Unit 3 pressure parts work has been completed, culminating in a satisfactory boiler hydrotest in April 2017. Commercial operation is planned for the first half of 2019, based on the schedule.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Main packages:
Parsons Brinckerhoff (execution partner); Roshcon (enabling civils); Rula Bulk Materials Handling (coal overland conveyor and ash dump conveyor); Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa, or HMPSA (boiler); Alstom S&E Africa (turbine); LP Services consortium (engineering, procurement and construction contract for the low-pressure services); Ovivo Aqua SA (water treatment plant); Karrena-Concor joint venture, or JV (chimneys and silos); MPS JV (main civils); Actom (electrical power installation); General Electric (low-voltage switchgear system); Actom (medium-voltage switchgear); Siemens (auxiliary transformers and generator transformers); Standby Systems (uninterruptible power supply); Alstom C&I (control and instrumentation); Honeywell Automation & Control Solutions South Africa (condition-based maintenance systems); T-Systems (information technology (IT) and IT infrastructure); Siemens ACI Open Consortium (laboratory and analysers); Civcon/G4 JV (miscellaneous infrastructure and reservoirs); Basil Read (buildings Phase 2, ash dump infrastructure and clarifiers); NCI (diesel generators); ThyssenKrupp Materials Handling (coal stockyard equipment); Clyde Bergemann Africa (dust handling and conditioning systems); ELB Engineering Services (terrace coal and ash); Aveng Grinaker-LTA (buildings phases 1 and 3) and Tubular (supply and erection of conveyors).

Other contractors:
a.b.e. Construction Chemicals, Afrimat, BKS Group, DSE Structural Engineers & Contractors, Exxaro Resources, GEA Aircooled Systems, Genrec Engineering, Hansen Transmissions, MHPSA, Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Europe, Kwikspace, IWC, Lesedi Nuclear Services, Mikropul, Murray & Roberts, Royal HaskoningDHV, Sarens, SSD, Steloy Castings, Sulzer Pumps South Africa, Tubular, Voith Turbo, Wetback Contracts, Lighting Structures, Konecranes, Wade Walker, Energy Engineered Products, Turnmill Proquip Engineering and SNC-Lavalin (inspections Unit 6), and Vital Engineering (supply of Vitaclamps).

On Budget and on Time?
The project has been affected by technical and labour difficulties. However, measures have been put in place to accelerate the progress and recover the lost time. This has been evident through the latest achievements of the project milestones as per the project plan.

Contact Details for Project Information
Eskom, Medupi Project, project director Phillip Dukashe, email phillip.dukashe@eskom.co.za.
Eskom media desk, email mediadesk@eskom.co.za.
 
 

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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