Name and Location
KiPower coal-fired power plant, Mpumalanga, South Africa.

Client
KiPower is a subsidiary of Kuyasa Mining, which also owns Delmas Coal and iKhwezi Colliery.

Project Description
The project proposes to establish a new 600 MW mine-mouth coal-fired power station, comprising four 150 MW units consisting of a single subcritical drum-type, reheat circulating fluidised-bed boiler.

Delmas Coal will provide the coal to fuel the power plant.

An ash disposal facility will be located near the plant. Included in the proposed project is a water supply pipeline, which will run from the existing Rand Water bulk supply line to the power plant. The plant will use air-cooled condensers and, therefore, significantly lower volumes of water than an equivalent power plant with a wet cooling system.

A dry ash management system will also be used. To meet required emissions standards, the existing rail that runs along the western boundary of Delmas Coal will supply limestone or dolomite to the plant. A new rail spur will be added for unloading the limestone/dolomite onto an overland conveyor, which will be used to deliver the limestone/dolomite to the plant.

There will be a short conveyor from Delmas Coal’s North shaft processing plant to the power plant and an ash conveyor from the power plant to the ash disposal facility.

Access to the main entrance of the power plant site will require an upgrade of the existing district road leading from the R50 towards the entrance of the power plant site and an upgrade of the existing intersection with the R50.

The project may, subject to several further studies and authorisations, be expanded to produce up to 2 000 MW in the long term.

Value
Capital investment is estimated at $1.7-billion.

Duration
KiPower has targeted 2015 for production and expects the first of the plant’s four units to be operational by 2018.

Latest Developments
KiPower continues to advance preparations for the construction of a 600 MW power plant.  The draft reports on the project’s environmental-impact assessment, waste management licence application and atmospheric emissions licence application will be available for public review on February 7 until March 18, 2014.

The draft reports will contain studies undertaken by various specialists, the integrations of the findings and an environmental management programme, which will prescribe how the proposed project should be managed before, during and after its proposed construction.

The coal-fired power plant, which will procure coal from the nearby Delmas coal mine, aims to supply a portion of the 42.6 GW of electricity that will be required to service the country’s energy needs by 2030.

Key Contracts and Suppliers
Black & Veatch (prefeasibility study), Jones & Wagener (independent environmental consultant).

On Budget and on Time?
Not stated.

Contact Details for Project Information
Kuyasa Mining, tel +27 13 656 36 59 or fax +27 13 690 35 45.
Black & Veatch, tel +1 913 458 2000 or email Corporateinfo@bv.com.
Jones & Wagener, tel + 27 11 519 0200, fax +27 11 519 0201.