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Athlone
Location:
Western Cape
Operator: Cape Town Electricity Dept
Configuration: 6 X 30 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1961-1967
Boiler supplier: JBE
T/G supplier: Oerlikon, Hitachi
Quick facts: The plant was inactive from about 1985 to 1995. In 2002
and again in 2004, there were plans to privatize this power station and/or
repower the steam sets with gas turbines. As with the
Orlando site in Johannesburg, there are plans to reuse some of the Athlone
site for a cultural and commercial center.
Photograph by DanieVDM (flickr)
Posted 18 Apr 2007 |
Arnot
Location:
Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 6 X 350 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1971-1975
Boiler supplier: ICL
T/G supplier: BBC, Alsthom
Quick facts: The Arnot site on farmlands in Rietkuil
was acquired by Eskom from seven owners. Site work began in 1965 and
full-scale construction got underway in 1968. Arnot was Eskom's first
modern coal-fired power station and was fully operational by Jun 1975.
Three of its units mothballed in 1992 and recommissioned in 1997/98. Two
400kV transmission lines, owned by MOTRACO, run from Arnot and Camden
power stations to a substation near Maputo in Mozambique to supply the
MOZAL Aluminium smelter.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 11 Apr 2007 |
Camden
Location:
Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 8 X 200 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1967-1969
Boiler supplier: ICL
T/G supplier: Parsons
Quick facts: This power station is near Ermelo and was the starting point
for the build-out of South Africa’s 400kV grid. The first unit was
commissioned in Apr 1967 and the platnw as comlted at a cost of R126mn. .
In 1988, half the station was mothballed with the rest of the station
following suit in 1990. In 2003, sharp demand increases led to a decision
to reactivate Camden, Grootvlei and Komati. Camden-6 was the first back,
being synchronized on 31 Mar 2005 and returned to commercial service on 16
Jul 2005. The turbine hall is 383m long, the stacks are 154m high, and the
cooling towers are 112m tall.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 16 Aug 2008 |
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Grootvlei
Location:
Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 6 X 200 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1969-1977
Boiler supplier: BPL, Steinmuller
T/G supplier: MAN, BBC
Quick facts:Three of Grootvlei's units were mothballed in 1989 and the
rest in 1990. IN 2003, Eskom dedicated to reactivate the station and this
is now underway. Units 1&2 retruned to service in 2008. Units 5&6 were the
first test facilities for dry cooling in South Africa and Unit-6 has an
indirect dry cooling system.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 16 Aug 2008 |
Hendrina
Location:
Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 10 X 200 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1970-1977
Boiler supplier: BPL, Steinmuller
T/G supplier: Siemens
Quick facts: This power station is near Ermelo and was the starting point
for the build-out of South Africa’s 400kV grid. The first unit was
commissioned in Apr 1967. In 1988, half the station was mothballed with
the rest of the station following suit in 1990. In 2003, sharp demand
increases led to a decision to reactivate Camden, Grootvlei and Komati.
Camden-6 was the first back, being synchronized on 31 Mar 2005 and
returned to commercial service on 16 Jul 2005.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 16 Aug 2008 |
Hex River
Location: Western Cape
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 3 X 20 MW, 2 X 30 MW
Fuel: coal
Operation: 1953-1963 (ret 1988)
Boiler supplier: B&W
T/G supplier: BTH, EE
EPC: Lewis Construction
Quick facts: The 21ac plant site was on the outskirts of Worcester
and close to the Hex River. Contracts for all major items of plant and
equipment were placed in 1948 and construction started in Mar 1949. The
first unit was commissioned on 30 May 1952. The cost of the first phase
was £3.827mn. These were the first spreader stokers in South Africa. All
coal supplies came by rail from the coal-fields in the Witbank area. In
1971, the Hex River plant completed 1mn manhours without a lost-time
injury.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 4 Apr 2007
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Kelvin
Location: Johannesburg
Operator: Aldwych International
Configuration: 6 X 30 MW, 7 X 60 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1957-1969
Boiler supplier: B&W, Mitchell
T/G supplier: Fraser & Chalmers, Escher Wyss, GEC, Oerlikon
Quick facts: In Dec 2001, a consortium of AES Corp (95%) and Global Africa
Power (5%) took a 50% stake in Kelvin and obtained a 20yr PPA with
CityPower. In Dec 2002, AES agreed to sell its stake to CDC Globeleq. In
Apr 2006, Globeleq handed control of the power station to Nedbank and
Investec and withdrew from the project after finding itself unable to
return the plant to full capacity despite a $25mn investment program. In
Aug 2007, Aldwych International announced that a wholly-owned subsidiary
had completed the acquisition of a minority stake in Kelvin Power in a
joint venture with Netherlands Development Finance Co, J&J Infrastructure
Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Global African Power (Pty) Ltd, and infrastructure
funds managed by the Macquarie group, Old Mutual Investment Group (South
Africa) (Pty) Ltd and Kagiso Trust Investments (Pty) Ltd. Investec and
Nedbank will remain senior lenders to the business after this new
transaction. Aldwych will operate the plant under a long-term O&M
agreement.
Photograph courtesy of CDC Globeleq
Posted 10 Sep 2003
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Kriel
Location: Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 6 X 500 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1976-1979
Boiler supplier: Steinmuller
T/G supplier: Alsthom, BBC
Quick facts: At completion, this was the largest coal-fired power station in the Southern Hemisphere. It was also
one of the first stations to be supplied with coal from a fully mechanized mine. The plant configuration differs from other Eskom station in that each T/G set is
separate, as opposed to being placed on a single axis in a single turbine hall.
Photograph by Stefan Schloehmer
Posted 6 Dec 2003 |
Komati
Location: Mpumalanga
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 5 X 100 MW, 4 X 125 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1962-1966 (dac)
Boiler supplier: BPL, Steinmuller
T/G supplier: Siemens, GEC
EPC: Siemens
Quick facts: Site investigations at Komati began in 1957. In 1988, three units were mothballed and in 1990, the station was completely
deactivated and its coal contract terminated. Komati is Eskom's only remaining power station with a common
steam header.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 11 Apr 2007 |
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Orlando
Location: Johannesburg
Operator: City Power JHB (Pty) Ltd
Configuration: 5 X 30 MW
Fuel: bituminous coal
Operation: 1954-1955 (ret)
Boiler supplier: B&W
T/G supplier: Fraser & Chalmers, GEC
Quick facts: In 2002, it was proposed to turn the power station
into a museum celebrating the social and political history of Soweto where
the plant is located, but
this plan did not advance. At present, a consortium of Old Mutual
Properties, Standard Bank, Linsela Holdings and a group of Soweto-based businesses, will redevelop the building into a
retail center at a cost of more than R500,000. The existing building will
be converted into a mixed-use development comprising of retail shops,
office space, and loft apartments.
Photograph courtesy of City
of Johannesburg
Posted 17 Feb 2007
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Vierfontein
Location: Orange Free State
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 12 X 30 MW
Fuel: coal
Operation: 1953-1958 (ret 1990)
Boiler supplier: ICL
T/G supplier: EE
Quick facts: This plant was originally developed by Victoria Falls and
Transvaal Power Co (VFP) to meet power demand from the goldfields of the
Free State and in the Klerksdorp area. VFP was taken over by Escom in Jul
1948. Initial orders were
placed in 1950 for seven 30 MW generators and 12 twelve boilers and the first
generator went commercial on 4 May 1953. The plant cost £21.3mn. The 19 ICL tri-drum unit had the world’s
largest traveling grate "L"-type louvre
mechanical stokers in the world when completed. These were manufactured in
South Africa.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 4 Apr 2007
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West Bank-2
Location: Eastern Cape
Operator: Eskom
Configuration: 3 X 15 MW, 2 X 20 MW
Fuel: coal
Operation: 1956-1968 (ret 1989)
Boiler supplier: Adamson, Yarrow
T/G supplier: MV, Oerlikon, Hitachi
Quick facts: West Bank-2 was the last of seven new power stations
commissioned as part of a post World War II expansion program. The West
Bank-1 plant was taken over by Escom from East London Municipality in 1947
and the first equipment for the second plant was ordered in 1950. Civil
works were delayed by periodic flooding on the Buffalo River and lack of
labor and material, but electricity shortages necessitated first firing of
the lead boiler on 26 Jun 1955 to supply additional steam to sets at West
Bank-1. Unit-1 started-up on 26 April 1956 and thereafter, a 66kV
interconnector was built between East London and King William's Town. The
three 20-MW sets and second 80.5m stack followed starting in Aug 1967. The
new plant used coal from the Witbank area in the Eastern Transvaal. The
highest net generation of the plant complex was 516 GWh in 1973, the year
before the so-called Border Undertaking was linked to the 400kV grid. West
Bank’s shutdown began in 1970 when four boilers at West Bank-1 were
mothballed and the station was retired in 1978 and demolished the
following year. On 10 Feb 1989, West Bank-2 was closed after 33½ years of
service. On 31 Oct 1992, the stacks were demolished and the site released
for development.
Photograph courtesy of Eskom
Posted 19 Jul 2008
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[Note: see Top 100 pages
for other large Eskom coal-fired power plants] |
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