The Ministry of Electricity recently announced that the restoration of unit 1 at Kusile Power Station is a significant achievement in the effort to revive South Africa’s economy. Eskom, in its latest announcement, shared that the unit has been brought back online ahead of schedule, almost one and a half months earlier than expected after being shut down at the end of last year.
Minister in the Presidency for Electricity, Dr Kgosientsho Ramokgopa, expressed satisfaction with this development. He further stated that the return of unit 1, along with unit 2 and 3, which were also offline due to safety concerns related to the stack’s structural integrity since August 2022, is a commendable accomplishment. This early completion has added an additional 800MW to the power grid.
According to the ministry, unit 2 is projected to return to service in November 2023, while unit 5 is expected to start commercial operation in December 2023. The ministry emphasized the positive impact that the reinstated unit will have on South Africa’s economy.
The return of the Kusile units is a crucial milestone in our mission to revive South Africa’s economy, safeguard jobs, promote universal access to electricity, and enhance the quality of life. The Minister is dedicated to expanding and fortifying the country’s electricity generation capacity by prioritizing the expansion and enhancement of transmission infrastructure to support new renewable energy generation.
The Minister commended Eskom’s Generation team for their exceptional efforts in restoring stability and credibility to the Eskom generation portfolio, thereby reducing the frequency and severity of load shedding.
