Kusile Power Station

Kusile Power Station

Kusile construction seen from the N4
Location of Kusile Power Station
Country South Africa
Location Witbank
Coordinates 25°54′59″S 28°55′02″E / 25.91639°S 28.91722°E / -25.91639; 28.91722Coordinates: 25°54′59″S 28°55′02″E / 25.91639°S 28.91722°E / -25.91639; 28.91722
Status Under construction
Owner(s) Eskom
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Coal
Power generation
Units operational 6 × 800 MW
Nameplate capacity 4,800 MW

Kusile Power Station (formerly known as the Bravo Power Station) in South Africa is a coal-fired power plant under construction by state electricity utility Eskom, about 15 kilometres north of the existing Kendal Power Station near Witbank, Mpumalanga.

It is expected that Kusile would consist of six 800 megawatt coal-fired generating units for a total generating capacity of 4,800 megawatts.[1]

Coal supply

In the minutes of a stakeholder briefing, Eskom stated that it "will obtain most of the coal required for Kusile Power Station from Anglo Coal's New Largo operations, south east of the Kusile Power Station."[2]

Eskom’s consultants estimate that 35 new coal mines will be required to support the Medupi and Kusile plants.[3]

Timeline

Delays

Initially expected to take 6 years to complete, the project is not expected to complete Unit 1 until 2017 (approximately 8 years after initial works began) and the entire project not until 2021. [8]

Corruption

Hitachi Power Africa, a subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., was found by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to have made US$6 million in corrupt payments to a front company for the African National Congress, the ruling political party in South Africa. [9] Hitachi agreed to pay the SEC US$19 million to settle the charges. [9] Hitachi Power Africa is conducting its works at Kusile now under the name Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa after a reorganization in February 2014 combining Hitachi, Ltd.'s and Mitsubishi Heavy Industry's interests in the region.

Finances

Kusile Power Station is estimated to cost R118 billion to complete. [8]

Financial Institution Support

The following institutions are involved in supporting the Kusile Power Station:[10]

Multilateral development banks

Banks

Export Credit Agencies

Investment Funds

Environmental impacts

The plant is expected to emit an estimated 36.8 million tonnes of CO2-equivalent per year once it is completed.[11]

A 2011 report "The True Cost of Coal: The monstrous price of South Africa's coal addiction" by Greenpeace Africa and the University of Pretoria’s Business Enterprises unit calculated the full costs of the Kusile plant, from climate change to water use, and the impact on health and the environment. It was estimated that the damage caused by Kusile will cost South Africa between R31.2 billion and R60.6 billion a year, and that just 30% of Kusile’s externality cost would be able to generate five times the coal station’s proposed power with renewable energy. Roughly 70% of the total cost was water-related.

Opposition

In November 2011, Greenpeace activists chained themselves to a gate and some climbed a crane to protest the Kusile power station and South Africa's dependence on coal, a few weeks before the country will host a global conference on climate change. Authorities arrested nine people, who were ordered to return to court Nov. 21 on charges of trespassing and malicious damage to property.[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Terence Creamer, "Eskom begins standing its ground, but regaining credibility will be tough", Engineering News, June 6, 2008.
  2. ↑ Eskom Holdings Ltd, "Second Key Stakeholder Meeting between Eskom and Topigs SA", August 19, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Move Beyond Coal, Now!: Voices from the Front Lines of the Global Struggle" Sierra Club report, Sep. 2011.
  4. ↑ Eskom, New Build News", November 2007.
  5. ↑ "Eskom Announces Major Contracts for Bravo Project", Media Release, February 29, 2008.
  6. ↑ "South African Coal Plant Wins U.S. Backing Over Environmentalist Protests" Mark Drajem, Bloomberg, April 14, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Ex-Im Bank Gives Preliminary Approval For $800M Loan To South Africa Power Plant" Wall Street Journal, April 14, 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Worker killed at Kusile Power Station". SABC. 2015-09-15.
  9. 1 2 "DA Laying Charges Over Hitachi Payment to ANC ‘Front’ for Medupi, Kusile Contracts". Times Live. 2015-09-29.
  10. ↑ "Kusile Coal Power Plant, Bank Role," BankTrack, accessed April 22, 2011
  11. ↑ Andreas Spath, "US To Finance Dirty Coal Power In South Africa" Care 2 Care, May 30, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Greenpeace protests South African coal-fired power station; police arrest 9" Washington Post, November 6, 2011.
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