Medupi produces its first Power

 

The first power was produced out of Medupi’s unit 6 on Monday at 11:03, making it the first of the Medupi power station’s six units to be synchronised, according to Eskom.

Synchronisation, or first power, is the process whereby the generator in the unit is electrically connected to the national power grid, in such a way that its power is perfectly aligned with all the other generators to generate and deliver electricity into the national power grid.

According to Eskom CEO Tshediso Matona this is the final stage marking "an exciting milestone" towards full commercial power.

“Today, we celebrate the achievement with team Medupi. The electricity flowing into the grid marks a new beginning. Within the next three months, South Africa will see Medupi unit 6’s full potential of 794MW being fed into the South African national grid," said Matona.

"I congratulate team Medupi for their efforts in achieving this important milestone for South Africa.”

In anticipation of commercial operation, a power station manager has been appointed.

Eskom said over the past six years a core set of people were trained and developed to operate the cutting edge technology that makes Medupi "unique in the world".
 
“Approximately 350 men and women are waiting to join the force of South Africans making history when the unit gets operational. While unit 6 is the first of Medupi’s six units, it should be noted that all required auxiliary services for the entire power station are ready to ensure that Medupi’s total output of 4 764MW is fully synchronised to the South African power grid,” said  Matona.

For Minister of Public Enterprises Lynne Brown the synchronisation of unit 6 at Medupi is a step towards full power generation of 794MW and, therefore, a step closer to alleviating some of the energy challenges currently faced by South Africa.

"This will contribute significantly to South Africa’s and the region’s economy in the long run,” said Brown.

“We recognise that this is only the beginning, but I am confident that achieving this significant milestone will sustain the dedication and commitment of the Eskom team as they work towards the completion of the project."