Kusile suffering delays – contractor

Published Feb 11, 2013

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Kusile, which is being built in eMalahleni, Mpumalanga, is expected to deliver its first power to the grid by the end of 2014. The station, which is the second advanced coal-fired power plant project at Eskom along with Medupi, is also experiencing some delays.

In its 2012 build programme fact sheet, Eskom said the construction had moved from mainly civil structures to include steel and boiler erection.

Although coal-fired power stations generally take about 10 years to build, Eskom had anticipated that Kusile would take eight years to complete.

But one of the contractors that does geotechnical and civil work on the site, Esorfranki, said even though its contract was on budget, it was somewhat behind schedule because of the late completion of other projects on site.

Eskom said there were many other contractors on the Kusile site but could not give details on their progress, saying that it was not at liberty to comment on any individual contract.

Kusile’s last unit is planned to start commercial operation in 2018. – Londiwe Buthelezi

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