ESKOM'S
INGULA UNIT 3 COMES INTO COMMERCIAL OPERATION |
Unit 3 of Eskomˇ¦s Ingula Pumped
Storage Scheme has been brought into commercial operation,
adding 333 MW to the electricity grid.
This now means that all four units that make up the plant, which
is located on the cross-border of the Free State and
KwaZuluNatal, are now commercial and produce a total of 1 332
MW.
The commercial operation of Unit 3 completes the Ingula Pumped
Storage Scheme Project, further strengthening security of power
supply to South African homes and businesses.
ˇ§These units are now part of Eskomˇ¦s peaking fleet of power
stations. Ingula can respond to demand increases on the national
grid within two-and-a-half minutes,ˇ¨ said Eskom recently.
Commercial operation is when the construction and optimisation
of the unit are complete and the operator, Eskom Generation
Division in this case, takes over the plant and runs it on a
commercial basis.
Ingula Unit 3 was resynchronised to the grid in October 2016
post repairs based on an incident during the optimisation
process. ˇ§I am thrilled that we are on track to deliver all new
build projects online timeously. This achievement would not have
been possible without the hard-working team at Ingula and strong
executive leadership in Eskom,ˇ¨ said the utilityˇ¦s Interim Group
Chief Executive, Matshela Koko.
Construction of the plant began in 2005. Ingula is
Africaˇ¦s newest and largest pumped storage scheme and the
14th-largest pumped storage scheme in the world. ˇV Source:
SAnews.gov.za ∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙∙
|