Did you know there are currently over fifteen Eskom Power Stations that are meeting South Africas energy demands?
South Africa also taps hydroelectric, solar and nuclear energy to generate power.
Electricity in South Africa is such an essential commodity.
Image: instagram.com, @Eskom HoldingsSource: Instagram
The following plants are the main source of SA power.
South African power stations
1.
This power station can produce about 1338 megawatts.
Read also
Read also
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa acknowledges electricity too expensive for average person
2.
Arnot
Arnot is one of the earliest Eskom power stations in Mpumalanga.
Its construction started in 1968, and it became fully operational in 1975.
Read also
It distributes power to the South African grid and the Mozambican Mozal Aluminum smelter.
Mozal alone takes about 950 Mega Watts.
The National Occupation Safety Association has recognized and awarded Arnot the NASCAR status twice.
Image: twitter.com, @middleburg SASource: Twitter
READ ALSO:Zimbabwe accused of stealing electricity from Eskom
3.
Camden
This Power Station is in Mpumalanga.
It has a total capacity of 1600 Mega Watts that is generated by eight 200 Mega Watt units.
Read also
It also feeds the South African grid and the Mozambican Mozal Aluminum smelter through the 400Kv transmission lines.
Each of its four chimneys is 500 ft tall.
Duvha
Duvha is powered by coal, and it is located in Mpumalanga.
Read also
Its chimneys are as tall as 300 meters.
The project started in 1975, and its last unit became operational in 1984.
It has six units of 600 Mega Watts each and a total capacity of 3600 Mega Watts.
Image: twitter.com, @prince moyoSource: Instagram
Grootvlei
The Grootvlei Power station has six units, and the first of these six was commissioned in 1969.
It rests on farmlands that are opposite to the Petro SA Refinery.
The first phase started its operations in January 2006 at 3 x 148 MegaWatt units.
Read also
The next phase with 2x148 MegaWatt units was completed in 2008.
These types of plants are usually meant to supply electricity during emergencies and peak hours.
The world’s largest hydrogen powered truck is being used in South Africa by Anglo American
8.
Image: instagram.com, @EskomSource: Instagram
Its construction started in 1982 and went on till 1983.
So far, Kendal is the biggest power station in South Africa.
It has six, 686 MegaWatt units and a capacity of 4,116 MegaWatts.
Read also
READ ALSO: Gordhan, Mantashe under fire as load-shedding looms in distance
9.
Komati
Komati is powered by coal.
It was built in 1979, and it has one of the tallest chimneys in the country.
Image: twitter.com, @capriconFMSource: Twitter
The Hendrina Plant
This one is located in Mpumalanga and is also ranked among the countrys oldest power stations.
It started operations between 1970 and 1976.
The station has an annual production of 13,668 GigaWatts
12.
Read also
The Kriel Power Facility
Kriel is in Mpumalanga, about 4 kilometers away from Kriel town.
The station is unique in that each of its turbine generators is housed separately.
After completion in 1979, it went into the record as the largest coal-powered station in the Southern Hemisphere.
READ ALSO: Malema on Eskom, ANC and Ramaphosa: Late-night chat with Mzansi
13.
Lethabo
Lethabo is located in the Free State in South Africa (between Sasolburg and Vereeniging).
It has six 618 MegaWatta units with an installed capacity of 3708 MegaWatts.
Its construction started in 1980 and took about ten years to complete.
Lethabo runs on the lowest grade of coal compared to any other plant globally.
1 million not out!
Mzansi’s Volkswagen plant builds 1 millionth Polo for export
14.
Majuba
This is an Eskom coal facility that is found in Mpumalanga between Amersfoort and Volksrust.
Matimba
Matimba Power Station is located at Ellisras in Limpopo.
It has a total capacity of 3990 Mega Watts.
This is the worlds largest dry cooled power station.
It receives its coal from the Grootegeluk coal mine over a conveyor belt.
UNESCO declared the Palmiet scheme area as a Biosphere Reserve in December 1998.
Tech geniuses: 3 University students build unit to determine water quality
17.
It has six 609 MegaWatt units with a total capacity of 3654 MegaWatts.
She has a Bachelor of Commerce & IT from the University of Nairobi and joined Briefly.co.za in November 2019.
The writer completed a Google News Initiate Course.
you might email her at perisrodah254@gmail.com.
