Medupi power station
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Medupi power station is an operating power station of at least 4768-megawatts (MW) in Lephalale, Limpopo, South Africa.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Medupi power station | Lephalale, Limpopo, South Africa | -23.704973, 27.563839 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: -23.704973, 27.563839
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2021 | 2071 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2019 | 2069 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2019 | 2068 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2017 | 2067 (planned) |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2017 | 2067 (planned) |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal: bituminous | 794.8 | supercritical | 2015 | 2065 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100%] | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): Grootegeluk coal mine
Background
The project comprises six 800 megawatt (MW) units to provide a total installed capacity of 4,800 MW. In November 2007 the public electricity utility, Eskom, stated that "the first unit is scheduled to be commissioned in 2012, with the last unit scheduled for commissioning by 2015."[1]
The power station will be Eskom's first supercritical plant and when completed will be "the biggest dry-cooled power station in the world". The power station site was selected on the basis of its proximity to the Waterberg Coalfields and to an existing transmission system, the availability of land, acceptable coal prices and "the availability of alternative ash disposal options". Eskom bought the 883 hectare site from Kumba Coal, which is now known as Exxaro Coal.[1]
Both Medupi and Eskom's Kusile power station are delayed from the initially planned April 2011 commissioning date.[2] In July 2013 Eskom said that plant would be delayed until 2014, due to rising costs.[3]
Synchronization of the first unit, Unit 6, has since been pushed to mid-2015, and Unit 5 to 2016. The remaining units are planned for operation by 2019.[4][5]
Unit 6 was synchronized in March 2015, the first unit to generate power at the station.[6]
In July 2016 it was reported that unit 5 was planned for commercial operation in March 2018, and unit 1 by May 2020.[7] In September 2016 unit 5 was synchronized, and is expected to generate and deliver electricity into the grid over several months.[8]
On April 3, 2017, Unit 5 entered commercial operation,[9] and unit 4 on November 28, 2017.[10]
Medupi Unit 3 achieved first synchronisation in April 2018, with commercial operation planned for December 2018.[11] On June 28, 2019, Eskom said unit 3 had attained Commercial Operation status.[12]
Unit 2 was synchronized in October 2018.[13]
In February 2019, Eskom reported R8 billion would be needed to fix design defects at Medupi and Kusile.[14]
As of July 2019, unit 2 was still undergoing commissioning and unit 1 was under construction.[15]
In August 2019, Unit 1 was synchronized to the grid.[16]
In November 2019, Eskom said unit 2 had attained commercial operation status.[16]
According to Eskom's 2020 Annual Report, the full plant is planned for operation in 2021,[17] suggesting the commercial operation of unit 1 has been postponed from 2020 to 2021.
In May 2021, South Africa’s Deputy President David Mabuza reiterated the end of 2021 completion date, even though he noted that "We will be fixing some of the technical mistakes, as we go on until we get the plant fully operational."[18]
In late July 2021, six years after the first unit began supplying power to the grid, the sixth and last generating unit finally reached commercial operation. However, boiler design defects still had to be resolved and repairs were expected to take place over the next two years.[19][20]
In June 2022, after touting the profitability for years, the African Development Bank conceded that the plant "will not show a financial benefit over its lifetime". They cite that with an intended load factor of 90%, the project has only seen a 70% load factor.[21]
In October 2024, while giving an update on Eskom’s performance, the Minister for Electricity and Energy described the ongoing problems at Medupi as a “big concern.”[22]
Incidents and outages
Just one week after its final unit began operating, Eskom announced the power station experienced an explosion on the Unit 4 generator and suspected the incident resulted in Unit 5 tripping.[23]
A May 2022 report stated that nine employees were suspended due to the event and "procedural non-compliance and management failures", which were investigated for the nine months following the explosion.[24] Unit 4 had yet to come back online, and the missing 720 MW were affecting the plant's overall performance. At this point, only half of the Medupi units were operating at full capacity.[25] In November 2022, Eskom admitted that repairs on the damaged unit would take two years. Two employees were fired.[26]
South Africans lost a record 205 days of electricity in 2022.[27] Beyond the aging infrastructure and significant corruption pressuring the grid, breakdowns at the Medupi power station and Kusile power station alone contributed a shortfall of nearly 2,900MW, which is equivalent to three stages of loadshedding.[28]
In March 2023, South Africa's Minister of Electricity visited the Medupi power station and alleged that low quality products and flawed designs were used in the construction of the plant.[29] The need to fix design flaws was reportedly one of the reasons why repairs to Unit 4 were taking longer than expected.[30] Later, the Minister said that Eskom had found ways to speed up repairs at Unit 4 and was expecting to have the unit back in service sooner than August 2024, as previously expected.[31]
An article from May 22, 2023, reported that Eskom would increase load shedding due to a breakdown of generation units at Arnot, Majuba, and Medupi power stations.[32]
According to August 2023 reporting on Eskom data from the past year, Medupi power station, Camden power station, and Duvha power station were the only coal plants out of Eskom’s fifteen plants that increased their energy availability compared to the year before. The utility's twelve other coal plants had reduced availability.[33]
In April 2024, the Minister of Electricity said that Eskom had purchased a second hand generator for Unit 4, which was now expected to return to service in September or October 2024. A new generator was expected to arrive in 2025.[34]
Environmental litigation
According to a Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) analysis, assuming Medupi runs at full capacity without flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) technology, commonly known as air scrubbers, an estimated 90 people could die every year. That means that if FGD is not installed in the next 10 years, 900 people could die from pollution-related illnesses.[35]
The Life After Coal campaign, consisting of groundWork, Earthlife Africa, and the Centre for Environmental Rights, has challenged various Eskom efforts to delay or completely avoid meeting pollution limits for its coal power plants.[36]
Recently, Eskom sought to be allowed to emit as much as 4,000 milligrams of sulfur dioxide per normal cubic meter at Medupi until 2030. However, in October 2021, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment ordered Eskom to keep to an already agreed temporary limit of 3,500 milligrams and ultimately comply with a 1,000 milligram limit. The company, which has 400 billion rand of debt, announced it would appeal to the environment, public enterprises and energy departments, over the decision.[37][38]
Coal supply
The coal for the power station would be sourced from Exxaro Coal's Grootegeluk coal mine, which would increase production by 16 million tonnes a year to cater for the new power station.[39]
While Eskom have embarked on a major construction program, it has encountered difficulties with the Medupi power station. "Schedule forecasting has been sub-optimal on the project. In response to this, project management is engaged in intensive negotiations with MPS-JV, Alstom and Hitachi to improve the current forecast program to completion. Re-opening of negotiations for already placed contracts to ensure a 5% cost reduction," it states on its website.[40]
In December 2009, Eskom notified Exxaro that it wanted to change the terms of the coal supply contract "including the coal price escalation mechanism and the coal delivery ramp-up. Indications are that the date for first coal delivery to the power station, in terms of the CSA, has been confirmed to be during the first half of 2012, aligned to the commercial start-up of the power station." In response to this hiccup, Exxaro put the expansion of the Grootegeluk coal mine on hold.[41]
According to a 2011 Sierra Club report, Eskom’s own consultants estimate that 35 new coal mines will be required to support Medupi and Kusile.[42]
In January 2023, Eskom reported to South Africa's Standing Committee on Public Accounts that it has paid 9.7 billion rand ($561 million USD) in penalties to Exxaro. Its contract with the coal supplier stated that Eskom must make penalty payments for unused coal supplies. Due to ongoing challenges at the power station, much less coal had been burned, and a stockpile equivalent to one year of operation was already on site.[43]
Costs
In 2007 the estimated cost of the station was R56 billion. By 2013 the final cost was an estimated R150 billion. According to Business Day, the price tag would "make Medupi the most expensive coal-fired power station on the planet (per unit of output)."[44]
Financing
- Source of financing: $3.75 billion in debt from the World Bank;[45] US$1.5 billion in debt from the China Development Bank (CDB)[46]; US$353.31 million in debt from KfW;[47] US$721.98 million in debt from BHF Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Group, Commerzbank, KfW, Natixis, and UniCredit[48]
In 2008 and 2009, loans were closed for the project. The first was for US$353.31 from KfW.[47] The second was for US$721.98 million from BHF Bank, BNP Paribas, Credit Agricole Group, Commerzbank, KfW, Natixis, and UniCredit.[48]
World Bank loan
On April 8, 2010 the World Bank voted to approve a $3.75 billion loan as requested by the South African government for the Medupi station. The United States abstained from voting on the measure. It was the first World Bank loan to the country since the fall of Apartheid in the mid-1990s.[45]
World Bank Panel criticizes bank loan approval
In December 2011, an 18-month investigation by the World Bank Inspection Panel concluded that the bank insufficiently took health, water scarcity and pressures on local services into account when approving the loan, yet the decision did not violate World Bank climate change policies because the World Bank does not have explicit emission targets. The panel did say that it found the World Bank's steps to mitigate Medupi's estimated 25 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions lacking, and that the World Bank's statement that its partnership with South Africa will lower the country's emissions trajectory was "overly optimistic ... given that Medupi will emit significant levels of GHG emissions." The inspection panel was most critical when it came to water, finding that the expansion of the Grootegeluk coal mine to supply Medupi will result in significant water scarcity and pollution problems.[49]
Loan from China Development Bank
On July 6, 2017, the China Development Bank (CDB) announced it would loan US$1.5 billion to Eskom to fund the completion of the Medupi coal plant. The loan came just two days before a G20 climate action plan, agreed by Chinese leader Xi, called on multilateral development banks to offer “coordinated support for country driven long-term strategies for low greenhouse gas emissions”. Although the CBD is not a multilateral bank and therefore not technically covered by the G20 plan’s call, it is a state-run institution using public money.[46]
New Development Bank Funding
In April 2019, the New Development Bank provided US$480 million in funding for the implementation of sulfur dioxide emissions reduction technology at the Medupi power station.[50]
In September 2024, the New Development Bank confirmed that it had cancelled the US$480 million loan for the flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) project at Medupi. Eskom reportedly stated that the project had been delayed and the loan approval had lapsed.[51]
Lobbying for Clean Development Mechanism funding
Eskom is seeking approval from the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism for funding for the project. "When you look at CDM, you look at the baseline of a country. South Africa is currently based on subcritical coal. This is supercritical. It is cleaner," said Mandy Rambharos, Eskom's climate change and sustainability manager.[52]
World Bank spokesman Roger Morier said that CDM funding for the project could be an option."The Medupi power plant will be the first in Africa to use cleaner super-critical technology, making it one of the most efficient large-scale power plants on the continent. World Bank financing for Medupi and the wind/solar components, however, only meets a small part of Eskom's overall financing needs," he said. "As Eskom looks for additional financing for its critical energy program, the CDM could be one of options it considers," he said.[52]
Lisa Friedman from ClimateWire reported that there are currently two dozen "new grid-connected fossil fuel power plants using a less GHG-intensive technology" being considered for CDM funding. One, the Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project in Gujarat, India, has already been approved and two others are close to the final decision stage.[52]
Project Decision making timetable
Significant developments in the construction of the power station have included:
- 2005: Eskom proposed to build the power station
- 2006: Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism approved the project
- May 2007: the Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism rejected appeals lodged against the decision and approved the project
- August 2007: Ceremonial ground-breaking at the site
- September 19, 2008: coal contract was concluded with Exxaro.[40]
Greenhouse gas emissions
The plant is projected to emit 32 million tons of Carbon dioxide equivalent a year. Eskom is in the process of developing a submission to seek carbon credits under the UNFCCC's Clean Development Mechanism.[53]
Opposition and criticism
Local opposition and permit violations
Local farmers in the Limpopo province brought in an environmental expert to analyze impacts of the sand mining on the Limpopo River and to identify alternatives. The expert determined that the damage being done to the river was possibly irreversible, and that Eskom was sand mining without adequate permits from the Ministry of Mining.[42]
Environmentalists Oppose World Bank Loan to Eskom
In late February 2010, climate change activists and concerned individuals from about the world expressed concern that the World Bank would fund new coal-fired power stations proposed by the South African government-owned utility, Eskom. One of the projects is the Medupi power station, a 4800 megawatt plant under construction in Lephalale in the country's northern region of Limpopo.
Groups opposing the project, which includes Climate Justice Now, groundWork and the Federation for a Sustainable Environment, vowed to pressure country directors within the World Bank to vote against the loan and also said they would revive the World Bank "bond boycott" that was launched last decade to end structural adjustment programs and anti-environmental project funded by the Bank.[54]
Inger Andersen, World Bank's director for sustainable development in Africa, said the loan would support the "responsible use of coal as an interim resource for power generation, given lack of viable alternatives". The opposition groups countered, that if granted, the loan would destroy the image the World Bank is portraying of a climate-friendly financier. In order to power the new coal plants, over 40 new mines would have to be opened up in the region. The proposed plants would also increase utility rates to consumers. Large environmental groups such as the Sierra Club have signed on to a petition that opposes the loan.[54]
On March 8, 2010 it was announced that the UK and US threatened to withhold support for a World Bank loan intended to help South Africa build the new coal-fired power station. The UK and US opposed to the loan because they believe it will make it harder for South Africa to deliver emission cuts.[55]
On April 8, 2010 the World Bank voted to approve a $3.75 billion loan as requested by the South African government. The United States abstained from voting on the measure.[56] It was the first World Bank loan to the country since the fall of Apartheid in the mid-1990s.
Critics, however, were not pleased with the World Bank's decision to fund the coal plant, even though the loan had provisions for other energy technologies like wind and solar. "I think it's pretty clear the World Bank is telling the people of South Africa that they're not taking their commitments to alleviating poverty and climate change seriously," said Mark Kresowik, corporate accountability and finance representative for the Sierra Club's 'Beyond Coal' campaign. Other countries that abstained from the vote included the U.K., Netherlands and Italy.[57]
Criticism from Lephalale communities
An August 2023 report by the Fair Finance Coalition Southern Africa, a coalition of civil society groups including 350Africa.org, Oxfam South Africa, and Earthlife Africa, described significant local dissatisfaction with the Medupi power station. In interviews with community members from areas around Lephalale, some residents expressed concern that jobs were allocated to those with local political connections over those with the required skills. Some residents also noted that women employed at the plant tended to be in lower-paid, less secure jobs such as cleaning and security.[58][59]
Retirement plans
In April 2020, Eskom listed unit retirement dates from 2065 to 2069.[60] (50-year Life Decommissioning estimates, using South Africa's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan approach, would mean unit retirements from 2065 to 2071.[61])
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Eskom, "Medupi Power Station," Eskom website, November 2007
- ↑ "Kusile power station ‘on course to deliver by next December,’" Business Day Live, August 22, 2013
- ↑ Paul Burkhardt, "Eskom South Africa Power Plant Delayed to 2014 as Costs Rise," Bloomberg, July 8, 2013
- ↑ "No official new Medupi sync date, but Feb being targeted," Mining Weekly, January 8, 2015
- ↑ "Medupi, Kusile to be completed by 2021," Eyewitness News, Apr 22, 2015
- ↑ "Eskom's Medupi power station produces first electricity," South Africa Info, March 3, 2015
- ↑ "Medupi, Kusile, and the massive cost/time overrun," Daily Maverick, July 7, 2016
- ↑ "Medupi unit 5 synchronised to national grid," SABC, September 10, 2016
- ↑ "Eskom's Medupi power station unit 5 online ahead of schedule," Reuters, April 3, 2017
- ↑ "Eskom links Medupi new coal-fired unit to national grid," Eyewitness News, November 28, 2017
- ↑ "Medupi power station project, South Africa," Engineering News, September 28, 2018
- ↑ "Eskom Medupi Unit 3 achieves commercial operation," Eskom, June 28, 2019
- ↑ "Eskom announces Unit 2 of Medupi is operational," Fin24, October 9, 2018
- ↑ "Kusile and Medupi were destined to fail from the start," BusinessLIVE, May 1, 2019
- ↑ Linda van Tilburg, "Still no puff from Kusile and Medupi – Chris Yelland," July 29, 2019
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 "No to privatisation as Medupi Unit 2 attains commercial operation," ESI Africa, November 27, 2019
- ↑ Integrated Report, Eskom, 2020
- ↑ "Medupi Power Station in South Africa to be fully operational by end of year," Construction Review Online, May 17, 2021
- ↑ “After billions in cost overruns, design flaws, delays and load shedding, Medupi is finally complete,” News24, August 2, 2021
- ↑ "South Africa’s 4,764MW Medupi coal plant completed," Power Engineering International, August 2, 2021
- ↑ "Funder Says Eskom’s $8.7 Billion Power Plant Won’t Make Money," Bloomberg, June 2, 2022
- ↑ “Eskom on track to keep load shedding at bay, but Koeberg and Medupi still major headaches,” IOL, October 14, 2024
- ↑ "The Eskom Medupi coal-fired power plant rollercoaster ride," ESI-Africa, August 11, 2021
- ↑ "Nine Eskom workers suspended for hydrogen explosion at Medupi power station," Daily Maverick, May 19, 2022
- ↑ "Medupi's inactive Unit 4 affecting power station's performance, says manager," Eyewitness News, May 19, 2022
- ↑ "Fixing Medupi's Unit After Explosion will take 2 Years to Repair, says Eskom," Eyewitness News, November 16, 2022
- ↑ “Power cuts in South Africa are playing havoc with the country’s water system,” The Conversation, January 23, 2023
- ↑ “Eskom appreciates the difficulties experienced by the public because of persistent loadshedding, we are working tirelessly to reduce the amount of loadshedding,” Eskom, January 22, 2023
- ↑ "‘Medupi Power Station’s design ‘flaws’ deliberate to cost taxpayers money’," SABC News, March 27, 2203
- ↑ "Medupi unit 4 explosion repair update," Daily Investor, March 16, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom working on interventions for Medupi plant, says Ramokgopa," IOL, May 7, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom Latest: Power Cuts Ramped Up; Netcare Fuel Costs Surge," Bloomberg, May 22, 2023
- ↑ "Are things getting worse at Eskom?," amaBhungane, August 2, 2023
- ↑ "Medupi Unit 4 restoration accelerated: Minister Ramokgopa," SABC News, April 23, 2024
- ↑ "Medupi’s killer fumes: The story of a power station’s missing air scrubbers," The Citizen, March 3, 2020
- ↑ See, e.g., "NGOs challenge Eskom’s latest application to escape compliance with air pollution laws," Centre for Environmental Rights, February 7, 2020
- ↑ "Eskom Says Pollution Ruling May Shut 16 Gigawatts of Power," Bloomberg, December 14, 2021
- ↑ “Eskom to engage on way forward after being denied permission to delay air-quality compliance,” Engineering News, December 14, 2021
- ↑ "Coal giant aspires to be 'zero carbon footprint' company," Business Report, June 6, 2008
- ↑ 40.0 40.1 Eskom, "Status Report on Capacity Expansion Projects", Eskom website, accessed May 2010
- ↑ Exxaro, "Medupi coal supply and off-take agreement update," Media Release, December 8, 2009
- ↑ 42.0 42.1 "Move Beyond Coal, Now!: Voices from the Front Lines of the Global Struggle," Sierra Club report, September 2011
- ↑ "Eskom Has Paid $561 Million in Penalties on Medupi Coal Contract," BNNBloomberg, January 24, 2023
- ↑ David Gleason, "Medupi farce may cost trillion-plus," Businss Day Live, July 10, 2013
- ↑ 45.0 45.1 ClimateWire, LISA FRIEDMAN of. "South Africa Wins $3.75 Billion Coal Loan - NYTimes.com". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ↑ 46.0 46.1 "China signed African coal deal days before Xi low emissions pledge at G20," Climate Home, 12/07/2017
- ↑ 47.0 47.1 "Preview of Medupi Coal-fired Power Plant - Phase 1 | Transaction | IJGlobal". ijglobal.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ 48.0 48.1 "Preview of Medupi Power Plant Boiler Financing | Transaction | IJGlobal". ijglobal.com. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ↑ Lisa Friedman, "Auditors find World Bank skipped policy steps in approving huge South African coal plant," E&E, December 2, 2011
- ↑ Kevin Bloom, Medupi’s R6.8bn New Development Bank injection and other BRICS climate crimes, Daily Maverick, Apr. 10, 2019
- ↑ “What happened to the BRICS Bank's R8.5bn Medupi loan?,” Namibian Sun, September 10, 2024
- ↑ 52.0 52.1 52.2 Lisa Friedman, "New South African Coal Plant Seeks Emission Credits for 'Cleaner' Coal," New York Times, June 2, 2010 (This story is originally from ClimateWire)
- ↑ Jocelyn Newmarch, "Eskom Seeks Medupi Carbon Credits," AllAfrica.com, April 28, 2010
- ↑ 54.0 54.1 "Eskom told to charge companies fair rates, " Business Report, February 23, 2010
- ↑ "World Bank split over controversial 'clean coal' investment," Cath Everett, March 8, 2010
- ↑ "U.S. abstains on vote to proliferate coal in South Africa," Climate Progress, April 8, 2010
- ↑ "South Africa wins $3.75 billion coal loan," Climate Wire, April 9, 2010
- ↑ "Living in Medupi’s Shadow: Stories from Lephalale," The Fair Finance Coalition Southern Africa, August 2023
- ↑ "Desperate communities around Medupi power station left choking on pollution, remain disconnected from grid," Daily Maverick, September 4, 2023
- ↑ "Response of Eskom to CER, Reference number: PAIA 0087 MAN," CER website, April 28, 2020
- ↑ "Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2019)," South Africa, October 2019 (figure 26)
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
