Medupi Unit 4 returns to power grid
Eskom has reintegrated Unit 4 of the Medupi Power Station into the national grid, adding 800 megawatts of generation capacity, eight months ahead of schedule.
The unit, which had been offline since August 2021 due to an explosion of its generator stator, was officially brought back online on Sunday.
“The return of Medupi Unit 4 marks a major milestone in our strategic objective of achieving operational stability through the addition of 2,500MW to the grid,” said Eskom CEO Dan Marokane.
Eskom said it had avoided the long wait for a new generator stator by sourcing a refurbished unit from the Netherlands, enabling an early return to service.
Eskom Rotek Industries safely transported the 400-tonne component over 1,000 km from Richards Bay to Lephalale.
“This achievement moves us closer to consistently overcoming loadshedding,” Marokane added, saying that structural improvements in the generation fleet are already yielding positive results.
With Unit 4 back online, all six generation units at the Medupi Power Station are operational, contributing 4,800MW to the national grid.
Eskom confirmed the newly reconnected unit will ramp up to full capacity in the coming weeks.
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