Ramokgopa disputes claim that load shedding will be solved by year-end
Electricity Minister Kgosientsho Ramokgopa has disputed a claim by ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula that load shedding will be a thing of the past by the end of 2023.
Ramokgopa made the remarks during a site inspection at Kusile Power Station in Mpumalanga on Monday.
"Yes I am on record saying that it doesn't look like we can end load shedding by the end of the year and I provided the reasons. So three units (at Kusile) that will come on will give us 2400MW and unit five that will be fully on stream in April 2024, it's about 3200 MW".
Four units are currently offline at the second-biggest power station in the country.
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Units one, two, three and five are all expected to come back online between November and December 2023.
Each unit is expected to provide the grid with 800MW.
Unit five, which has been damaged by a fire in the gas air heater is expected to be fully commercialised by April 2024.
#KusilePowerStation Briefing the media Ramokgopa says that Unit 1,2,3 of Kusile are expected to be back online between November and December.
— Jacaranda News (@JacaNews) May 22, 2023
Unit 5 will be “fully running” by April 2024. pic.twitter.com/RQtIhePgNa
Eskom project manager at Kusile Power Station Zandile Mthimunye says the project at Kusile will cost the taxpayer a whopping R250 million.
She says the price could still increase.
"The type of cost we have is a cost-plus contract. We have currently committed R250 million, it is a work in progress."
