State-owned electricity utility Eskom announced that first power was produced at 11:03 on Monday March 2, 2015, from Medupi Unit 6, marking a major milestone for the coal-fired power station project, which has been plagued by delays and cost overruns associated with technical and labour problems.

First synchronisation was initially scheduled for 2011 and, after the main contracts were awarded, the initial budget was estimated at R87-billion. The project was currently expected to cost R105-billion, excluding interest during construction, but further upward adjustments were anticipated, with major claims still outstanding.

The 794 MW Medupi unit was the first of six on the Limpopo project site to achieve synchronisation; a process whereby the generator is electrically connected to the national power grid in such a way that its power is aligned with other generators in the fleet to produce and deliver electricity into the national network.

CEO Tshediso Matona described synchronisation as the final stage ahead of commercial operations, which he indicated should be achieved “within the next three months”.

Following various delays, including a protracted strike that resulted in work on the project being held up for more than six months in 2013 alone, Eskom initially indicated that synchronisation of Unit 6 would take place in late December 2014.

However, problems were then experienced with the boiler blow-through process, which was one of the final commissioning steps ahead of grid synchronisation and used to clean the steam of residue and particles prior to feeding it through to the turbine. It was then indicated that the schedule for first synchronisation would be shifted to late February or early March.

Eskom and Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems Africa, the boiler contractor, subsequently set up a joint technical task team to review the blow-through procedure ahead of future blow-through tests at both Medupi and Kusile.

The 4 764 MW Medupi had five more units to be synchronised and brought into commercial operation, while the 4 800 MW Kusile power station still had all six 800 MW units under construction.

Eskom was yet to provide a final cost estimate for the projects and had also not provided a firm update regarding the expected interval between units.

It recently reported, though, that Kusile Unit 1, being built simultaneously with Medupi, in Mpumalanga, was scheduled for synchronisation only in the first half of 2017 and would enter commercial operations during the second half of 2017. This represented a major schedule slippage from earlier indications that synchronisation could be achieved in the first half of 2016.

Nevertheless, Matona said the electricity flowing into the grid from Medupi marked “a new beginning” and congratulated “Team Medupi” on achieving the important milestone.

It was also confirmed that Johan Prinsloo had been appointed power station manager and that a core operational team had been undergoing intensive training over the past number years in order to position them the “operate the cutting-edge technology that makes this power station unique in the world”.

“Approximately 350 men and women are waiting to join the force of South Africans making history when the unit gets operational,” Matona said.

Public Enterprises Minister Lynne Brown added that synchronisation brought Medupi a “step closer to alleviating some of the energy challenges currently faced by South Africa”.

“We recognise that this is only the beginning, but I am confident that achieving this significant milestone will sustain the dedication and commitment of the Eskom team as they work towards the completion of the project,” Brown said.

Boiler contractor Mitsubishi Hitachi Power Systems (MHPSA) expressed delight that Unit 6 had delivered first power to the grid, noting that the boilers at Medupi and Kusile were among the biggest that MHPSA had ever built – they stand 108 m high and each contained 40 000 t of structural steel.

"As Medupi’s Unit 6 is brought up to full commercial operation over the next few months, MHPSA’s focus will move to Unit 5, which will be the next to come on line, followed by the other boilers at Medupi and Kusile."