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Eskom's Kusile Unit 3, the first of three units impacted by the collapse of stacks at the power station a year ago, was returned to service on Saturday, the power utility said in a statement.
This is two months ahead of schedule and will improve generation by 800 MW once loaded to full capacity, Eskom said. This could have a marked impact, as each stage of load shedding is intended to reduce demand by around 1 000 MW.
"This marks a significant milestone in Eskom's efforts to reduce and ultimately end load shedding," the utility said.
The switch-on was completed after Eskom got the nod on its Atmospheric Emission Licence from Barbara Creecy, Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), and the Nkangala District Municipality.
But the move was not uncontroversial. News24 reported earlier this week that Kusile was expected to return to service earlier as Creecy dismissed an appeal against her decision to allow Eskom to bypass pollution controls.
This came after applicants including civil society groups groundWork and Vukani Environmental Justice Movement in Action, represented by the Centre for Environmental Rights, appealed the minister's decision to allow Eskom to run Kusile's Units 1 - 3 temporarily without Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) to limit load shedding. The FGD reduces sulphur dioxide emissions.
Eskom had applied to be exempt from using the FGD following the collapse of a flue gas duct at Kusile's Unit 1 in October last year. This was due to ash buildup inside the pipe, and affected the operations of Units 2 and 3. Eskom lost about 2 100 MW of generation capacity, equivalent to about two stages of load shedding.
The exemption, which applies until 31 March 2025, allows Eskom to return the units into operation using temporary stacks – without FGD – while repairing the permanent stacks. This allows for the units to be returned to service faster.
But exposure to sulphur dioxide also carries health risks and has been linked to respiratory illnesses.
