Unit five of the Medupi power station in South Africa’s northern Limpopo province began commercial operations on Monday, adding 800 megawatts (MW) to the national grid, after it was completed one year ahead of schedule.

South African power utility Eskom, which has in the past been forced to impose power cuts due to insufficient supply, is scrambling to revamp its ageing plants. The unit was expected to become commercially operational by March 2018.

Other Eskom projects include the Ingula hydro-powered plant in the northeast of KwaZulu-Natal, and the Kusile coal-fired plant in eastern Mpumalanga province, which have a combined capacity of about 6,132 MW.

RELATED:

http://cnbc.africa/news/2016/12/28/south-africa-boosts-power-capacity-as-new-unit-linked-to-grid/

(Reporting by Olwethu Boso; Editing by Mark Potter)