Project Description:

As part of its capacity expansion programme, Eskom Holdings Limited is in the process of constructing a 4800 MW coal-fired power station, named Medupi, in the Lephalale area, Limpopo Province in the vicinity of the existing Matimba Power Station. A positive Record of Decision was received on 21 September 2006 and construction began at the beginning of June 2007 after the project’s Environmental Management Programme (EMP) was subsequently approved.

The Medupi Power Station will have a maximum installed capacity of up to 4800 MW. The power plant and associated plant requires an area of 700 ha, and an additional 1000 ha is required for ancillary services.

The Power Station is proposed to be constructed and commissioned in phases in order to meet the growing demand of electricity. The first phase of this proposed power station will consist of 3 units, each with a nominal installed capacity of 750 MW, pulverized fuel combustion. The second phase will also comprise 3 x 750 MW units, pulverized fuel combustion.

Other related infrastructure would include an HV yard, coal stockpile with a terrace footprint of approximately 61 hectares and a storage capacity of approximately 2 million tons, associated conveyor belts and a potential ash dump, with infrastructure such as transmission lines planned to integrate the station into the national electricity grid.

During the construction period, there will be approximately 38 main contractors (boiler, turbine, civil, smokestacks, etc) on site, with between 100 - 300 different subcontractors on site at any time during construction. The construction period is estimated to last up to 6 years (six units). At the peak of construction, there will be approximately 7400 people working on site.

NCC’s  role at Medupi:

We provide the Environmental Control Officer (ECO) function for the Project, which entails monitoring the project’s compliance with the conditions of the Record of Decision (RoD), environmental legislation and the recommendations of the Environmental Management Plan (EMP), on behalf of the Environmental Monitoring Committee (EMC) and the Client (Eskom).