South African utility Eskom has awarded contracts worth $4 billion for the construction of a new coal fired power plant in Mpumalanga province.
The 4740 MW Bravo power plant will use supercritical technology and will be completed in 2017. It is part of Eskom’s 300 billion Rand capacity expansion programme.
Eskom has awarded the 18.5 billion rand contract for the construction of the power plant’s boilers to Hitachi Power Africa, while a 13 billion rand contract for the steam turbine island has gone to Alstom.
Alstom says it will provide six 790 MW steam turbine and turbogenerator packages for the Bravo plant. The company is also a major supplier for the Medupi coal fired power plant, which is being constructed in Limpopo province.
“Thanks to this contract, Alstom will again be able to make an important contribution to Eskom’s capital expansion programme to increase generation capacity”” said Philippe Joubert, Executive Vice-President of Alstom and President of Alstom Power Systems. “Our equipment is being used in about 80 per cent of existing powe stations in South Africa, providing us with crucial local experience.”
South Africa is currently in the grips of a power shortage caused by a combination of rapid economic growth, fuel supply problems and maintenance issues.
In October 2006 Alstom won a contract to refurbish the 2100 MW Arnot coal fired power plant, adding an extra 300 MW to its output by December 2010. Alstom is also returning to service two mothballed plants, Grootvlei and Komati, which together will add 2161 MW to the grid by 2010.
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