Fourth and last unit of Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme comes into commercial operation

Eskom’s Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme has brought Unit 3 into commercial operation, thus effectively adding 333MW onto the South African power grid.  All four units at Ingula are now commercial and produce a total of 1332 MW.

These units are now part of Eskom’s Peaking fleet of power stations. Ingula can respond to demand increases on the National Grid within two-and-a-half minutes.

Commercial operation is when the construction and optimisation of the unit is complete and the operator, Eskom Generation division in this case, takes over the plant and runs it on a commercial basis. Ingula Unit 3 was resynchronised to the grid in October last year post repairs based on an incident during the optimisation process.

 Eskom’s Interim Group Chief Executive Matshela Koko said: “The commercial operation of Unit 3 completes the Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme project.

“This will further strengthen security of power supply to South African homes and businesses. I am thrilled that we are on track to deliver all New Build projects on line timeously. This achievement would not have been possible without the hardworking team at Ingula and strong executive leadership in Eskom.”

 Eskom Ingula’s four units are located 350 metres underground in the world’s largest machine hall in mud-rock. To turn the more than 500-ton rotating mass of the Generator Rotor and Turbine, water is released from Ingula’s upper dam, Bedford Dam, situated 460 metres higher and two kilometres away.

Water flows at high speeds down to the turbines at around 60km per hour, with enough water passing through each turbine to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool in six seconds.

Rotating at 428 revolutions per minute, each unit will produce 333MW, a total for the station of 1332MW.

Unit 4 went into commercial operation on June 10 last year, while Unit 2 went into commercial operation on August 22 last year and Unit 1 went into commercial operation on August 30 last year respectively.

In terms of capacity, Ingula is Africa’s newest and largest pumped storage scheme and the 14^th largest pumped storage scheme in the world.

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