South Africa’s power utility Eskom has officially commissioned the final unit at the Kusile coal-fired power plant, adding 800 MW to the national grid. The commissioning of Kusile Unit 6 marks the completion of Eskom’s long-running construction programme for both of its flagship coal-fired power plants, Kusile and its sister station, Medupi. Together, the two plants now provide a combined theoretical capacity of 9.6 GW (4.8 GW each).
Construction of Medupi and Kusile began in 2007, with an initial target for completion set for 2014. However, neither project met its original deadline. Both power plants are designed for an expected operational lifespan of approximately 50 years.
In 2024, South Africa’s installed electricity generation capacity stood at around 63 GW, with coal accounting for 69% of this total (nearly 44 GW), though South African coal-fired power plants have faced technical problems reducing their generation capacity in recent years. In terms of actual power generation, coal remains dominant, supplying approximately 85% of the country’s electricity. Eskom currently owns and operates 15 coal-fired power plants nationwide.
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