Eskom's Medupi gamble a great risk to SA

18 January 2015

I have today written to Public Enterprises Minister, Lynne Brown, to demand answers on why Unit 6 at Medupi is being commissioned and connected to the national grid, despite tests showing that it is not working as it should.

Medupi is two years late and R40 billion over budget.

Steam tests that were meant to take two weeks have been going on for two months now. According to reports today, senior engineers at Medupi have blamed the Mitsubishi Hitachi boiler. It is believed that there is a huge problem with the design of the piping and as a result it will not operate correctly.

Eskom appears to be ignoring the advice of its technical team and is ready to bring the boiler to life. 

This approach carries incredible risk. If the boiler turbines of Unit 6 are damaged and the power station is further delayed it will wreak havoc on our economy. If Eskom and government are serious about solving the ever growing electricity crisis, then Medupi cannot continue to be handled with the secrecy and inefficiency that has marked the project so far.

South Africans need Medupi to be brought online without delay, but the method must also be sustainable in the long-term, otherwise the country will find itself in the same position a few years from now.    

We await Minister Brown's urgent response on this matter.

Statement issued by Natasha Michael MP, DA Shadow Minister Public Enterprises, January 18 2015

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