Eskom - South Africa's power utility - has successfully synchronized Kusile power station's Unit 2 on schedule in a major milestone towards the 2020 target date to commission the entire plant.
Kusile power station is a six-unit, 4,800 MW supercritical coal-fired power plant, which will be the fourth largest in the world by capacity when fully commissioned. The power station will contribute about 12 percent of South Africa's generating capacity. Kusile is the first power plant in South Africa to use flue gas desulfurization, which uses advance technologies to remove sulfur dioxide from exhaust flue gases, making it the cleanest coal-fired power station in the country.
Eskom contracted ABB in March 2015 for the supply, installation and commissioning of the control and instrumentation for all six units, including the station's large balance of plant, seamlessly integrated and operated by a single ABB AbilityTMcontrol system. To reach the ambitious milestones of this project, ABB is drawing on and further building its strong local South African engineering resources, combined with global process and project execution expertise.
"We are proud of what the team is doing at Kusile. We promised to perform to the highest standard and meet strict deadlines. I'm pleased by the team's achievements in reaching the milestones on scheduled and as agreed with Eskom," says Kevin Kosisko, managing director of ABB's power generation and water business.
ABB is also contributing to local community projects in Mpumalanga province and throughout the country as part of its sustainability commitments. ABB's investments in skills development are helping students of all ages take their next steps towards developing their careers, thanks to the supply of IT equipment with the latest software and specialized math and English tutorials.
ABB (ABBN: SIX Swiss Ex) is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing a history of innovation spanning more than 130 years, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization with two clear value propositions: bringing electricity from any power plant to any plug and automating industries from natural resources to finished products. As title partner of Formula E, the fully electric international FIA motorsport class, ABB is pushing the boundaries of e-mobility to contribute to a sustainable future. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees. www.abb.com
