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Hendrina power station is an operating power station of at least 1400-megawatts (MW) in Pullens Hope, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Hendrina power station | Pullens Hope, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa | -26.032044, 29.601613 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 10, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6, Unit 7, Unit 8, Unit 9: -26.032044, 29.601613
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | mothballed | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1972 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 10 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1977 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1971 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | mothballed | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1970 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1970 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1971 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1973 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 7 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1974 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 8 | operating | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1975 | 2025 (planned) |
| Unit 9 | mothballed | coal - bituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1976 | 2025 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 10 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 5 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 6 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 7 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 8 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
| Unit 9 | Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd (Eskom) [100.0%] |
Background
The Hendrina Power Station is a coal-fired station owned by the South African publicly-owned electricity utility Eskom. The power station has an installed capacity of 2,000 megawatts (MW) comprising 10 X 200 MW units. It was built between 1970 and 1976 and refurbished in the mid 1990s.[1]
The plant's generation output in 2010 was 12,143 GWh and dropped to 7,356 GWh in 2019. In 2019, the plant employed 609 people.[2]
In October 2021, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment granted Eskom with positive environmental compliance postponement decisions for Hendrina as it was scheduled to shut down.[3]
In February 2023, South Africa's grid was faced with Stage 6 load shedding, massively restricting power supplies "until further notice". Breakdowns occurred at five coal-fired power stations: Arnot power station, Camden power station, Hendrina power station, Lethabo power station and Majuba power station. The breakdowns meant Eskom had 21,243 MW of unplanned outages at its plants, with a further 3,566 MW unavailable due to scheduled maintenance. Conditions were expected to worsen through the end of the month.[4]
In May 2023, it was reported that Eskom had increased load shedding due to delays in returning units to service at several of its power plants, including Hendrina, and a broken down unit at Duvha power station.[5]
Changing retirement and renewal plans
In April 2016, the Eskom Board said it approved the commencement of a pre-feasibility study for renewal options for four of our oldest power stations - Komati, Camden, Hendrina, and Arnot. The pre-feasibility study would take 18 months to complete, and would include looking at options such as plant life extension.[6]
However, in March 2017, Eskom said that it would hold meetings with the government and labour to discuss its plans to decommission five power stations over the next five years: Komati Power Station, Hendrina Power Station, Kriel Power Station, Grootvlei Power Station, and Camden Power Station. Eskom said the stations are old and unneeded, given the country's plans for new power capacity by independent power producers (IPPs).[7]
In 2017, two older coal-fired units from Eskom's Grootvlei Power Station, one older unit from Eskom's Hendrina Power Station, and two older units from Eskom's Komati Power Station were placed into cold reserve because their running costs were higher than other units. A government spokesman said that the old stations were expected to remain uneconomical to run, even if refurbished, compared to renewable energy IPP power options and the company's newer stations at Medupi and Kusile.[8]
In March 2019, it was reported that three of the plant's ten 200 MW units had been retired. The remaining seven 200 MW units were expected to be shut down between June 2019 and November 2022.[9] According to Eskom's 2020 Annual Report, units 1, 3, 8, and 9 "have been placed in reserve storage or extended inoperability and their capacity removed from the nominal base... due to technical and/or financial constraints."[10]
In May 2020, it was reported that Eskom had changed its plan on closing the Hendrina plant as well as its Camden and Grootvlei plants. These plants, which were scheduled to close between 2020 and 2026, would now stay open until 2030.[11] Eskom later changed the retirement date to 2025.[12]
In April 2023, it was reported that the Minister of Electricity had proposed to delay the retirement of some of Eskom's older coal-fired plants to help alleviate the country's energy crisis. Hendrina power station and Arnot power station were allegedly of "immediate focus."[13] Earlier that month, the Minister had said it would take "elevated effort" to improve the performance of Hendrina's units.[14] Energy analysts have reportedly warned that extending the life of aging coal plants in South Africa was likely to jeopardize access to the US$8.5 billion Just Energy Transition funding aimed at accelerating renewable energy projects in the country.[15]
According to reports from May 2023, South African president Cyril Ramaphosa confirmed that planned retirements of coal plants would slow down. He reportedly stated that the government could not "run away" from decommissioning aging power plants, but that "the timetable and scheduling of decommissioning must be relooked at."[16] Standard Chartered, one of the largest lenders in Africa, reportedly warned that government plans to extend the life of Eskom's coal plants would make attracting investment to South Africa harder, as investors would be wary of being trapped in stranded fossil fuel assets.[17]
As of October 2023, the South African government was reviewing their 2019 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and expecting to release an updated IRP before the end of the year. During the review, it was reportedly proposed that coal plant decommissioning dates scheduled for before 2030 be pushed back until 2030 and later.[18] A study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) published in October 2023 estimated that postponing the decommissioning until after 2030 would cause 15,300 excess air pollution-related deaths.[18]
Just Energy Transition plans
In November 2020, the World Bank Group invited expressions of interest from consultants to assess the implications of retiring the Camden, Hendrina, Grootvlei, and Komati coal plants. The consultant were to look at the technical, environmental, socioeconomic, and financial implications of decommissioning the plants to help inform the WBG’s future engagement with South Africa.[19]
Eskom was looking at options for repurposing the plants with the core aims of “reusing existing power transmission infrastructure, developing new generation capacity, providing ancillary services, and mitigating socioeconomic impact. In addition to conversion to gas or use of the site for renewable generation or battery storage, parts of the infrastructure can be used for ancillary services such as frequency and voltage control and inertia. It launched a request for information in May 2020 following an internal technical review.”[19][20]
As of August 2021, a repowering and repurposing project similar to developments at the Komati Power Station was planned at the Hendrina plant, which was scheduled for closure by 2025.[21][12]
In May 2023, a business coalition based in Mpumalanga reportedly proposed a private take-over and repurposing of nearby power plants that were slated for decommissioning, including Hendrina. A representative from the coalition said that there were no details on the proposed take-over or agreements as of yet. Some residents expressed that they were opposed to the idea of privatizing energy production in the region.[22]
In October 2023, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) called on the South Africa government to suspend the Just Energy Transition Partnership.[23] The NUM, which is the largest union representing staff employed by Eskom, said in a statement that they wanted "further consultations on the transition plan because of the threat it poses to as many as 51,000 jobs."[24] In the wake of the NUM's call, the Electricity Minister said no more Eskom coal plants would be closed to be replaced by renewables,[25] a change of course on repowering and repurposing plans reported in August 2021.[12]
In November 2023, the South African government approved the US$8.8 billion Just Energy Transition Investment Plan. The final deal was expected to be revealed at the upcoming COP28 climate conference. South Africa's Minister for Forestry, Fisheries and Environment said that part of the funding would support initiatives in Mpumalanga province, which is "currently heavily dependent on coal."[26]
Acts of Sabotage Keep Units Offline
In May 2022, Eskom had reported five acts of sabotage against their plants since March 2021. At the Hendrina power station, a cable required to start a unit undergoing repairs was cut. The incident delayed progress by multiple days and was reportedly caused by people employed by the plant. According to Mail & Guardian, the series of sabotages was linked to ongoing loadshedding power outages facing South Africa due to Eskom's aging infrastructure.[27]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "Generations Plant Mix Revision 8," Eskom, May 2008
- ↑ "Expression of Interest," World Bank, November 23, 2020
- ↑ “Eskom to engage on way forward after being denied permission to delay air-quality compliance,” Engineering News, December 14, 2021
- ↑ "Eskom implements Stage 6 load shedding with the possibility of higher stages increase," IOL, February 19, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom Latest: Eskom Escalates Power Cuts After Duvha Breakdown," Bloomberg, May 18, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom Board approves Fleet Renewal Strategy based on economic viability," Eskom, April 24, 2016
- ↑ "NUM goes to war over proposed Eskom power station closures," Mining Weekly, March 29, 2017
- ↑ "Jobs Issue Plagues Green Energy," Mail&Guardian, May 18, 2018
- ↑ "Eskom starts shutting down old coal power plants," Fin24, March 1 2019
- ↑ "Integrated Report," Eskom, 2020
- ↑ "South Africa may forces Eskom to halt two units at 3.5 GW Kendal coal-fired plant," Enerdata, May 20, 2020
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 "Eskom to retire 8-12GW of coal-fired power generation by 2031," NS Energy, August 8, 2021
- ↑ "Ramaphosa calls urgent Cabinet meeting to discuss new plan for old coal power stations," News24, April 19, 2023
- ↑ "Three power stations that can stop load-shedding," Daily Investor, April 10, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom chair Mpho Makwana says SA needs to decarbonise fast," News24, April 21, 2023
- ↑ "Ramaphosa confirms SA will slow down its decommissioning of coal-fired power plants," IOL, May 11, 2023
- ↑ "Standard Chartered Warns on Extending Use of Coal Plants in South Africa, Business Day Says," Bloomberg, May 14, 2023
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Health impacts of delaying coal power plant decommissioning in South Africa," Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, October 24, 2023
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 “South Africa: Consultants sought for coal plant repurposing,” Africa Energy, November 25, 2020
- ↑ "Eskom moves to finalise just energy transition framework as shutdown of Grootvlei, Komati and Hendrina draws near," Engineering News, November 17, 2020
- ↑ "Eskom plans sharp reduction of coal-fired power by 2031," Times Live, August 18, 2021
- ↑ "A new light on the future of Eskom’s assets," Oxpeckers, May 15, 2023
- ↑ "NUM demands a lengthy delay in the implementation of just energy transition," National Union of Mineworkers, October 2, 2023
- ↑ "Largest labour union at Eskom calls to suspend climate finance pact," News24, October 2, 2023
- ↑ "Eskom will not shut down more coal power stations, says Ramokgopa," Business Day, October 3, 2023
- ↑ "SA's shift from coal won't worsen debt burden and puts justice first, says Creecy," News24, November 24, 2023
- ↑ "More sabotage at Eskom as Hendrina power station cable is cut," Mail & Guardian, May 20, 2022
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
