Kriel power station
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Kriel power station is an operating power station of at least 3000-megawatts (MW) in Kriel, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Kriel power station | Kriel, Nkangala, Mpumalanga, South Africa | -26.253937, 29.178465 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: -26.253937, 29.178465
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1976 | 2026 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1976 | 2027 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1977 | 2028 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1978 | 2029 (planned) |
| Unit 5 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1979 | 2029 (planned) |
| Unit 6 | operating | coal - bituminous | 500 | subcritical | 1979 | 2030 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | 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%] |
Background
Kriel power station is a six-unit coal-fired power plant with a total capacity of 3,000 MW. The plant was completed between 1976 and 1979, and is owned by Eskom.
In October 2021, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment partially granted an environmental compliance postponement application for the power station.[1]
In their 2021 Integrated Report, Eskom noted coal quality and contamination issues at the plant. Additionally, high levels of particulate and dust emissions were an ongoing issue. Regardless, the plant remains online through "periods of poor performance".[2]
Incidents
Units at the plant face frequent disruptions. For example, in May 2021, a unit went offline due to a boiler tube leak contributing to loadshedding.[3]
In May 2022, arrests were made in relation to a "sophisticated crime syndicate in cahoots with Eskom officials, police and trucking companies" who had apparently siphoned and stolen millions of rands worth of fuel at the Kriel power station. According to investigative journalists on the ground, this has been going on undetected for several years, exploiting a design flaw in the plant's weigh bridge. Eskom did not provide an explanation for why the discrepancy between delivered volume and consumed volume was not caught.[4]
In July 2022, electrical faults took five units offline at the power station, contributing to ongoing loadshedding problems on the Eskom grid.[5] In September 2022, a conveyor belt that moves coal from the Kriel mine to the power station caught fire. An investigation was underway to assess the damages.[6]
In April 2023, a former finance manager at the Kriel power station had been convicted of fraud and theft of more than R500,000 (US$25,900).[7]
Retirement plans
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).[8]
However, according to South Africa's 2019 Integrated Resource Plan, the plant's 50-year Life Decommissioning was projected for 2026-2029.[9] And in April 2020, Eskom listed the planned retirement dates for the plant's six units between 2026 and 2030.[10]
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, but not the Kriel power station.[11]
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.[12] 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.[12]
Environmental impact
A 2019 Greenpeace report found that Kriel in Mpumalanga was the second worst sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution hotspot in the world.[13]
In September 2023, Reuters published an analysis showing that four Eskom power stations — Kriel power station, Matimba power station, Matla power station, and Kendal power station — had breached regulations for particulate matter emissions in the prior year.[14]
According to a March 2024 report on air pollution in Africa by Greenpeace, Kriel power station and Matla power station were Africa's two largest point sources of nitrogen oxide (NOx) pollution from May 2018 to November 2021. Another seven Eskom coal plants appeared in the report's list of the ten largest NOx emissions hotspots in Africa for that period. Kriel also topped the list of Africa's largest point sources of sulfur dioxide (SO2) pollution in 2022, along with Duvha power station and Kendal power station. Three additional Eskom coal plants appeared in the top ten SO2 emissions hotspots in Africa in 2022. The report noted that government data on emissions in Africa is patchy, so the authors relied on satellite measurements.[15]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ “Eskom to engage on way forward after being denied permission to delay air-quality compliance,” Engineering News, December 14, 2021
- ↑ "2021 Integrated Report," Eskom, October 2021
- ↑ "Due to plant breakdowns, Eskom will implement Stage 2 loadshedding from 17:00 this evening until 22:00 on Tuesday night," Eskom, May 16, 2021
- ↑ "Fuel thieves siphon off millions from Eskom power station," amaBhungane, May 16, 2022
- ↑ "Electrical faults tripped five generating units at Kriel Power Station this morning, removing 2 000MW from the system. Loadshedding may be implemented at short notice should further capacity losses occur," Eskom, July 25, 2022
- ↑ "Coal conveyor belt that feeds Eskom power station catches fire," news24, September 19, 2022
- ↑ "Former Eskom financial manager found guilty of fraud, ordered to pay back the money," IOL, April 27, 2023
- ↑ "NUM goes to war over proposed Eskom power station closures," Mining Weekly, March 29, 2017
- ↑ "Integrated Resource Plan (IRP2019)," South Africa, October 2019 (figure 26)
- ↑ "Response of Eskom to CER, Reference number: PAIA 0087 MAN," CER website, April 28, 2020
- ↑ “South Africa: Consultants sought for coal plant repurposing,” Africa Energy, November 25, 2020
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Health impacts of delaying coal power plant decommissioning in South Africa," Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, October 24, 2023
- ↑ "New Greenpeace analysis finds Kriel in Mpumalanga is the second worst sulphur dioxide (SO2) pollution hotspot in the world," Greenpeace Asia, August 2019
- ↑ "Exclusive: South African utility Eskom pollutes more in bid to keep lights on," Reuters, September 27, 2023
- ↑ "Major Air Polluters in Africa Unmasked," Greenpeace Africa and Greenpeace Middle East and North Africa, March 2024
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.
