Johannesburg – Eskom has announced the successful integration of Unit 6, the last unit of Kusile Power Station, into the national grid.
In a statement released on Sunday, (23 March 2025), Eskom shared their excitement, stating, “We are pleased to report that Kusile Power Station’s final unit, Unit 6, has been integrated into the national grid today at 16:45.”
The power utility highlighted that this achievement marks a significant milestone in the completion of one of South Africa’s largest infrastructure projects and is essential for Eskom’s strategy to add 2,500MW of new capacity to the grid by March 2025.
Eskom further pointed out that once all units of the Kusile Power Station are operational, it will contribute a total of 4,800MW to the national grid, solidifying its status as the largest infrastructure project in the country.
“In addition, Medupi power station is anticipated to restore 800MW from Unit 4 by the end of April 2025, following a lengthy outage caused by a generator stator failure and project completion,” Eskom noted.
“With Kusile Unit 6 reaching commercial operation, both of South Africa’s new build power station projects will be essentially complete.”
Eskom also revealed that Kusile is the first power station in South Africa and the entire African continent to implement Wet Flue Gas Desulphurisation (WFGD) technology, which ensures compliance with air quality standards and aligns with global best practices to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions.
“Eskom is at a pivotal moment in restoring megawatts to the grid, given our current constrained state,” commented Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom’s Group Executive for Generation.
“This milestone exemplifies the relentless commitment and resilience of Eskom’s workforce and contractors.
“Their steadfast dedication has allowed us to progress despite numerous challenges.
“As we celebrate this progress, we now focus on achieving commercial operation for Unit 6 in the latter part of 2025, further strengthening South Africa’s energy security.”
Eskom Group Chief Executive, Dan Marokane, remarked, “The inclusion of Kusile Unit 6 demonstrates our consistent efforts in stabilizing and improving South Africa’s electricity supply.
“Realizing the goals set out in the Generation Recovery Plan and our strategic roadmap underscores our commitment to delivering new capacity, enhancing generation performance, promoting economic growth, and ultimately fostering a more sustainable energy future.
“We reiterate our promise to prevent a return to the levels of loadshedding experienced in 2023, maintaining our focus on delivering a more reliable, resilient, and sustainable power system for the country.”
Eskom indicated that over the coming six months, the unit will undergo extensive testing and optimization prior to achieving commercial operation, at which point its 800MW capacity will formally be integrated into the Eskom generation fleet.
“With this new milestone, Eskom remains committed to executing the Generation Operational Recovery Plan, enhancing governance, and future-proofing the organization,” the power utility added.
“This is vital for ensuring energy security, growth, and long-term sustainability for the benefit of South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa.”
