Eskom’s construction problems just keep mounting at the Medupi and Kusile plants and now it has emerged the SEO will have to lay out an additional R2-billion to repair problems that have arisen during construction.
The construction is running years behind schedule and is expected to now cost R292-billion, or roughly double initial estimates.
According to Independent energy adviser Mike Rossouw the latest R2-billion in costs have likely come about due to contractors erecting plants, boilers and control systems in such a way that they ‘ended up having major defects’.
“It basically comes down to the contractors and the fact that they are inadequately supervised,” he explains.
Eskom’s own reports indicate that there have been defects in the plant that grinds the coal, the boilers and the control system running the operations and steps are being taken to get the contractors to pay for as much of the repair work as possible.
