Eskom pushes ahead to meet Coega’s power supply needs

Energy-intensive developments pump up demand ED RICHARDSON WITH THREE multi-billion rand investments pending at Coega, as well as other exciting developments in the Eastern Cape, Eskom’s plans to increase the power supply to the region are well advanced. The amount of power currently being provided to the Eastern Cape - approximately 1400 Megawatts (MW) – is approaching the maximum limit that the existing infrastructure can deliver. “The NMMM area is predicted to experience a growth in power demand from current levels of approximately 730 MW to levels in the order of 5000 MW, largely as a result of energy intensive industrial developments located within the Coega IDZ,” says Eskom southern distribution region communications spokesperson, Barry MacColl. Eskom is planning to meet the power needs through a combination of increasing the capacity of the power lines from Mpumalanga and increasing local generation capability. Developments in the province include investments in the East London IDZ, sugar beet production and expansion of existing manufacturing plants. The biggest demand, however, is expected to come from Coega. “Developments there will require additional power generation capacity, in which a proposed Coega Integrated LNG-to-Power Project (CIP) in the Coega IDZ would play a crucial role,” he says.