Komati Power Station shuts down as they reach the end of its operational life

The coal-fired Komati Power Station in Mpumalanga reached the end of its operational life on Monday and was decommissioned.

The plant, which has been in operation since 1961, had its final generating unit shut down at midday, according to Eskom.

The unit, which was completed in March 1966, was the last of nine units built. Other units were shut down over time as they reached the end of their operational life, as required by law.

“The shutting down of the plant will not have a significant impact on the national electricity grid as the remaining unit was only contributing 121MW,” Eskom stated.

The utility stated that no Eskom employees would be laid off as a result of the plant closure, with the majority of Komati employees being transferred to support and augment skills in other power plants and areas of the business as needed for operational needs.

The end of Komati’s coal-fired journey, according to Eskom, marks the start of another exciting journey for the plant in the form of a “repowering and repurposing” project that will serve as a global model for the transition of fossil-fuel assets.

The project will transform Komati into a renewable energy generation site, with 150MW of solar, 70MW of wind, and 150MW of storage batteries. On-site, a containerized micro-grid assembly factory has already been established.

A facility for reskilling, retraining, and upskilling Eskom employees and community members is also being built.

“Funding for this facility, which will enable a ‘just’ transition for the local community following the decommissioning of the power station, has already been received from one of the developmental finance institutions and Eskom will make an official announcement in due course,” the utility stated.