Power utility Eskom said on Wednesday it had brought Unit 1 of the Kusile power station into commercial production just under a year ahead of schedule. The entire Kusile project, however, was now twice as expensive than initially estimated and four years behind schedule. Amid revisions of expected completion dates, Kusile remained linked to the embattled leadership of the utility. Eskom said the power station would add 800MW to the grid. The utility revised timelines for its power stations in 2015, with Kusile’s cost rising to R160bn from R80bn. The construction and optimisation of the unit was ahead of its scheduled commercial operation date of July 2018 and indicated the utility had learned from previous build projects‚ Eskom interim CEO Johnny Dladla said in a statement. Cost overruns at Kusile had come with other problems, including labour disputes and allegations of corruption — among which are allegations that suspended acting CEO Matshela Koko irregularly ordered the removal ...
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