Africa’s largest gas power plant will be inaugurated today at a special ceremony.
The £128million Sasol gas engine plant, located south of Johannesburg, will produce up to 140MW, and is the largest operational plant running on gas in Africa.
Half the energy produced by the plant, which was developed by Wärtsilä and came on stream last November, will be used to power a neighbouring chemical factory with the rest being fed into the national grid.
“This plant is a significant milestone for Sasol, as we begin to ease our load on the national grid and contribute to our own energy efficiency targets,” said Lean Strauss, Sasol Senior Group Executive, International Energy.
“We are proud of this new facility which demonstrates how we can add versatility to natural gas,”
The plant, which sits 1500m above sea level, will be operated and maintained by Wärtsilä under a three year agreement – the 470th power plant the company has delivered in Africa to date.
It uses a closed-loop cooling system to avoid heavy demands for water, a significant factor in an area where water resources are limited.
“This inauguration marks a significant step forward for power generation based on gas fuel,” said Wärtsilä regional director Tony van Velzen
“Never before has a power plant of this size running exclusively on gas engines been installed on the African continent, and we see this as an important achievement on the road to cleaner and more efficient electricity production.”
Recommended for you
