Cape Town – Eskom has announced the successful return to service of Unit 4 at the Medupi Power Station, adding 800 megawatts (MW) to South Africa’s national electricity grid.
The unit was brought online at 20:29 on Sunday, marking a significant step in the country’s efforts to strengthen energy security and reduce the risk of loadshedding.
The unit had been offline since 8 August 2021, when a catastrophic explosion severely damaged its Generator Stator—a critical component of the generation system.
Eskom said the repairs were completed eight months ahead of schedule, thanks to a strategic decision to use a refurbished Generator Stator sourced from the Netherlands, avoiding the prolonged delays involved in manufacturing a new component.
“With the return of Unit 4, all six Medupi units are now operational, together delivering a combined capacity of 4 800MW to the grid,” Eskom said in a statement. Full output from the newly restored unit is expected in the coming weeks.
Eskom Group Chief Executive Dan Marokane hailed the development as a key milestone in the utility’s Generation Operational Recovery Plan.
“The return of Medupi Unit 4 marks a major milestone in our strategic objective of achieving operational stability through the addition of 2 500MW to the grid,” said Marokane.
“This achievement moves us closer to consistently overcoming loadshedding, which is now largely behind us due to structural improvements in the generation fleet.”
Bheki Nxumalo, Eskom Group Executive for Generation, praised the technical teams involved in the complex repair effort, including the successful overland transport of the 400-tonne Generator Stator over 1 000km from Richards Bay to the Limpopo-based power station.
Eskom reintegrates Medupi Unit 4 into the grid eight months ahead of its original schedule, adding 800MW as part of its strategic objective to deliver 2 500MW of generation capacity. pic.twitter.com/z9DWCmWawe
— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) July 6, 2025
“The professionalism and dedication shown by the Medupi team and Eskom Rotek Industries is commendable. Their achievement serves as a motivation for our teams as we advance our recovery efforts,” said Nxumalo.
Located in Lephalale, Medupi is one of the largest dry-cooled, coal-fired power stations in the world. The plant utilises supercritical technology, enabling it to operate more efficiently while minimising coal and water usage — an essential feature in South Africa’s water-scarce regions.
Medupi is also designed with environmental safeguards, including low nitrogen oxide burners and future-ready infrastructure for flue gas desulphurisation, which will cut sulphur dioxide emissions by more than 90% once installed.
Beyond its technical footprint, Medupi has played a vital role in local socio-economic upliftment. Eskom says it has invested R2.9 billion in development initiatives in the surrounding communities during the plant’s construction phase, with a further R145 million allocated to corporate social investments in areas such as rural development, education, and healthcare.
As Eskom continues to implement its Operational Excellence Programme, the utility said it remains focused on restoring performance, ensuring accountability from service providers, and improving long-term sustainability in power generation.
