POWER SHORTAGE PUTS THE BRAKES ON GROWTH
South Africa is the continent’s engine of economic growth. But since 2007, its development has been increasingly hampered by the failure of power supplies to keep pace. Emergency outages have crippled whole industries, particularly the energy-intensive mining sector. The Medupi and Kusile power stations, due to come on stream in stages between 2011 and 2017, are expected to substantially close the gap. With six 850 megawatt blocks each, they will be among the largest in the world. Bilfinger Berger Power Services is manufacturing components valued at around €85 million for the two stations. (si)
Bilfinger Berger Magazine 2/2009