A an aerial view of the FGD plants at Kusile, left, published by General Electric. Right is a supplied image that has circulated widely showing the shorn duct.
Groetnis
All things considered, Medupi and Kusile are only ~50% efficient. Thusly the real cost is twice what they claim.
Groetnis
From what I have heard, but it is all speculation at this time, it was designed incorrectly. This is the flue gas pipe for Unit 1 and is after the sulphur dioxide scrubber connecting it to the stack to exhaust.
There are rubberised expansion joints to allow thermal expansion of the pipe and stack due to heating and cooling when operating. Either particles collected there and the pipe got bloked and pressure did this, or just the weight of the particulates caused the failure. It could also be wrong materials used and due to operating specifications not being met, the joints failed prematurely, on both ends between the scrubber output and the chimney stack.
This could be related to a pump failure in the desulpheresation unit. The unit was on forced shutdown due to this failure.
Groetnis
This from my favorite trusted forum…
Let’s keep the Eskom debate here, shall we, and not all over the forum?
My view exactly.
I’m open to debate, but until we all can see a marked improvement in Gov spending, discipline, and accountability … even better …
… we, the taxpayers, are going to be settled with the debt of irresponsible loans given to known criminal enterprises, cadre deployment for votes, the inability to retrench large swaths of unnecessary employees, read voters, for decades to come.
And unless the electricity supply does not stabilize AND increases, more honest taxpayers will eventually lose their ability to pay taxes - read - pay back the irresponsible loans made to SA.
Look, with all due respect and given the fact how much South African relish being negative about our leaders (Lord knows they deserve it!), I still think that any idiot who lends money to them without attaching very very stringent requirements (kinda like banks do with building loans), really only has themselves to blame.
Odds are the mentioned 9 Billion mentioned already has such a requirement attached, but that “The South Africans” didn’t bother to find out…
On that, we are 100% in agreement.
On this one, I fully expect there to be T&C etc, but we will have to wait and see if they can/has been enforced in the end.
Methinks, the criminal enterprise in SA has become very astute, like Rama said the KZN Flood relief will be 100% corruption free …
At least, IF it happens, we will not be surprised.
And if it does happen, as you said “really only has themselves to blame.” … taxpayers footing that bill then too.
Sorry Plonk, but I have NO trust in SA, or lenders, to have the taxpayer’s backs. Nope, I don’t.
It’s not the conditions, it’s the consequences. Even when they will steal large chunks of the cash, there are no consequences. We taxpaers will pay back every sent, even the stole cents…. They murder whistleblowers, yes they do and yes they are criminals. The cronies are out of your money, so now anything goes to get more. Prasa, Lottery commision, Eskom, SAA, flood relief in KZN, Construction mafia, local councils….
I shall stop there, but crap, there are thousands more examples. This is not under control and the patronage network, using BEE and other means, are getting the money to run things. Zondo commission spend more than R2 Billion, and nothing. It’s just another scheme to enrich the patronage network at your expense.
Groetnis
I think the one thing that is becoming very very clear, is that people would rather sit in the dark than provide the ANC-government with another cent to steal. They are that fed up.
Also, as I pointed out elsewhere, South Africa is somewhat unique in the sense that around 80% of its people have access to some level of electricity (88% urban, 75% rural). Compared to other countries, eg Namibia where this is 75% and 33%… or West Africa where the rural segment is as low as 8%, you must see what a massive effect this must have on upcoming elections.
Unfortunately I cannot cheer for what must be the inevitable eventual outcome, because unfortunately this disastrous state of affairs push some people towards an entirely different ideology (ironically these people always pick the same colour!), and that may well lead to an even more unhealthy alliance.
I cannot speak for other, for me, enough and that is why I saved every cent to not pay anything like utilities etc. where they can get their hands on money.
This was 2019
Groetnis
OK, so maybe South Africa is not completely unique… 
But at least, it’s in the upper echelons of having gotten it right at one point…
Yes, SA did, and 20+ years later, is it brought down hovering around the “dark ages” level.
Everything needs to be rebuilt, power lines need to be expanded.
And we are broke.
What came after Eskom, candles and lanterns running on fat… oh wait, there are no more whale blubber. 
Groetnis
PS: 
This has been very true for a long time, but it looks like things are in fact changing. The SIU has made a lot of arrests and cases are moving through the courts. Last year we had nothing, now it’s quite few. (Can’t find the links right now, but News24 did a review recently.) Edit: This quote is more in line with funding tranches being withheld than criminal charges, but I think my point stands.
I don’t agree. Most of it is extremely thin – single-page companies existing in triplicate. I’d rather say the sheer incompetence of oversight has allowed them to be extremely brazen, which actually makes it rather easy to catch them afterwards. See the whole Tembisa Hospital thing. Now clearly whomever signed those checks was corrupt but most people were just incompetent. The paper trail is out in the open.
I’m not super clued up on Prasa, but the rest are also extremely brazen. Lottery was shocking, and I’m not a fan of minister Patel, but he did clean that up. SIU is investigating, hopefully arrests soon. Construction mafia is also completely in the open. We need better policing, but not because the criminals are smart.
Even Eskom (and Prasa?) isn’t super sophisticated, the numbers are just bigger.
Seems that loophole is closing! Minister Godongwana changes BEE rules for SOEs | City Press
Here I feel your frustration, but remember that Zondo was “an Enquiry” – we spent that to figure out what happened, and how. Originally that info couldn’t even be used as evidence until Cyril amended the terms of reference. Now the commission’s findings have been handed over they have to be implemented, and that’s taking longer than hoped. But we are making progress, despite the terrible state of our police services.
A LOT of these corrupt actions have been finding their way to the news, a lot more than during Zuma’s days. That doesn’t mean we’re more corrupt now, it just means we’re learning about it more and faster.
I’m so happy to read about your positivity, Marius.
Let’s hope Gnl “Shut Up” The Hat, is replaced, the policy is overhauled, trained, and becomes Proudly South African again. We hope that more judges are appointed, and more legal minds are trained to handle the prosecutions going forward, that Zondo has unearthed, as it will take decades to properly investigate and prosecute.
At least, something is happening, but is it too little too late?
Or late, but not too late?
I think Plonkster hit the nail on the head:
Yeah, I realise I piss people off by being positive sometimes, but a lot of good is honestly happening! I’m not going to wallow with you, I’m going to point at the faint light above, and is that a ladder I see there on the wall?
I mean FFS, most people are shocked by corruption they read about in the news, but it’s not like they reading Investigative Journalism like amaBhungane – they’re reading Die Burger (or Maroela Media, cough cough). These outlets don’t have investigate teams – THEY REPORT FROM THE COURT STEPS! 
So if you’re reading about something there, by definition it’s public knowledge right?
We’re now in the position where, having broken it, we’re stuck with both pieces, and I’m confident the right pieces are moving into place, albeit glacially. But a while back people didn’t believe we’d learn anything from Zondo, saying that everyone is corrupt and just covering everyone else. That clearly hasn’t been the case.
But if you truly believe there is no way out of this hole you should be buying plane tickets, not solar panels.
Frustratingly, that is not how we fix this, and when you leave, you also have no say any more.
Groetnis