Eskom is very excited and extremely proud to announce that yesterday, 16 October 2014 the Medupi power station project received the Pressure Equipment Regulation Certificate of Registration for Unit 6 from the Department of Labour (DoL). This is the first of the 6 Medupi units that is scheduled to be synchronised to the national electricity grid on 24 December this year.

Boiler registration with the Department of Labour is required as no user may use a steam generator, i.e. Boiler, unless such user is in possession of a certificate of registration for that Boiler. This certificate is issued by the Department of Labour  and is a legal requirement. The Boiler must be registered before energy can be applied to the Boiler and is required for the start of First Oil Fire.

The process and procedures normally required to achieve this major milestone were accelerated by establishing a strong relationship between the senior members within the Department of Labour and the Project, ahead of the submission.

The Medupi Engineering team hand delivered the submission documentation to the Department of Labour offices in Polokwane on Friday 10 October and ensured that due processes had been followed and that all relevant documentation was in place to avoid any delays in the evaluation. This initiative shortened the time required for evaluation on site.

The Department of Labour further supported the project and went the extra mile by undertaking the evaluation (that can normally take up to 14 days) to complete the registration within six days (including the weekend).

Medupi is now one step closer to the goal of 1st Synchronisation and ready for First Oil Fire scheduled for today, Friday 17 October.