Medupi and Kusile closures will not affect delivery deadlines

Johannesburg, South Africa — ESI-AFRICA.COM — 24 May 2011 – It is unlikely that the closure of the Medupi and Kusile construction sites for almost two weeks will have any impact on the deadlines for delivery of the two power stations on time.

Both construction sites were closed earlier this month after labour protests by contract staff led to the damage of vehicles and property.

 South African national power utility Eskom Holdings has now stated that no delay is expected in the final delivery dates for the two stations.

Construction was restarted at Medupi yesterday, with 7,000 workers reporting for duty, while work at Kusile has only partially resumed, with about 4,500 workers on site. Eskom said there were still some labour issues outstanding at Kusile, but it hoped the site would be back in full swing soon.

“We are working to make up for lost time,” said Eskom spokeswoman Hilary Joffe, who emphasised that Eskom had to make absolutely sure that the sites were safe before work could resume.