In May 2007, when South African utility Eskom broke ground on Medupi, the country’s first new powerplant since the 1980s, in some cases it was business as usual. The generating station would be coal-fired, sited next to the supplying mine and—with a 4,800-MW rated capacity—immense. Medupi, by far the largest powerplant under construction in Africa, will be one of the largest in the world upon completion. It will account for about 11% of South Africa’s electricity generating capacity.

Kusile, another new plant with a commissioning schedule about 18 months behind Medupi’s, has an identical “six-pack configuration,” with six identical 800-MW units configured in tandem. By 2015-16, when both plants are scheduled to be in full operation, they will generate nearly a quarter of the country’s electricity baseload. In addition to the benefits of economies of scale, “We conglomerate powerplants near mines to keep the distance coal is transported to a minimum,” says Roman Crookes, Eskom’s project manager.

在其他方面，Medupi是与1994年以前的种族隔离时代建造的最后一家植物的明显不同。所有者将使用一种针对南非新技术的技术，并试图与21世纪的环境问题平衡19世纪的燃料。动力装置的工程和建筑团队已完全集成，将国际离岸计划管理和组件供应商与本土劳动力融合在一起，该劳动力必须达到南非（AGISA）配额的加速增长。类似于美国的肯定行动和小企业，但更雄心勃勃的AGISA在五个领域设定了较高的标准：黑人经济赋权，对以前处境不利的人的援助，妇女拥有和当地企业以及技能转移。

Power for the people

Crookes calls it a “salt-and-pepper” approach. “Everyone here is South African—if not an actual South African, then by adoption,” he says. The project is more than a high-profile plum for Japanese boilermaker Hitachi, Swiss generator vendor Alstom, U.S. program manager Parsons Brinckerhoff or South African prime contractor Murray & Roberts. “It’s for the country. It’s for our future,” Crookes says.

现在，高级锅炉已成为一种经过验证的广泛燃烧技术。日本日本组织集团的日立非洲有限公司（Hitachi Africa Ltd.它们旨在以超过1,100°F的速度运行。“超临界锅炉在较高的温度下运行，压力更高，比传统锅炉更有效地燃烧煤炭，”克鲁克斯说。“我们非常勤奋地最大程度地减少碳足迹。”

Hitachi’s AGISA goal stipulates that 60% of its $2.6-billion contract must stay in South Africa. Although some of the specialized components are supplied offshore, as much pipefitting and fabrication work as possible are performed in-country at a Hitachi-built plant in Nigel and training centers in Pretoria and Wadeville. The goal, says Crookes, is to develop a talent pool that will serve South Africa and its neighbors long after Medupi is finished in 2015.

The plant, situated in Limpopo Province about 300 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg, will be supplied by the nearby Grootegeluk mine. Reserves are ample, with relatively high calorific value, although somewhat high in ash content, Eskom says. Medupi will consume 14.6 million tonnes annually over the next 40 years.

Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and election to the presidency paved the way for South Africa’s resumption of normalized economic and diplomatic relations with the rest of the world. It also brought a stronger emphasis on environmental concerns.

A $3.75-billion loan application, approved in April by the World Bank, was criticized strongly both inside and outside...