The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme (previously named Braamhoek) is a pumped-storage power station in the escarpment of the Little Drakensberg range straddling the border of the

KwaZulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN and known as "the garden province") is a province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu) and Natal Province were merged. It is loca ...

and Free State provinces,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

. It is about North-East of

Van Reenen Van Reenen (pronounced "Fun Reenen") is a settlement in Uthukela District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is located on the N3 national road at the top of Van Reenen's Pass on the Great Escarpment of the Drakensbe ...

Design

The pumped-storage hydroelectric scheme consists of an upper and a lower dam apart and connected to a power station by tunnels. The power station uses 4 Francis pump turbines rated at 333 MW each, giving it a total rating of 1332 MW installed capacity.

Construction

Notable contractors included CMC Impregilo Mavundla Joint Venture and Concor on the dams. The scheme was built at a cost of US$3.5 billion ( R25 billion). Construction began in 2005 and the power station was scheduled to begin operations in late 2015. * The first two generators were commissioned March 2016. * The third generator was brought into commercial operation in August 2016. * The fourth and final one in January 2017.

Detailed breakdown

The pumped-storage hydroelectric plant uses water from the upper reservoir to generate electricity during the peak demand periods of the day. At night, excess power on the grid generated by conventional coal and nuclear plants is used to pump water to the upper reservoir. *The upper Bedford Dam on Bedford stream, a tributary of the

Wilge River The Wilge River ( af, Wilgerivier, meaning "willow river") is a tributary of the Vaal River in central South Africa. This river is important as part of the Tugela-Vaal Water Transfer Scheme where water is transferred from the Tugela River basi ...

, was completed in April 2011. It is a tall

concrete-face rock-fill dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, ...

. It has a water storage capacity of which can be used for power generation. *The lower Bramhoek Dam on Bramhoek stream, a tributary of the Klip River, was completed in November 2011. It is a tall roller-compacted concrete gravity dam. It has a water storage capacity of which can be pumped up to the upper reservoir. *A long headrace tunnel connects the upper reservoir to the underground power station which houses 4 x reversible Francis pump-turbines. The elevation between the two reservoirs affords a

hydraulic Hydraulics (from Greek: Υδραυλική) is a technology and applied science using engineering, chemistry, and other sciences involving the mechanical properties and use of liquids. At a very basic level, hydraulics is the liquid counter ...

head (water drop) of . *Water from the power station is discharged down a long tailrace tunnel to the lower reservoir.

Storage capacity

The energy storage capacity is 21,000 MWh or 15.8 generating hours.

References

External links