Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme
Encyclopedia
The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme (previously named Braamhoek) is under construction by Eskom
in the escarpment of the Little Drakensberg range straddling the border of the Free State and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
. The Scheme will consists of an upper (Bedford Dam) and a lower dam (Bramhoek Dam) 4.6 km apart and connected by tunnels. The underground powerhouse will house 4 x 333MW reversible pump-turbines. The scheme is being built at a cost of R27 billion and is scheduled to come into operation in 2014.
The pumped-storage hydroelectricity
plant will be used 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.
Eskom
Eskom is a South African electricity public utility, established in 1923 as the Electricity Supply Commission by the government of South Africa in terms of the Electricity Act . It was also known by its Afrikaans name Elektrisiteitsvoorsieningskommissie . The two acronyms were combined in 1986 and...
in the escarpment of the Little Drakensberg range straddling the border of the Free State and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. The Scheme will consists of an upper (Bedford Dam) and a lower dam (Bramhoek Dam) 4.6 km apart and connected by tunnels. The underground powerhouse will house 4 x 333MW reversible pump-turbines. The scheme is being built at a cost of R27 billion and is scheduled to come into operation in 2014.
The pumped-storage hydroelectricity
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity
Pumped-storage hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric power generation used by some power plants for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Low-cost off-peak electric power is used to run the pumps...
plant will be used 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.