District To Get Hydro-Electric Power Station

IF everything goes according to plan, Greater Sekhukhune district will be having a power station on its doorstep.
Greater Sekhukhune district executive mayor Cllr Namane Masemola will be meeting representatives of power utility, Eskom, on March 12 to chart a way forward for the construction of the hydro-electric power station.

The power station will use water from the De Hoop Dam - which is being constructed in Sekhukhune village, Tubatse.
Masemola said he will be meeting Eskom to discuss the construction village, formation of a stakeholders’ forum and the broader approach to this project.

Masemola however indicated that the discussions would take place in consideration of the electricity shortages that are currently besetting the country.

The power shortages have also stymied the district’s ambitions to electrify a number of rural villages during the current financial year.

The Greater Sekhukhune district council approved and allocated R70-million towards this massive electrification programme, but it has since stalled because Eskom has not yet indicated if it has the capacity to electrify the villages.
“However, due to this national emergency (power outages) it appears that we will have to re-adjust our plans accordingly,” Masemola said.