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SPARKS
ELECTRICAL NEWS
SEPTEMBER 2016
CONTRACTORS’
CORNER
8
KEY MILESTONES
FOR MASSIVE KUSILE AUTOMATION PROJECT
New general
manager
for
business unit
ABB’s
biggest automation order at Kusile ther-
mal power plant in South Africa has achieved its
first important success. Comprising six units of
800 MW each, Eskom’s Kusile Power Station will
be the world’s fourth-largest coal-fired power sta-
tion and will help to boost South Africa’s capacity to
support the country’s economy.
ABB is on schedule to complete automation for
Generating Unit 1 of the power station with suc-
cessful factory acceptance tests (FATs) of the bal-
ance-of-plant and the unit performed late last year.
“With record timing as a key deliverable of such
an intrinsically complex project, there is excellent
cooperation between the Eskom and ABB teams
with very strict monitoring on each element of the
project to ensure that deadlines are adhered to, “
says Kevin Kosisko, ABB’s power generation busi-
ness managing director.
“We are extremely pleased that our technology
will be the keystone to bring reliable power supply
to consumers and a step ahead in the development
of South Africa’s power infrastructure.”
As part of the order, ABB is supplying the con-
trol system, software and instrumentation solution
for all six of the station’s 800 MW generating units,
which will supply power to the entire country when
the plant is completely operational by the last quar-
ter of 2022. The solution also includes unit and
balance-of-plant automation, field instrumentation,
cabling, boiler protection and plant simulator, engi-
neering, installation, commissioning, optimisation
and training.
“The ABB Kusile team comprises about 40%
local engineers,” says Leon Viljoen, country
managing director, South Africa. “With this, we
are dedicated to ensuring that there is adequate
transfer of knowledge in order to build local capacity
so that we can support Kusile Power Station after
the completion of the project.”
The Kusile power plant belongs to a new gen-
eration of high-pressure, high-temperature ther-
mal power installations known as ‘supercritical’
plants, which are more efficient than conven-
tional coal-fired plants, and have lower emissions
and fuel costs.
Kusile will be the first plant in Africa to use wet
flue gas desulphurisation technology in all boilers.
Eskom generates more than 90% of its electricity
from coal-fired stations, and state-of-the-art clean
coal technology will be installed at Kusile to help
ensure a long term, reliable source of baseload
electricity for the region.
ABB automation and software increases the
effectiveness of plant processes by improving
operational awareness, response times with de-
cision making, resulting in better availability and
efficiency.
Enquiries: +27 10 202 5090
S
y Gourrah, a well-
respected electrical
engineer who has
held key posts at Buffalo
City Municipality (East
London) and, as a con-
sulting engineer, has been
involved in a range of elec-
trical infrastructure pro-
jects in various parts of
the country, has been
appointed
general
manager of ACTOM
Power Systems, the
ACTOM group’s sub-
station project manage-
ment business unit.
Gourrah, a Bachelor of Electrical & Electronics
Engineering graduate from Mangalore University
in India, took up the position on June 1. She has
been a contracts manager at the business unit for
the past year.
She was born in India and grew up and attended
school in Zambia and South Africa and has spent
her entire working career in South Africa since
graduating from Mangalore University in 1995.
Gourrah obtained a Master of Business Admin-
istration (MBA) earlier this year. She is a Fellow
and council member of the SA Institute of Electri-
cal Engineers (SAIEE) and is an active volunteer
on the Engineering Council of SA (ECSA). She
was president of the Association of Municipal
Electricity Utilities (AMEU) from 2008 to 2010.
She is also an advisor to deputy president, Cyril
Ramaphosa, on the Eskom turnaround strategy.
She was employed at Buffalo City Municipal-
ity from 2001 to 2011, initially holding the post of
deputy city electrical engineer and later appointed
general manager, electrical and mechanical ser-
vices. She has also worked for several firms of
consulting electrical engineers and associated
companies in various capacities, including that of
deputy CEO of an electrical infrastructure con-
struction company.
Sybrand Nel, divisional CEO of ACTOM’s engi-
neering projects and contracts division, says, the
company welcomes Gourrah as general manager
of ACTOM Power Systems to head up this key
business unit saying her appointment is “well-
deserved” as is her “impressive track record and
proven expertise and experience in this field”.
Enquiries: +27 11 430-8700
Sy Gourrah, general manager
of ACTOM Power Systems.