Harnessing the Collywobbles

Abstract

Hydropower The Mbhashe River rises in the mountains of the southern Drakensberg, and then snakes eastward across the coastal plateau, a gentle landscape of undulating grassland. Shortly after flowing beneath the N2, the river encounters the more rugged terrain of the Wild Coast, and – as if in shock or confusion – it suddenly flails into a series of violent contortions, before seemingly getting a grip on itself and continuing more sedately to the Indian Ocean. This convoluted section of river course – viewed on Google Earth as a squiggle of loops and bends – is known as Collywobbles, and is the site of a hydroelectric power station of the same name. It was commissioned in 1985 by TESCOR, the former Transkei Electricity Corporation, and is now operated by Eskom. With three generating units of 14 MW each providing a total maximum output of 42 MW, it ranks as Eskom’s third largest hydroelectric power station after the Gariep (360 MW) and Vanderkloof (240 MW) schemes on the Orange River.

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