Balancing power and water at Braamhoek

Abstract

Hydro-electricity I t has been almost 20 years since the construction of South Africa’s last pumped storage scheme, Palmiet, near Grabouw in the Western Cape. Braamhoek will not only be the most modern pumped storage facility in South Africa but, with a capacity of 1 332 MW, also certainly the largest. Pumped storage schemes are said to be desirable, as they reportedly do not require much water, as the water is being continuously recycled. The main water losses stem from evaporation from the reservoirs. The site straddles the Klein Drakensberg escarpment and spans over the farms Braamhoek and Zaaifontein, some 40 km north-west of Ladysmith in KwaZulu-Natal, and Bedford farm, located some 23 km east-north-east of Van Reenen, in the Free State. The pumped storage station itself will be located in KwaZulu-Natal.

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