The Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme consists of two 200 megawatts (270,000 hp) turbine units located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) upstream of the Kogelberg Dam on the Palmiet River near Cape Town, South Africa.[2] The pumped-storage hydroelectricity plant is capable of responding to a surge in peak power demand in minutes.[3] At night, excess power on the grid generated by conventional coal and nuclear plants is used to pump water to the upper Rockview Dam overlooking Gordon's Bay.
| Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme | |
|---|---|
 Dam and tower of the Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme seen from the Palmiet River | |
  Location of Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme in South Africa | |
| Location | Western Cape |
| Coordinates | 34°11′52″S 18°58′27″E / 34.19782°S 18.97407°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Opening date | 1988 |
| Operator(s) | Eskom |
| Upper reservoir | |
| Creates | Rockview Dam |
| Total capacity | 3 100 000 m3[1] |
| Lower reservoir | |
| Creates | Kogelberg Dam |
| Power Station | |
| Installed capacity | 400 MW |
It is regarded[by whom?] as a forerunner in environmental engineering. The whole Palmiet site is a conservation area and in December 1998 the area was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO - the first in South Africa.
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ "Eskom - Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme" (PDF).
- ^ "Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme". Eskom. 28 February 2023.
- ^ "PUMPED STORAGE HYDROELECTRIC SCHEMES AND WATER TRANSFER" (PDF). Eskom. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-04-27. Retrieved 2015-04-20.
External links
edit- Palmiet Pumped Storage Scheme on the Eskom-Website